American Heart Association Eat Less Salt: An Easy Action Plan for Finding and Reducing the Sodium Hidden in Your Diet

"For 60 recipe ideas and a wealth of information about sodium and health, see the new book Eat Less Salt by the American Heart Association." --Jane E. Brody, NYTimes.com

"To help you reduce the amount of sodium you consume from processed foods, the AHA has published a new book, Eat Less Salt, with plenty of tips and tricks." -BostonGlobe.com

"Check out the AHA’s Eat Less Salt book if you really want to get serious about [cutting your sodium intake]." --Huffington Post

Knock down that sodium--but not the flavor--to decrease your blood pressure and risks for heart attack and stroke. This toolkit, sodium tracker, and cookbook in one gives you solid health information and 60 low-sodium recipes for favorite comfort foods. With the book's step-by-step approach, eating less salt has never been more achievable.

Everyone can benefit from a lower sodium diet: Millions of Americans (including 97 percent of children) consume far more sodium than they need, averaging about 3,400 milligrams of sodium a day, or seven times what the body needs to function. To help you achieve the association's recommended daily sodium intake of 1,500 milligrams, Eat Less Salt gives you realistic strategies for cutting back on sodium gradually.

With this book, you’ll learn how to:
-Monitor your current sodium intake
-Reduce the high-sodium products in your pantry, refrigerator, and freezer
-Read and understand food labels
-Know which popular foods are “salt traps”
-Keep sodium in check while eating out
-Plan healthy, lower-sodium weekly menus without sacrificing flavor

Q&A for Eat Less Salt

Q. Isn’t some sodium good for you?

A. Yes, our bodies do need some sodium, but not nearly the amount most of us consume each day. Most people need only about 500 mg of sodium a day for their bodies to function properly.

Q. How much sodium is too much?

A. The American Heart Association recommends that everyone eat less than 1,500 milligrams (mg) of sodium a day, so any more than that is considered too much. Currently, most Americans consume an average of 3,400 mg per day—more than double the recommendation for good heart health.

Q. What are the consequences of eating too much sodium?

A. The more sodium you take in, the higher your blood pressure is likely to be. If you have high blood pressure, you are at much higher risk for heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases. The effects of high blood pressure can have deadly consequences, especially if left untreated. The bottom line is: too much sodium = higher blood pressure = higher risk of disease and disability.

Q. Aren’t I too young to worry about sodium?

A. Everyone, regardless of age, needs to be mindful of his or her sodium intake. Eating a high-sodium diet is a major cause of high blood pressure, and although blood pressure usually increases as we age, youth is not a guaranteed antidote—even babies can have high blood pressure. The incidence of this disease in children and young people is increasing, with serious health consequences. Most incidences of high blood pressure in teens and young adults are preventable, because they usually result from an unhealthy lifestyle, including a diet that is too high in sodium.

Q. Where does most of the sodium in our diets come from?

A. The vast majority of the sodium we eat—slightly more than 75 percent—comes from processed foods, including restaurant foods.

Q. I don’t put salt on my food, so I’m probably eating low-sodium anyway, right?

A. Probably not. Only 6 percent of the sodium we consume comes from the salt we add to our food at the table and even less than that—5 percent—comes from the salt we add when cooking at home.

Q. I often eat at restaurants when traveling for business. How do I watch my sodium when dining out?

A. In Eat Less Salt, you’ll learn several strategies to better control your sodium intake while dining out, including rethinking your choices to find menu items and add-ons (like cheese) that you can do without, replacing high-sodium dishes with lower-sodium alternatives, and reducing the amount of food you eat.

Q. I buy healthy foods and cook well-balanced meals for my family almost every night, so can I assume that we are eating a lower-sodium diet?

A. Not necessarily. If you use any processed or packaged foods—even if they are considered “healthy” such as canned beans or vegetables or whole grains such as rice or cereals--you probably are eating a lot more sodium than you realize. Until you check the sodium in the foods you buy, you really don’t know how much sodium you and your family are consuming. Eat Less Salt dedicates an entire chapter to targeting high-sodium foods at home and provides strategies to reduce sodium in the kitchen.

Q. What are some popular foods that are particularly high in sodium?

A. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 40 percent of the sodium in the average American diet comes from only 10 types of food: breads and rolls, cold cuts and cured meats, pizza, fresh and processed chicken and turkey, soups, sandwiches--including burgers, cheese, pasta dishes with sauce, mixed meat dishes (such as meatloaf with sauce), and snacks (chips, pretzels, popcorn, etc.).

Q. What kinds of recipes can I expect to find in the book?

A. Eat Less Salt offers more than 60 recipes. They include lower-sodium versions of take-out favorites like beef and broccoli, hot-and-sour soup, chicken nuggets, and pizza; classic comfort foods such as country-fried chicken, lasagna, chili, chicken potpie, potato salad, and green bean casserole; as well as popular restaurant dishes including tortilla soup, pad Thai, enchiladas, and chicken Parmesan!

The mission of the AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION is to build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke. Its bestselling library of cookbooks and guides includes American Heart Association Low-Salt Cookbook, 4th Edition; American Heart Association Healthy Slow Cooker Cookbook; The New American Heart Association Cookbook, 8th Edition; American Heart Association Quick & Easy Cookbook, 2nd Edition; and American Heart Association Complete Guide to Women's Heart Health.

Top 10 Sources of Sodium
1. Breads and rolls
2. Cold cuts and cured meats, such as deli or packaged ham and turkey
3. Pizza
4. Fresh and processed chicken and turkey
5. Soups
6. Sandwiches, including burgers
7. Cheese
8. Pasta dishes with sauce
9. Mixed meat dishes, such as meat loaf with sauce
10. Snacks, such as chips, pretzels, and popcorn

Sodium Smarts: Our recipe for corn bread dressing contains about half the sodium
of dressing prepared from a packaged mix. Using this homemade corn bread and
low-sodium broth helps keep the sodium down.

Corn Bread Dressing
Too much liquid can make corn bread dressing heavy and gummy, but this recipe has the perfect texture. That’s because it calls for adding dried whole-wheat bread and baking the dressing uncovered. Both help the dressing absorb the broth, resulting in a light, flavorful side dish. If you prefer, you can also just enjoy the corn bread on its own.

Serves 8; 1/2 cup per serving

Cooking spray
4 cups crumbled corn bread (recipe follows)
2 slices whole-wheat bread (lowest sodium available), dried and crumbled (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 tablespoon olive or canola oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 medium rib of celery, sliced crosswise
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup snipped fresh parsley
1. teaspoons dried summer savory, crumbled
1 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly spray a 2-quart glass casserole dish with cooking spray. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, stir together the corn bread and whole-wheat bread. Set aside.

3. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat, swirling to coat the bottom. Cook the onion, celery, and garlic for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the celery is soft, stirring occasionally.

4. Stir in the remaining ingredients except the broth. Stir into the corn bread mixture. Pour in the broth, stirring until all the dressing is moistened. Transfer to the casserole dish.

5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until heated through.

Corn Bread
serves 12; 1 square per serving

Cooking spray
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup yellow or white cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup fat-free milk
1 large egg
1 tablespoon canola or corn oil
1 tablespoon light tub margarine, melted

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly spray an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, cornmeal, and baking powder.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Pour all at once into the flour mixture, stirring until the batter is just moistened but no flour is visible. Don’t overmix; the batter should be slightly lumpy. Pour into the pan.

4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Turn out onto a cooling rack. Let cool.