Healthy Habits for Bonsall & Fallbrook Folks: Sodium – hold the salt please

A little salt for taste is almost second nature for many people. It is sitting right there on the dining room table. Extra flavor makes the meal that much better. Fries without salt, chips without salt or sushi without soy sauce seems unreasonable. Soups are filled with it, and anything teriyaki is appealing.

Sodium gets a bad rap and for good cause. Don't be misled: our bodies do need sodium. However, most folks have trouble sticking to the amount they are supposed to not exceed per day. So here are numbers according to the "The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans."

For adults, the upper limit for sodium consumption is 2,300 milligrams per day.

If you are African American, age 51 or older or have high blood pressure, diabetes or chronic disease that recommendation is 1,500 milligrams per day or less.

The average American is consuming close to 3,400 milligrams of sodium per day.

That information is quite eye opening. For the functions the body performs using sodium, people only need about 500 milligrams. Just 1 teaspoon of table salt has 2,325 milligrams of sodium.

The main role of sodium is to help send nerve impulses, maintain fluid balance and to help with muscle functioning – contraction and relaxation. But here's the catch, when there's extra sodium in the body, it goes into your bloodstream and pulls water into your blood vessels. Now there's more blood in the vessels, and the total volume of blood inside them is higher.

With more blood flow comes higher pressure to pass it all through. Think of turning up the water on the garden hose. There's more pressure to blast that amount of water through that same sized hose. The problem is that over time, high blood pressure can overstretch or injure the blood vessel walls.

The speed of flow becomes affected by the gunky plaque that builds up. The heart has to work harder to pump that blood through the body. You don't have to be diagnosed with high blood pressure to still benefit from eating less sodium because ultimately you are helping prevent the risk of heart attack, stroke, osteoporosis, kidney disease and headaches.

Let's take a look at some sodium bomb foods. Deli meat and hot dogs are filled with the substance. That fast food turkey sandwich can have up to 300 milligrams of sodium per slice. Fresh is best. Breakfast choices like biscuit and pancake mixes have quite a bit of salt and so do many cereals. Portion control comes into play with cereal for sure.

Vegetable juices, especially tomato, are salt filled. Most canned items like vegetables and soups are packed with salt. I always recommend rinsing these items before consuming them. Opt for fresh spices versus ketchups and condiments like soy sauce.

Frozen meals and pizzas are super salty, and canned spaghetti sauce is a major "no-no." One cup of spaghetti sauce can have nearly 1,000 milligrams of sodium. Bread, tortillas and cheeses are high salt containing as well. Tuna in a can is another salty choice which you can rinse off. Read the labels and go for low-sodium selections when possible.

Read the nutrition labels. You may not realize how much you are consuming, but innocence is not "bliss" when it catches up to you.

High blood pressure and cardiovascular disease threaten quality of life and can lead to death. Cutting salt can cut trips to the doctor and result in health care savings.

That good old saying comes into play in which everything in moderation is OK. The trouble is that moderation has become a problem for us. Be mindful of your choices, and hopefully be more aware of your sodium consumption. Don't make your heart have to work any harder than it already does every single second of every single day and night.

So how much salt have you had so far today?

Megan Johnson McCullough holds a master's degree in physical education and health science, is a candidate for her doctorate, is a professional natural bodybuilder and is a National Academy of Sports Medicine master trainer.