This past week I had the opportunity to review two classmates’ blogs that I would like to share with you. Though they are very different in subject matter by looking at both you will be reminded of the overall impact that proper nutrition has in our lives.
Zoe Farricker has provided us with a look into the world of food, farming and the importance ofsustainability. In this blog we learn that our food choices not only impact our health but also the world around us. Zoe’s posts include information on worm composting, genetically modified foods and a link to an app that helps consumers identify where specific food products are sourced. For consumers these subjects are all “hot topics” and I know will be of interest to you.
Kelly Shutoff has posted a comprehensive blog explaining the impact of “Nutrition for Dentition”-the concept of healthy eating for good oral health.
Kelly’s blog provides an app that will guide you through the produce section of the supermarket. We also learn how to spot “hidden” sugars in ingredient labels and how to prevent tooth decay before it starts- by consuming a healthy diet. Who knew that food choices make such an impact on our dental health!
As a registered dental hygienist and nutrition education student Kelly is certainly an expert in this subject matter. Her blog can be sourced via this link: kellyshutoff.wordpress.com
I know that you will enjoy reading both of these blogs-I surely did!
Throughout this blog we have talked about sodium-how much do we need, how much do we consume, how do we cut back? Whether you are a parent or a school nutrition professional creating menus for students your goal is the same-to reduce sodium levels in children’s diets.
We already know that increasing consumption of fresh foods will help to decrease sodium, but how do we know what our overall daily intake is? Is it okay to include some of the top ten favorites of children in meal planning? To answer that I have done the research for you. The link below takes you to a mobile app called “Sodium Cravings” . This app serves as a personal health companion to those who want to maintain a healthy lifestyle. It tracks the sodium level of over 10,000 foods sourced from a USDA database, and provides instant feedback on what you eat. This app also analyzes an individual’s food habits and makes suggestions for alternate breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack items to keep sodium goals within adequate ranges. You simply select a sodium intake level, add your favorite foods and let the Sodium Cravings app do the work. You can also share success stories or connect with others through links to Facebook, Twitter, Pintrest, and Instagram. Give Sodium Cravings a try, it is free to download and designed for iPhones, or iPad.
As we learn more about the sources of sodium in our diets the challenge becomes-how do we reduce sodium and still enjoy flavorful foods? Remember the recommendation is to lower sodium in our diets, not to eliminate it.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, USDA, and other health organizations have provided the following tips:
Use more fresh fruits, vegetables and meats. These foods are naturally lower in sodium.
When cooking use unsalted butter or margarine, or better yet, olive or canola oil.
Use herbs and spices to season foods.
Try products at the grocery store that are low-sodium or reduced sodium to gradually cut back on sodium intake.
Plan meals that contain less sodium or adjust your own recipes to use less salt.
If using canned food rinse it in water before preparing or serving.
When dining out check to see if the menu has nutrition information listed. Many national chains are incorporating this information into their menus.
Check food labels for the words saltor sodium. Any ingredient that has salt, soda, or sodium as part of it’s name adds sodium to a product. Examples include: seasoned salt, baking soda, or monosodium glutamate (MSG).
Compare nutrition fact labels to make an informed choice when purchasing foods.
Read more tips to reduce sodium from USDA’s “choosemyplate” here.
The following tutorial provides a brief overview on how to read and interpret a nutrition fact label.
Vodcast Script:
Lynn Petrowski
NUED-970
Script for Vodcast
November 15, 2014
Hello, my name is Lynn Petrowski and I am a nutrition education student at Framingham State University. My recent blog publication-“Pass the Salt” has explored the topic of sodium in children’s diets and the work of school nutrition departments to reduce sodium levels in school meals. This week’s post-“Tips for Reducing Sodium” provides interested parties with information to reduce overall sodium in our diet.
One recommendation is to read food labels.
This video provides a short tutorial on how to read and interpret a label to know the level of sodium contained in a specific food product.
At the supermarket we see products with many different claims for sodium levels. As a rule of thumb you can count on the following:
Sodium free products contain less than 5% of the daily value
Low sodium has 140 milligrams or less
Educed or less sodium products have at least 25% less sodium per serving than the reference food
Light in sodium products have at least 50% les than the reference food
Unsalted or no salt added means that there is no sodium added but the product still has naturally occurring sodium.
So how does this translate into a food product?
As you see here I have two types of peas-one the canned version has 380 milligrams per serving. Now remember to look at the serving size on the label. The serving size is ½ cup –so if you doubled the serving you must also double the sodium. A much better choice are these frozen peas which have no salt added and provides zero milligrams of sodium per serving.
Another example is diced tomatoes; here we have the same brand. For ½ cup serving the no salt added provides 15 milligrams of sodium and the regular product contains 280 milligrams.
My last example is beef broth. This unsalted version contains 130 milligrams of sodium per serving, which is one-cup. This 50% less sodium contains 400 milligrams per cup. This means that the reference product, regular beef broth would contain approximately 800 milligrams per cup.
I hope that this video has helped you to become a more educated consumer. Compare labels before buying!
As Americans have come to rely on prepared, processed and fast foods to meet the needs of their busy lifestyles they inadvertently consume excess amounts of sodium. Convenience has contributed to the development of chronic disease in adults and children.
Over the years food manufacturers have used salt or other sodium containing compounds to preserve food and to modify taste and texture. In general, the more convenient a product (for example instant oatmeal) the higher the level of sodium it contains.
I utilized USDA’s “SuperTracker” to find the sodium content in some of the top ten foods preferred by children. Take a look below.
Hamburger Roll (1 each): 250 milligrams sodium
Pepperoni Pizza(1 slice): 660 milligrams sodium
Deli Turkey (1.5 oz. Boar’s Head Brand): 440 milligrams sodium
Current requirements for sodium in a school lunch meal range from 1,230 milligrams or less for grades K-5, 1,360 milligrams for grades 6-8 and 1,420 milligrams or less of grades 9-12. Just by looking at the foods above you can see that a turkey and cheese sandwich on a roll with a cup of soup would weigh in at 1,783 milligrams of sodium. This number exceeds all of the target ranges. Please reference the podcast tab within this blog to hear more on the topic of sodium in our diet.
The Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 mandated changes to the federal meal pattern for school nutrition programs. Reductions in sodium are required in the current 2014-2015 school year with further targets for reduction through the school year 2022-2023. School nutrition programs are struggling to comply with menu requirements while maintaining meal participation rates. Districts that have come to rely on the processed foods that are popular with children are re-thinking healthier menu options, while manufacturers struggle to keep up with federal requirements. How will the efforts to lower sodium affect school children across the nation? You can read about some of the key issues for schools here.
Sodium is an essential nutrient that is in balance with potassium in our bodies. The role of sodium is to regulate fluid and electrolyte balances. Consumption of excess levels of sodium are said to contribute to chronic diseases including high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease. Studies suggest that infants and children’s preference for sodium is shaped by dietary habits, so the less sodium children consume the less they want.
Efforts are underway by manufacturers to lower sodium in many of the top ten foods preferred by children. This results in a very different taste. School nutrition departments hope that this change, coupled with other dietary restrictions will not decrease meal participation rates overall.
Will lowering sodium in school meals result in a decrease in chronic disease? Only time will tell.
Pass the Salt 