Worth your salt

MANILA, Philippines - Sodium is necessary in maintaining many bodily functions. Like everything else, though, too much of it could prove detrimental to one's health.

The Associated Press (AP) on Monday carried a report by the United States' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stating that U.S. kids have too much salt in their diet. Fifteen percent of the 6,200 children surveyed have either high blood pressure or slightly elevated blood high pressure, according to the report.

How much salt is too much?

One teaspoon of table salt has 2,325 milligrams of sodium, according to Mayo Clinic. The sodium in our diet, however, does not only account for the table salt that we add in our dishes, but to the sodium contained in processed and prepared foods as well.

"The majority of sodium in our diets comes from packaged and restaurant food (not the salt shaker) and is a direct result of food processing. Even foods that may not taste salty can be major sources of sodium," says the CDC.

The recommended daily salt or sodium intake for kids and adults is no more than 1 teaspoon daily, according to the AP report. This is about 2,300 mg of salt a day and the number goes down as one gets older or have high blood pressure, diabetes or chronic kidney disease.

How do we watch our salt intake?

The CDC recommends eating more fruits and vegetables; using fresh poultry, fish, pork and lean meat rather than those that are canned, cured, salted, smoked or processed. It also suggests buying "low sodium, lower sodium, reduced sodium, or no salt added versions of products." Limiting one's use of sauces, mixes, "instant" products.

Mayo Clinic, however, warns that these foods may still contain a lot of salt.

"For example, regular canned chicken noodle soup contains about 1,100 mg of sodium per cup, so a product with 25 percent less sodium still has a whopping 820 mg of sodium per cup. The same holds true for "lite" or "light in sodium" varieties," it says.

Mayo Clinic suggests reading food labels and being aware of ingredients that include salt or sodium-containing compounds. These include monosodium glutamate or MSG, baking soda, baking powder, disodium phosphate, sodium alginate, and sodium nitrate or nitrite. - Ruth Sindico