On October 13th the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced its final guidance for the voluntary 2.5 year plan to reduce sodium content in prepared and packaged foods.  The goal is a reduction of 12% over the next 2.5 years with a higher reduction in the next 10 years.

According to the FDA “More than 70% of total sodium intake is from sodium added during food manufacturing and commercial food preparation”.  Meaning, most of the salt we consume is already in the foods we eat, not added at home with the salt shaker.  These guidelines will help cut sodium in prepared and packaged foods as well as food in restaurants.

Why did the FDA create these guidelines?  

Part of the FDA’s mission is to reduce the burden of chronic disease through nutrition.  Heart Disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and Stroke is 5th leading cause of death, both of which are affected by salt intake. Over 65 million people are affected by high blood pressure, with many people being unaware they even have it.  Add to that, the fact that the average sodium intake in the US is around 3,400mg per day, which is about 50% higher than the recommended 2,300mg daily limit, and these are some much needed guidelines.  The 12% reduction would bring the average intake down to about 3,000mg per day.  It’s a great start, but doesn’t quite get us there, yet.

What can you do in the meantime?

Unfortunately, the reduction in salt, which is voluntary and not in full effect for another 2.5 years, still doesn’t bring the intake down far enough.  So you can start to make some changes right now to help bring down your sodium intake.  And, like the guidelines suggest, the best place to start is label reading prepackaged foods.  Look at the sodium content on the nutrition label.  It’s not enough to read the front of the package that says “reduced sodium”.  Sadly manufactures are trying to get you to think that means LOW in sodium, but not necessarily, it’s just lower than the original.  For example, canned soup is 680mg of sodium per serving (spoiler alert, the big cans are two servings, meaning when you eat the whole thing, you’re eating 1320mg of sodium, or almost 60% of your sodium intake for the day in 1 meal).  The reduced sodium soup brings it down to 470mg, so lower, but still 20% of your daily intake of sodium, and eating the whole can would double it to 40%.  

So your best bet is to go straight to the label.  Look for the sodium to be less than 150mg per serving.  Obviously if you eat more than the serving size on the package the salt is going to go up.  See if you can swap some of your typical foods for lower sodium options. Cutting a little sodium out of a few of the foods you eat daily can really add up.

You can also look up the nutrition information for a lot of your favorite restaurants.  So take a peek before you go to see what items are lower in sodium.

Interested in learning more about reducing your sodium intake?  Check out this great handout by the FDA, or book a session with your favorite dietitian!

Stay Happy, Stay Healthy

This blog was written by Chris Henigan MS, RD, LDN, co-founder of Simple Start Nutrition.  For more blog posts and nutrition information follow @simplestartnutrition on Instagram and Facebook.  Also feel free to contact us, by visiting our website (simplestartnutrition.com) to schedule an appointment to discuss your nutrition related needs.  We’re here to help.

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