Madelyn Fernstrom

Healthy Living

with Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom

The Skinny on Salt

How much salt do you eat every day? Most of us have no idea. While it's automatic for us to read food labels for calories and fat content, we pay little attention to that word "sodium," the dietary term for salt, on the label.

Adjusting daily salt intake to 2,500 milligrams or less can have a major impact on your health. Many of us consume 4,000 to 8,000 milligrams of sodium every day. A high-salt diet can raise blood pressure, often associated with an increase in the rate of heart attack and stroke. If you're "salt sensitive," you can be at even greater risk. Plus, studies show that if you're over age 50, African-American, diabetic or borderline hypertensive, or already have high blood pressure or kidney disease, you should pay close attention to your daily salt intake.

Here are four simple and painless ways to lower your daily sodium intake:

Read food labels for sodium content; the "taste test" is not reliable.

Cut down on consumption of processed foods and condiments.

Look for low- and reduced-sodium products.

Lose the salt shaker and season with herbs and other salt-free seasonings.

Although we're all familiar with pickles and sauerkraut - "no-brainers" to cut back on because they taste so salty - label-reading is a must to be an informed consumer. What do these labels mean?

Sodium/salt-free: less than 5 milligrams per serving.

Very low sodium: 35 milligrams or less per serving.

Low-sodium: 140 milligrams or less per serving.

Light in sodium: 50 percent less sodium compared with the standard food.

Our taste for salt is learned. If you give yourself about three weeks to gradually cut back, you'll be able to greatly reduce your intake, often by more than half.

What about those "lite" salts? They often contain potassium, so check with your doctor before substituting, as some medications and medical conditions need careful potassium monitoring.

If you have a health question for Dr. Fernstrom, e-mail her at fernstrom@wqed.org.

Dr. Madelyn H. Fernstrom, Ph.D., C.N.S., is the founder and director of UPMC's Weight Management Center. She is the diet and nutrition editor for NBC's "Today Show" and is the author of The Runner's Diet. Also visit "Health Journal with Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom," a health and wellness blog at iVillage.com.