Cutting Canada's dangerously high salt intake is one of our most urgent public health matters, stresses a new article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal charges.
"It's a very serious concern," article co-author Dr. Kevin Willis, director of partnerships at the Canadian Stroke Network, told Canada AM Tuesday.
Willis and the article coauthors note that, with almost 80 per cent of the sodium in Canadians' diets coming from processed food, it's time for the federal government to step in and demand changes from food manufacturers.
"Although voluntary action by the food industry may be the preferred option to initiate sodium reduction, its absence calls for governments to use their regulatory capacity to bring about change," the article urges.
The alarm about the problem of sodium in our diets has been raised before. Research has shown that about a quarter of all Canadian adults have high blood pressure and about 30 per cent of that can be traced back to the sodium in our diets.
Ottawa responded to the alarm in 2007 by creating a federal task force that was charged with looking for potential solutions. But two years later, the task force still hasn't unveiled a national action plan and isn't expected to until the end of next year.
Willis, who is a member of the task force, says action is needed now to prevent the heart attacks and stroke that can be blamed on excess dietary sodium.
"I think the government need to increase the pressure on the food industry to voluntarily reduce the sodium they're adding," Willis told Canada AM. "And that needs to be backed up by regulation and legislation to make sure there's an even playing field for all of the companies."
Canada also needs "a massive public education campaign" to inform Canadians on how dietary sodium causes disease and how simple it is to cut our intake. Doctors, too, should be trained in counseling patients about reducing sodium.
Willis would also like to see changes to food labels, so that people can more easily understand which foods are higher in sodium.
While the recommended intake in Canada is set at 1,500 mg a day for people between the ages of nine and 50, the average daily intake in Canada is more than double the recommended level.
If Canadians could cut their sodium intake to the recommended levels, we would decrease the rates of high blood pressure by 30 per cent, cut high blood pressure-related heart attacks and strokes by 8.6 per cent and save about $2 billion annually in health care costs, the analysis says.
Some tips for lowering your sodium intake, based on recommendations from the Canadian Stroke Network:
- Pizza, sandwiches, subs, burgers, and hot dogs account for almost 20 per cent of Canada's sodium consumption. Eat less of these meals.
- Canned soups, even the vegetable varieties, are almost always high in sodium. Look for lower-sodium varieties; they are often found in the "organic" or "natural" sections of the supermarket.
- Read the Nutrition Facts label and check the sodium content. Avoid high sodium products with over 400 mg sodium per serving. Go easy on those with a medium sodium content of 200 - 400 mg per serving. Look for those products that are less than 200 mg per serving.
- Remember that sticking to an intake of 1,500 mg of sodium per day means no more than 500 mg per meal.
- To reduce the sodium in canned vegetables, drain and soak in cold fresh water for 10 minutes then drain again before use.
- At the table, don't salt your food. Try adding a twist of lemon juice, herbs and spices, or sodium free seasonings as an alternative to salt.
- When dining out, remember that chain restaurants often have nutritional information on their websites. Get the facts before you go and plan your meal based on informed choices.
- Tell your waiter that you want to limit sodium (salt) and don't be afraid to make special requests. Since serving sizes at restaurants are often extreme, ask for a half portion, split a meal or take home part for later.
