Augmenting Senior Health

~ Limiting Sodium ~ Presented By: Emily Seferovich

Why Limit Sodium?According to the NIH, older adults should limit their sodium intake to 1,500 milligrams daily (about 2/3 of a teaspoon of salt).

Limiting Sodium helps to keep blood pressure under control and decreases risk for hypertension.

Reducing blood pressure can lower risk for heart disease, stroke, congestive heart failure, and kidney disease.

Sodium is natural in some foods, but most of the sodium we eat is added to foods by manufacturers. Restaurant foods also may be high in sodium. Many people add salt to foods at the table or while cooking, too.

The % DV on these foods is based on a 2500mg/day sodium limit, but older adults should only be having ~1500 mg/day of sodium. Therefore, the image to the right is actually 57% of the DV for sodium, and the image above is a whopping 99% of the DV

How to tell if a food is high in sodium…

If a food has been highly processed, it’s likely that salt was added during production

Are you preparing your food from scratch, or is someone else? Restaurants/Dining Areas typically add salt to food to accentuate its natural flavor.

ASK!

For low sodium options when possible

TASTE!

Most foods are not salty by nature - we’ve acclimated to a food environment that douses everything with salt, so if it tastes salty, it probably is!

READ THE LABEL (when you can)!

Remember, older adults should only consume ~1500mg of sodium every 24 hours

How can Cathedral Square cope with the

Hypertension Concern?

Purchase only low-sodium options when available

Eliminate salt from kitchen cooking

Remove salt-shakers from the tables

Replace salt with herbs, spices, and/or salt replacers

Offer low-sodium options during snack periods

Purchase only low-sodium options for AL residents

Emphasize the consumption of fresh fruits/vegetables/meats over more processed options

Many of these foods are high in Mg, K, and Ca; these three synergistic nutrients work together to combat high blood pressure.

Recipe Modification Pointers

During the recipe modification process, ask for input from all food service staff, especially those who actually prepare the product.

Include guidelines for preparing the modified recipe so that salt is not added to these recipes because it is perceived as a typo. This may be important when a familiar recipe has been modified.

During training, emphasize that salt should not be added to recipes unless it is listed as an ingredient.

Offer safe salt-replacements at the table

Salt SubstitutesSalt substitutes are not necessarily healthful for everyone. Many salt substitutes contain KCl (potassium chloride versus NaCl, sodium chloride). Potassium consumed in excess may be harmful for some people with kidney problems, who are unable to rid their bodies of excessive potassium. Residents with kidney problems, or those who are on medication for their heart, kidneys or liver, should check with a physician before using salt substitutes in place of sodium.

Salt substitutes containing potassium chloride is an acceptable alternative in moderation for individuals who do not have kidney problems and have checked with their physician to be sure it will not interact with any of their medications.

Some salt substitutes that are labeled "lite" or "low sodium" salt still contain sodium just less than amounts than actual table salt. These products often contain a mix of sodium chloride and potassium chloride. If a product is labeled "sodium free" then the main ingredient is potassium chloride with no sodium.

Products such as Ms. Dash is an excellent sodium/potassium free way to increase the flavor of food without loading it up with hypertension-inducing nutrients

Mrs. Dash There are many flavors to choose from!

Concluding Remarks

1500mg of sodium isn't much, so its important to enlist the help of talented cooks to make the shift a delicious one!

Offer the residents products such as Mrs. Dash at their tables, and look out for salt-replacements that contain KCl!

Make the shift gradually, starting with snacks, moving to meals.

Work Cited (Please Visit the Following Links)

https://nihseniorhealth.gov/eatingwellasyougetolder/faq/faq19.html

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1124926/

https://www.kidney.org/news/ekidney/june10/Salt_june10