Living Healthy Newsletter [Winter 2011]:Layout 1.qxd - Eastern Health

Sodium: What’s Shaking
Did you know that there is a Sodium (salt) Reduction Strategy for Canada The average
person in this country consumes 3,400 mg of sodium per day while the recommended intake for
people ages 9 – 55 is actually 1,500 mg and is less for those outside this age range. The
national Sodium Working Group (SWG) has established a goal of 2,300 mg as the average daily
sodium intake in Canada by 2016. The path to reducing the salt in our diets involves important
partnerships with the food and beverage industry, research, as well as learning how to make
healthy choices. This list of simple tips can help you get started:
Sodium / Sodium 860 mg 36%
• Use Canada's Food Guide and the Nutrition Facts table to help lower your sodium intake. Eating Well with Canada's
Food Guide recommends choosing foods from each food group that are lower in sodium and preparing foods with
little or no added salt. You can get a free copy of the guide at your local public health office or on the Health Canada
Website: www.healthcanada.gc.ca/foodguide
• Check the percentage of the Daily Value (%DV) for sodium on food labels. The %DV tells you at a glance if
there is a lot or a little of a nutrient in that specific amount of food. Use the %DV to compare food
products.
• Choose fresh, unprocessed foods to eat or prepare at home in place of
prepackaged, convenience foods and choose plenty of fruits and
vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are also higher in potassium which is
a factor in reducing the risk of high blood pressure.
• Look for foods with claims such as "salt-free" (less than 5 mg of sodium
per serving), "low in sodium" (140 mg of sodium or less per serving), or
"reduced in sodium" (at least 25 percent less than the regular product).
• Remember that there is no need to add salt to children's food. Check the
Nutrition Facts table to help choose foods aimed at children that are lower
in sodium.
• When dining out, order dressings and sauces on the side and use sparingly.
Before you eat at a fast food restaurant, ask for nutrition information to see
how much sodium is in the food on their menu. Many chains now make
nutrition information available online or posted in their outlets.
More information about sodium can be found on the Health Canada website:
www.hc-sc.gc.ca or from your Regional Nutritionist within your Regional
Public Health Office.
Editorial Board
• Tracy English • Melissa Caravan
• Krista Manning • Cindy Saunders
• Bernadette Duffett
special thanks
• All who contributed to this edition
• The Editorial Board
• Strategic Communications Department, Eastern Health
• St. Clare’s Print Shop, Eastern Health
We’re on the Web!
www.livinghealthyschools.com
If you have a submission for the next edition of Living Healthy News please send it by
Monday, March 14, 2011 to:
Tracy English, School Health Promotion Liaison Consultant – Avalon East
758-2388 | tracyenglish@esdnl.ca
or
Krista Manning, School Health Promotion Liaison Consultant – Burin, Vista & Western
786-7182, ext. 345 | kristamanning@esdnl.ca