Vegetarian Journal - Issue 4 2010 - The Vegetarian Resource Group

NUTRITION HOTLINEREED MANGELS, PhD, RDThis issue’s NutritionHotline addresses theamount of sodium inthe average Americandiet and rumors thatpeople do not need toeat fruits or vegetables.QUESTION: “I was surprised whenI looked at a can of vegan souprecently and saw that a cup ofsoup had more than a quarterof the sodium I should be eatingevery day. Should I be concernedabout this? What are food companiesdoing to reduce the sodiumin their products?” B.B., MAANSWER: Yes, you should beconcerned!First of all, let’s address sodiumin our daily diets. According tothe 2005 Dietary Guidelines forAmericans, we should all be usingless than 2,300 milligrams of sodium(approximately 1 teaspoon ofsalt) a day. People with hypertension,African Americans, and thoseover 40 years of age should strivefor less than 1,500 milligrams( 2 /3 teaspoon of salt) a day.In a recent report 1 , the Instituteof Medicine (IOM) stated thatAmerican children and adults eatat least one and a half times theamount of salt proposed for ahealthy diet. Excessive sodiumconsumption is associated withincreased risk of hypertension,heart disease, stroke, and kidneydisease. Not only is it a publichealth concern, it also contributesto health care costs. Reducingaverage sodium intake to 2,300milligrams could eliminate nearly11 million cases of hypertensionand save approximately $18 billionin health care expenses.As vegetarians or vegans, wetend to believe our diet is healthy.This is due in part to our plantbaseddiet consisting mainly ofwhole grains, fruits, vegetables,legumes, nuts, and seeds. Whilewe may wish for the smell ofsweet potato-lentil stew simmeringalongside a pot of brown jasminerice, the reality is that wedon’t always have 45 minutes tospend on a meal. Conveniencefoods may entice us with promisesof fast, delicious food. The downsideis that most sodium in ourdiet comes from processed andprepared foods, including vegetarianor vegan ones.What are food companiesdoing about “the single mostharmful substance in our food?”The IOM’s recent report focusedon strategies to reduce sodium.They propose that the Food &Drug Administration begin regulatingthe amount of salt in packagedand restaurant foods. Sincenew regulations would take timeto achieve, the IOM is urging thefood industry to begin voluntarilyreducing levels. Sixteen companies,including Hain Celestial (), have volunteeredto reduce the sodium in theirproducts by 25 percent no laterthan 2014. Other companies thatmake vegan foods and offer lowersodium products are Amy’s Kitchen() and HealthValley ().Besides carefully watchingyour sodium intake and choosinglower-sodium products, there issomething else you can do. If yourfavorite vegan product is high insodium and doesn’t come in a(Continued on page 9)2 Vol. 29, Issue Four 2010 VEGETARIAN JOURNAL