IOM: Manufacturers should help Americans cut back on salt

Salt is essential for life. But Americans have developed an unhealthy love affair with this savory condiment. And 40 years of haranguing people about their overconsumption has “generally failed to make a dent in Americans’ intake,” according to the Institute of Medicine, a research arm of the National Academy of Sciences. A new report it released April 20 asks the Food and Drug Administration to set lower ceilings on the amount of sodium that can be added to processed foods.

The idea: We’re not putting down the salt shaker, so make food manufacturers do it for us. After all, they’re already contributing “the vast majority of people’s sodium intake,” IOM says. Don’t worry, it adds. The goal isn’t to remove salt from the diet, just to slowly wean us off of our excesses.

People apparently need about 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day. The safe max, according to IOM, is about 2,300 mg. Most of us actually down more than 3,400 mg a day — an amount roughly equivalent to 1.5 teaspoons of salt.

The new IOM report is long, with all of the essentials to compel Americans — and American industry — to do the healthy thing. But if you need a little quick reality check on sodium, consider the following data on 100 gram (3.5 ounce) portions of commonly downed foods (courtesy of the report).

White rice and macaroni contain a milligram of sodium or less. Granola: Its 200-plus mg pale in comparison to the roughly 900 mg in an equivalent portion of corn flakes or crisped rice cereal. The 660 mg in chicken nuggets appear high — until you compare that amount to what’s in ham-based cold cuts (1,140 mg) or salami (1,350 mg).

Even our condiments can sneak a significant amount of sodium into the diet. A recommended serving of Italian dressing, which is probably less than most people pour onto their salads, contains 440 mg. Even a serving of mustard has 58 mg.

The dill pickles I love tend to deliver 260 mg of sodium per serving – about half the amount in a recommended serving of hard pretzels or in 100 g of potato chips (which is more than the recommended serving of chips, but probably less than many people actually chow down at a single sitting).

Even the standard serving of skim milk (and I probably overdo there as well) has 100 mg. That’s a little more than twice as much sodium as we’ll get in a serving of canned fruit juice, but less than one-seventh the sodium haul in a serving of tomato juice.

Like pudding? Vanilla, at 52 mg of sodium per serving isn’t bad. But go with my fave — chocolate — and you bump up the sodium seven-fold. (Which isn’t all that surprising. A story I wrote eons ago noted that manufacturers found adding salt increased the intensity of the chocolately flavor in their cakes.) And if you need another reason to eschew American cheese, consider this: That processed food contains 1,500 mg per 100 g of product — a little less than triple what’s found in an equivalent amount of butter or cheddar.