It’s no accident that salt and sugar permeate the nation’s food supply. Both are inexpensive palate-pleasers, and food manufacturers use them liberally to satisfy our penchant for things salty and sweet. Today the average American consumes nearly twice the recommended maximum of sodium and nearly 460 nutritionally empty calories of added sugar every day.

Overindulging those particular taste buds can have serious health consequences.  A high-sodium diet not only increases the risk of high blood pressure—and subsequent heart attack, kidney disease, and stroke—but possibly also osteoporosis and kidney stones (by increasing the excretion of calcium into the urine), stomach cancer (by damaging the protective mucus membrane), and asthma (by making lungs more susceptible to irritants). And all those sugar calories probably contribute to our expanding waistlines.

Leaving Salt Behind
The Food and Drug Administration is now considering whether it should regulate
the amount of sodium in processed foods. But for now you still have to be in charge of limiting your sodium intake.

Here’s how:
Retrain your taste buds. Scale back the amount of salt used at the table and in cooking to reduce your exposure to its taste. After three months, most people no longer miss salt, research shows.

Check nutrient claims. Products labeled “sodium free” contain 5 mg of sodium or less per serving. A “very low sodium” product has 35 mg or less, and a “low sodium” item contains 140 mg or less. But be careful: Products labeled “reduced sodium” or “less sodium” need only have 25 percent less sodium than a standard version of the food. So a cup of reduced-sodium chicken-noodle soup may still serve up a hefty 660 mg, about 28 percent of your daily allotment. Read nutrition information. Look for foods that provide 5 percent or less of the “daily value,” or the government recommended maximum. Then check the serving size to tally your actual intake.

Sidestep sodium heavyweights.
Avoid cured meats, such as bacon, ham, and hot dogs; sardines and smoked salmon; and brined foods, like pickles, sauerkraut, and olives. Go easy on ketchup, salt-based seasonings, and barbecue and steak sauces. And use even the reduced-sodium versions of soy and teriyaki sauce sparingly, if at all.

Rinse your food. Running water over canned tuna and salmon, canned vegetables, feta cheese, and capers can reduce the sodium load by up to 30 percent. Swap salt for spices. Cook with fresh or dried herbs, salt-free seasoning blends, and acidic flavorings like lemon juice, citrus zest, and flavored vinegars to bring out a food’s natural taste. Explore the seasonings used in ethnic recipes, such as cumin and chili powder in Mexican food, and coriander and turmeric in Indian. 

Be choosy at restaurants. It’s easy to consume a day’s worth of sodium in a single restaurant dish. Some chains post nutrition information for each menu item, so check sodium content before ordering. At other restaurants, ask for low-salt dishes, and for sauce or dressing on the side. If you plan to eat out, reduce sodium intake at other meals.

Sugar Blues?
Some of the supposed dietary dangers of sugar have been overblown. Many studies have debunked the idea that it causes hyperactivity, for example. And indulging your sweet tooth won’t lead to diabetes; indeed, even people with diabetes can safely eat a sugary snack if it’s factored into their meal plan. Sugar is guilty as charged, however, for nourishing the bacteria that cause dental cavities. Americans today consume 15 percent more added sugars than they did 25 or so years ago. Over that same time, the percentage of overweight or obese adults has grown from 47 to 66 percent.

Cook creatively. Experiment with cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, ginger, mace, and nutmeg, which add sweetness and flavor. Muffins and quick breads can be made with 25 percent less sugar, and the sugar in applesauce and pie fillings can be cut in half. Finally, try substituting 100 percent fruit juice for honey or other liquid sweeteners.

Source: www.ConsumerReportsonHealth.org  January 2008