Nutrition & Foodservice Edge Magazine - July/August 2022 - 21

HOW DOES YOUR
SANDWICH STACK UP ON
SODIUM?
2 slices of bread = 400 mg
1 tsp. mustard = 120 mg
1 leaf of lettuce = 2 mg
1 slice of cheese = 310 mg
6 thin slices of turkey = 690 mg
TOTAL
1,522 mg
Source: https://www.cdc.gov
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-Sodium
Reduction Tools and Training for Health Professionals,
https://www.cdc.gov/salt/health_professional_resources.
htm
* Fact Sheets, https://www.cdc.gov/salt/fact_sheets.htm
* Sodium Infographics, https://www.cdc.gov/salt/sodium_
infographics.htm
* Sodium Q&A: Resource for health care professionals to
guide how much sodium patients should consume and
ways to reduce their intake and to learn about the status
of sodium reduction on a national and international scale,
https://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/docs/Professional_Sodium_
QandA-508.pdf
American Heart Association-Topic of Sodium, https://www.
heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/
sodium
* Resources: 7 Salty Sodium Myths Busted, 75% of Americans
Want Less Sodium in Processed and Restaurant Foods,
Cut Back on Salt Without the Cravings, Effects of Excess
Sodium, Hold the Salt, How Much Sodium Should I Eat Per
Day?, How to Reduce Sodium, How to Track Your Sodium,
Sea Salt vs. Table Salt, Sodium and Kids, Get the Scoop on
Sodium and Salt, Sodium Can be Sneaky, Sodium Myths
and Facts for Kids, Sodium Sources: Where Does All That
Sodium Come From?, Sodium Swap: Change Your Salty
Ways in 21 Days
CONCLUDING COMMENTS
It's important that healthcare providers embrace the FDA's
new guidance for restaurants and food manufacturers
to voluntarily reduce the amount of salt they add to
foods. Implementation of purchasing systems with food
specifications outlining sodium content supports the
guidance and encourages manufacturers to offer quality,
tasty food with reduced sodium.
The guidance is part of the effort, along with the American
Heart Association and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans,
which recommends no more than 2,300 mg of sodium per
day. In addition, it's suggested that people with hypertension
or prehypertension reduce daily intake to 1,500 mg of
sodium for greater blood pressure control.
As foodservice professionals, we need to support the new
sodium goals and provide our clients with healthy options to
improve their overall well-being. Increasing access to lower
sodium food options could help prevent millions of cases of
high blood pressure and save billions of healthcare dollars. E
REFERENCES
Scan QR code to view the list of
resources for this article.
BRENDA RICHARDSON, MA, RDN, LD, FAND | brenda@brendarichardson.com
Brenda Richardson is a lecturer, author, and owner/president of Brenda Richardson,
LLC. She is a long-time RDN consultant in long-term care, and now serves as an
Independent Auditor for the Gluten-Free Certification Organization.
NUTRITION & F OOD SER VICE EDGE | JULY-AUGUST 2022 21

https://www.cdc.gov https://www.cdc.gov/salt/health_professional_resources https://www.cdc.gov/salt/fact_sheets.htm https://www.cdc.gov/salt/sodium_ https://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/docs/Professional_Sodium_ https://www http://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/ https://www.anfponline.org/news-resources/nutrition-and-foodservice-magazine/qr-code-landing-pages/july-august-2022

Nutrition & Foodservice Edge Magazine - July/August 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Nutrition & Foodservice Edge Magazine - July/August 2022