Printable Supermarket Product Guide for Sodium Reduction in Healthy Persons

There's a battle being waged for your dollars and cents. Labeling is big business these days. Packaging has gone from slap a label on it and sell it, to make the package look good enough to eat. The label is the product's calling card. If they can grab you with the label-you'll buy. Manufacturers know this. But you as the consumer must be aware of what to look for when shopping for foods for yourself, your family and your loved ones. Descriptions on labels you may take to be arbitrary, are anything but. The federal government has specific guidelines for the terms you see on products in your supermarket. So you ask yourself, "There's a whirlwind of products to choose from when seeking healthier food options: 'low sodium'? 'reduced sodium'? 'low salt'? "Are they all the same?'" Even with governmental protections in place you still must educate yourself on the meaning of the specific terms. Too, you must watch for those who would skirt the law-at risk of your health-for benefit of profit. This article tells you how to choose the best products before you buy (see Mayo Clinic below for original article and share this with your doctor).

Printable Guide

(https://sites.google.com/site/couponsecetera/coupon)

Know your labels Many food packages include sodium-related terms. Here's what they mean:

• Sodium-free or salt-free. Each serving in this product contains less than 5 mg of sodium.
• Very low sodium. Each serving contains 35 mg of sodium or less.
• Low sodium. Each serving contains 140 mg of sodium or less.
• Reduced or less sodium. The product contains at least 25 percent less sodium than the regular version. You should check the label to see how much sodium is in a serving.
• Lite or light in sodium. The sodium content has been reduced by at least 50 percent from the regular version. You should check the label to see how much sodium is in a serving.
• Unsalted or no salt added. No salt is added during processing of a food that normally contains salt.
  
  Note; Some foods labeled "Unsalted' or "No Salt Added" may still be high in sodium because some of the ingredients may be high in sodium. Products such as monosodium glutamate, baking soda, baking powder, disodium phosphate and sodium alginate, all of these products are high in sodium. This is a deceptive way of hiding salt in "Unsalted or No Salt Added" products.

Also know... foods labeled "reduced sodium" or "light in sodium" may still contain a lot of salt. For
example, regular canned chicken noodle soup contains about 1,100 mg of sodium per cup, so a product with 25 percent less sodium still has a whopping 820 mg of sodium per cup. The same holds true for "lite" or "light in sodium" varieties.

Remember...try to avoid products with more than 200 mg of sodium per serving. And check the Nutrition Facts label closely for the serving size and consider how many servings you actually eat (important!). Let the nutrition label on the reverse of the product be the ultimate guide to what-and how much-of cautionary ingredients are contained in any given product. Invest a few extra seconds to read the label. Will you or won't you buy?

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Original Article from Mayo Clinic

My Doctor Said To Reduce My Sodium-Now What?

10 Appetizing Ways to Reduce Your Sodium Intake