Too much sodium in the diets of Americans is unhealthy. According to the American Heart Association (AMA), the average American eats more than 3,400 milligrams of sodium a day. The recommended amount by the American Heart Association is less than 1,500 milligrams per day.
To make matters worse, when asked about the amount of sodium in their daily diet, respondents in one study could not estimate the exact (or approximate) number of milligrams of salt in their food each day. Further, the respondents thought that they were eating less than 2,000 milligrams per day.
In light of this revelation, the amount of sodium in Americans daily diets should not be solely in the hands of the consumers. What about the manufacturers of food? Why are these corporations not held accountable for elevated amounts of salt in their products? Congress has directed the Food and Drug Administration to address the issue of sodium reduction targets in foods sold in the United States. What is the status you may ask?
Reporting from 'Politico Agriculture' suggests that there is a battle in Congress with lobbyists on one side and Sustainable Food Policy Alliance on the other regarding Sodium reduction targets in food:
Make way for sodium reduction? Health advocates and the Sustainable Food Policy Alliance have asked appropriators to make sure there's no language in the approps bill that could block FDA from advancing long-awaited sodium reduction targets (past bills have pumped the brakes). They also want funding to support sodium cuts in school meals, among other things.The FDA has said it's preparing to release sodium reduction targets in the coming months, but the effort has sparked late-game lobbying from industry groups. The agency is now expected to finalize only short-term reduction targets, but the final details are unknown.
How much sodium will be in our daily diet? Will the FDA clamp down and ultimately set a lower amount of sodium in each product? Or will the Agency give in to the lobbyists who hit Congress hard and let the status quo exist without change?
Placing the daily sodium intake in the consumer's hand is difficult. Why? Sodium finds its way into foods by different ingredients. Below are different ingredients (chemicals - molecular structures) which contain sodium:
You may recognize the different molecules above as common ingredients in different favorite foods. Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) is the molecule responsible for enhancing the flavor of food - which tricks the body into eating more. Food packages sold in stores do not list all ingredient concentrations. Which makes determining the total amount of sodium in the daily diet difficult.
Although, armed with the list of sodium containing chemicals which are common in foods gives the consumers a fighting chance to curtail their consumption. Congress needs to act on the Food and Drug Administration to reach sodium reduction targets soon. Until Congress pushes the FDA to reach a goal, consumers should be vigilant about the amount of sodium incorporated into their diet. Stay tuned!
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