Did you know…
- A healthy garden salad with low-fat dressing often has more sodium than a hamburger and french fries?
- Teriyaki marinade can have as much as 3,050mg sodium per tablespoon, but many grilling sauces have less than 140mg?
- A large bagel has an average of 700mg sodium?
- A half cup of prepared spaghetti sauce contains over 500mg sodium?
- All-purpose flour has 3mg sodium per cup, but self-rising flour has 1,588mg?
- Baking powder contains 488mg sodium per teaspoon and baking soda has 1259mg?
- One dill pickle spear has 385mg, a sweet gherkin has 141mg?
- 2 tbsp Italian dressing has 231mg, fat free has 430mg and zesty Italian has 510?
- 1 cup prepared rice pilaf has over 700mg sodium, but a cup of instant rice only has 30mg?
- 1 tbsp clam juice has 70mg sodium?
- Pickled hot banana peppers or jalapeños average 410mg sodium per pepper?
- 3 ounces of Alaskan king crab has 711mg sodium, but 3 ounces of Dungeness or blue crab only have 250mg (before you add the butter)?
- Antacids can have as much as 761mg sodium?
Health Statistics
High blood pressure (hypertension)
- More than 50 million Americans (1 in 4) and 1 billion worldwide have high blood pressure. 35% of all people with hypertension are not aware of their condition.
- More than half of all women over 60 have high blood pressure.
1 in 3 African Americans over the age of 18 suffers from hypertension (twice that of the general population). - 20% of deaths among black Americans are due to high blood pressure.
- Americans have a 90% change of eventually developing high blood pressure.
- Hypertension is a major contributor to the development of cardiovascular disease, stroke and renal failure.
Heart disease
- 1 in 2 men will get heart disease
- 1 in 3 women will get heart disease
- Heart disease is the #1 killer of American women
- Heart attacks and strokes kill twice as many women as all types of cancer combined
- 1 in 30 women under 45 has some form of heart disease, between 45-64 that increases to 1 in 9, and 1 in 3 after 65
Stroke
- Stroke is the 3rd leading cause of death in the U.S.
- The risk of stroke nearly doubles after age 55
- High blood pressure is the most important risk for stroke
- Lowering blood pressure 5 points can reduce the risk of stroke by 42%
- Cholesterol levels, high blood pressure and other related diseases such as diabetes, put a person at higher risk for a stroke
Cholesterol
- More than 65 million Americans have high cholesterol (1 in 5)
- Saturated fats and trans fats are the main dietary factors in raising blood cholesterol
Salt Intake
- Americans consume 4,000-6,000mg sodium per day – two to three times more than the recommended level of 2,400mg
- The saltshaker contributes about 25% of the salt we consume, the majority comes from processed and convenience foods
- The incidence of stroke, osteoporosis and renal stones is lower in people with lower salt intake