Download Too Much of a Good Thing Sodium for wiki

Minerals
 Make up 4-5% of your body weight
 Mostly become part of your body structure
 Often team up with vitamins in chemical reactions
 Are classified as:
Major Minerals ( performs special duties in body)
or Trace Minerals ( you need smaller amounts)
Major Minerals
Team 1 –
Calcium, Phosphorus and Magnesium
work together to make strong bones
and also have individual roles to play
in helping our bodies function well.
Major Minerals
Team 2 – Sodium, Chloride and Potassium
work together to keep our fluid levels in balance
and are also known as electrolytes.
The fluids inside and outside of cells must be in balance to keep cells
from bursting or collapsing. Cells cannot control fluid flow but they
can move electrolytes as needed. Since electrolytes attract fluid, they
pull fluids with them to new locations and this helps prevent cell
damage.
Individual Roles of Electrolytes
Sodium
 helps with muscle and nerve actions
 regulates blood pressure
Chloride
 helps transmit nerve signals
 maintains the acidity level needed in the stomach to digest food
Potassium
 helps maintain a steady heartbeat
 helps with muscle and nerve action
 helps maintains normal blood pressure.
 Getting too much potassium is not considered a problem but experts agree that too
much sodium is.
Too Much of a “Good Thing”
Since table salt is a combination of sodium and
chloride you get both of these minerals when you
eat. Salt occurs naturally in foods, people put it to
their food before eating and it is added by food
processors to canned foods, meats, frozen foods,
baked goods, etc.
 The average American gets 11% of his or her salt from the
salt shaker, 12% from nature, and 77% from processed
foods.
Too Much of a “Good Thing”
 Hypertension or high blood pressure has been
linked to high salt intake. This condition can lead
to heart disease and strokes.
 (Sodium holds onto fluids and this additional fluid
puts pressure on the walls of the veins and arteries
as the heart beats.)
 1 out of every 3 American adults has high blood
pressure.
Too Much of a “Good Thing”
 The average American consumes 4800 mg of
sodium daily. (2 rounded teaspoons)
 How much sodium do we NEED to consume
everyday? 500 mg (1/4 teaspoon)
 Health experts recommend eating no more that
2400 mg of sodium per day. (1 rounded teaspoon)
Check Out the Tubes
 See me to complete the next portion of the
worksheet.
Getting Less of a “Good Thing” or
Suggestions for Limiting Sodium Intake
 Read the labels and choose items with less sodium.
 Eat less processed food. (Convenience foods)
 Do more of your own cooking. Choose foods
naturally low in sodium: fresh meats, fruits and
vegetables.
 Add less salt when preparing meals, substitute herbs,
spices and lemon juice. Reduce use of condiments
(catsup, mustard, soy sauce).
Do not place salt shakers on the table.