nutrition. But the fact is that we all, including our children,

consume way more salt -or rather, the sodium - than we should.

Why should we care how much salt (sodium) our children consume?

1. Too much salt (sodium) creates risk for high blood pressure

and higher risk for heart attack. And, we women know salt's affect

on bloating!

2. The eating habits of our children will continue in their

adulthood - and all too frequently less healthy than they were

reared when they face busy schedules they haven't experienced

before.

What is the recommended daily intake of salt (sodium)?

The adult recommended daily intake of sodium in the U.S. is less

than 2,400 mg. But, you may be interested to note the the daily

recommendation in the UK is less than 1,600 mg! That's quite a

difference.

So, who do you trust?

It doesn't take much shopping and looking at the nutrition

information on foods to find that they hold a LOT of sodium.

I personally think that the government's recommendation of sodium

intake is influenced by prepared food production. I think that

they've taken into account how American's can reduce sodium

 intake without too much impact on the economy.

But, then again, depending on which association you check, you'll

find different recommendations from them all.

There are no intake recommendations for children, but I think that

they are important due to the formation of eating habits that I

mentioned above.

So, what's a person to do? Of course, a person should follow the

 advice of his/her doctor.

But, for me - a healthy adult with great blood pressure - I just use

my common sense to guide me.

Tips for easy, common sense salt reduction:

1. Use less salt than recommended in a recipe. I've never

found it to affect the taste. Most of the time I totally leave it

out - especially if it's accompanied by a product that already

contains salt/sodium.

2. Don't let your kids salt at the table. The only time salt

is on my dinner table is when company is over. I think that my two

younger kids don't even realize that people salt their food at the

table. If you do decide to let your kids have additional salt - put

it on for them. It comes out faster than they realize and it's hard

to see!

3. Check the nutrition label of every food that you buy. You

will quickly become aware of how much sodium is in cereal, bread,

canned goods, bacon, frozen foods, etc. Having an awareness of how

much sodium you are consuming will make reduction much easier

4. Buy low-salt or low-sodium versions of a product. Why eat

the extra sodium when you'll adjust to the difference in taste (if

any) in a few bites?

5. Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables.

6. Substitute salt with other spices that will give food flavor

without adding sodium

Forming good "salting" habits now, will make things a lot easier for

your children in the future. Do it for them, and you'll be doing it

for you too!