managing your dietary salt intake

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The Good News About Eating SALT (You can control it!)

It was Monday afternoon when John, an active 55-year-old man, went to his annual visit with his doctor in good spirits. He’d stopped smoking years ago, had been watching his fat intake and exercising three days a week. Thinking he was doing everything right, he was surprised to find that his blood pressure was high. Sure, he had a few pounds to lose, but doesn’t everyone, he thought to himself . . . Find Out How

The SalTrax™ Method is described in the book, How to Keep Track of Your SALT Intake, by author Sandra Parkington, MPH, RN, and is available for purchase through this web site.

Take a brief quiz about your salt habits!!

1. In a typical week, I eat a meal in a restaurant or bring in restaurant food:
A. Every day
B. Four (4) or Five (5) times a week
C. Two (2) to Three (3) times a week
D. Once a week or less

2. In a typical day, I eat bread, crackers or flour tortillas:
A. With every meal and snack
B. Three (3) times a day
C. Two (2) times a day
D. Once a day or less

3. When eating out in a restaurant, I add table salt:
A. All of the time
B. Some of the time
C. Rarely
D. Never

4 . When shopping in the grocery store, I:
A. Never buy low-sodium or no added salt foods and sauces
B. Sometimes buy low-sodium or no added salt foods and sauces
C. Often buy low-sodium or no added salt foods and sauces
D. Always buy low-sodium or no added salt foods and sauces

5 . When shopping, I read food labels for sodium content:
A. Never
B. Rarely
C. Some of the time
D. All of the time

6 . When cooking or preparing food at home, I measure added salt using:
A. Palm of my hand
B. Salt shaker
C. Spoon used for eating
D. Standard measuring spoons

Scoring

Add up all of the points using the following scoring system:
A’s = 4 points each
B’s = 3 points each
C’s = 2 points each
D’s = 1 point each

Results
If you have a total of:

19 to 24 points – You most likely have a problem of eating too much sodium/salt and could benefit from the SalTrax™ system for tracking salt intake.

13 to 18 points – You may be aware that sodium/salt could be a problem for you but probably have yet to change your salt eating habits. You could benefit from the SalTrax™ system for tracking salt intake.

7 to 12 points – Good for you! You either have or have begun changing your salt eating habits and are most likely eating less sodium/salt than the average American. You might want to further reduce your sodium/salt intake by following the SalTrax™ system for tracking salt intake.

6 points – Congratulations! You are most likely aware of where sodium/salt hides in your diet and have good salt eating habits.

Why?
1. Restaurant food is generally high in sodium

2. Flour tortillas have more sodium than corn tortillas. Regular, non low-
sodium versions of bread and crackers are usually high in sodium.

3. Since restaurant food is usually very salty, it makes additional salt
unnecessary.

4 & 5. It is best to read food labels to buy low-sodium and no added-salt foods
and sauces. Be careful to compare sodium milligrams on the labels
since some foods labeled “lower in sodium” may not be that much lower
in sodium.

6. When cooking food at home, pouring salt into the palm of your hand or using a salt shaker and then tasting the food may result in larger amounts of salt added because you cannot always taste the added salt; especially when it is added early in the cooking process such as in a soup or stew. It's best to use standard measuring spoons for accuracy.

If your results showed that you could benefit from the SalTrax™ system for tracking your salt intake or if you are interested in learning more about sodium intake, please consider buying the book, How to Keep Track of Your Salt Intake, available on this website at http://www.saltrax.com/purchase.html.

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Updated 10/26/11

SalTrax
P.O.Box 503425
San Diego, CA 92150-3425

The information contained on this site is not a substitute for physician or other health care provider directed medical care for any medical condition. Please see your medical care provider if you suspect you may have a medical condition which necessitates a reduced-sodium diet. The SalTrax™ method as described here may be used by anyone wishing to keep track of the amount of sodium in his/her diet.