Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Reducing Sodium in Children's Diets

Charts: "How much sodium do children eat?" and "10 sources of sodium in children's diets".
A Salty Generation
Bar graph showing average daily calorie and sodium intake for children 6-11 (1,845 kcal and 2,903 mg of sodium), children 11-13 (1,983 kcal and 3,194 mg of sodium), and teens aged 14-18 (2,195 kcal and 3,672 mg of sodium).
10 sources of sodium in children's diets
List of the 10 common foods that contribute 43% of sodium to children's diets
  • Pizza
  • Bread/rolls
  • Cold cuts/cured meats
  • Savory snacks
  • Sandwiches
  • Cheese
  • Chicken patties/nuggets, etc.
  • Pasta mixed dishes
  • Mexican mixed dishes
  • Soups


Infographics: Great SALTernatives.
Great SALTernatives
A chalkboard graphic showing a typical day of sodium intake for children and what changes can be made to lower sodium.
Breakfast at home:
  • Whole-wheat toast (1 slice),
  • Egg (scrambled and salted),
  • Orange juice (4oz)
  • For 250 mg of sodium
  • Instead compare bread products when shopping to find lower sodium options. Try seasoning with pepper, parsley or thyme on eggs in place of salt to save 85 mg of sodium.
Morning snack:
  • Whole-grain graham crackers (8 squares),
  • Skim Milk (4oz)
  • For 250 mg of sodium
  • Instead cut the amount of graham crackers in half. Load up on fruit, naturally low-sodium. Pack a banana as a snack to save 150 mg of sodium.
Lunch at school:
  • School Lunch Pepperoni pizza (1 slice),
  • Sliced cucumbers (4oz), Gelatin cup
  • For 850 mg of sodium
  • Instead try the new pepperoni pizza that meets the sodium targets for National School Lunch Program and save 160 mg of sodium
Snack:
  • Crackers (about 16), Baby carrots (about 8),
  • Hummus (2 Tbsp)
  • For 450 mg of sodium.
  • Instead look for reduced sodium crackers at the grocery store. Compare brands of products, such as hummus, and pick the lowest in sodium to save 250 mg of sodium
Dinner on the go:
  • Fast food deli sandwich with meat, cheese and veggies, side of potato chips, Sports drink (12oz)
  • For 1585 mg of sodium.
  • Instead ask to see the nutrition facts before ordering. Skip the deli cheese and use less condiments. Swap chips for lower-sodium chip and choose water to save 490mg of sodium.
  • Total sodium before 3,285 mg of sodium. Total saved 1,135 mg of sodium
*Values were rounded to the nearest 5mg Sources: Packaged and restaurant food data collected from manufacturers' and retailers' websites, June 2014 Nutritional values for whole food products are available by the United States Department of Agriculture's National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference Nutritional values:http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/

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