Americans have been advised to make "Step-Wise" changes in their diets to achieve a healthier lifestyle, according to the recent USDA food pyramid, called MyPyramid. Small steps are believed to result in gradual changes to improve your lifestyle and diet.

One of the changes recommended is to reduce salt (sodium) intake. Salt, more commonly known as table salt, is made up of two nutrients — sodium (40%) and chloride (60%). Table salt — both as an ingredient in store-bought foods and home cooking, and from the salt shaker on your table — is the major source of sodium in our diet. Other dietary sources of sodium include sodium bicarbonate (baking powder), sodium phosphates found in sodas or meats, and sodium carbonate, found in some medicines. In the body, sodium plays an important role in sustaining water balance in the cells and helps maintain nerve and muscle function.

Why the concern about sodium (salt)?
Increased sodium in the diet has been associated with an increase in blood pressure. This association varies by age, gender, race, and family history. The latest Dietary Guidelines recommend keeping sodium intakes to less than 2,300 milligrams per day, which is about one teaspoon. Individuals with high blood pressure, blacks, and middle-aged and older adults are advised to consume no more than 1,500 milligrams of sodium a day. For more information on this guideline, visit the Dietary Guidelines .

Sodium & blood pressure
What is high blood pressure? High blood pressure (also known as hypertension) is when your heart has to work harder to pump blood through your body. This constant extra effort increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure.

There are many components, including dietary, lifestyle, and heredity factors that may affect blood pressure. Increased sodium intake is one factor. A decrease in sodium can decrease blood pressure; although the effect is not the same in everyone. Some people will experience more reduction than others, while others may experience an increase or no effect at all. The advice of your physician is needed to help you choose the best option for managing your blood pressure.

Other dietary factors can affect blood pressure. These include nutrients found in vegetables and fruits like potassium, magnesium, and fiber. Lifestyle factors, like smoking cessation, have been shown to moderate blood pressure. The recommendation for potassium intake for Americans has been recently increased from 3,500 to 4,700 milligrams per day to help combat high blood pressure among Americans. Some individuals may require medication and/or additional lifestyle and dietary changes to help control their blood pressure.

How can you choose Step-Wise changes that work for you?
USDA MyPyramid recommendations are designed for Americans to personalize our diets and lifestyles. The slogan for MyPyramid, "Steps to a Healthier You," encourages simple changes that can start you moving in healthier directions. For example, you can increase how much you exercise by a day a week or begin eating smaller portions of food. This gradual but persistent approach also works when aiming to achieve balance in salt (sodium) intake. Personal preference for the taste of salt is not fixed or set in stone. Our "taste" for salt can decrease over time as we gradually eat a lower salt diet. So, dietary decisions like lowering the salt you add at the table, choosing lower-sodium foods, and eating smaller portions of high-sodium foods are all great steps!

Another helpful step is to adopt a potassium-rich diet, found in a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, which may "blunt the effects of salt on blood pressure."¹ Research findings from studies using the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) Diet indicate that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, containing lean meats or plant proteins and low-fat dairy products is effective in lowering elevated blood pressure.^2,3 Health experts also agree that losing weight (if you are overweight) and increasing your level of physical activity are very important things you can do if you have high blood pressure. In addition, limiting alcohol consumption to only moderate intake is advised.

Tips for a sensible sodium intake
Here are some ways to moderate the amount of sodium in your diet:

• Look for foods with alternative sodium choices, such as “reduced sodium,” “low sodium,” “healthy,” “lightly salted,” “no salt added,” and “sodium free” on food labels to help achieve a moderate sodium intake. Read the "Nutrition Facts" on the food label to see how many milligrams of sodium the food contains per serving.
• Campbell's® condensed soups now have 21 more varieties with lower sodium sea salt added for lower sodium and great taste, making over 40 condensed soups in all with this sea salt.
• Campbell's® Healthy Request® soups are delicious reduced sodium options with 410mg of sodium per 8-oz. prepared serving. Campbell’s® Chunky™ offers Healthy Request® varieties as well, such as Campbell’s® Select Harvest® Healthy Request® Italian-Style Wedding soup and Campbell’s® Chunky™ Healthy Request® Chicken Noodle soup. Campbell’s® Healthy Request® soups carry the American Heart Association’s Heart Check certification mark. Visit campbellsoup.com to learn about all the delicious varieties of Campbell’s Healthy Request soups.
• Campbell's Select Harvest® and Select Harvest® Light soups all have 480mg of sodium and offer a wide range of varieties including Select Harvest® Mexican-Style Chicken Tortilla, Select Harvest® Harvest Tomato with Basil and Select Harvest® Light Southwestern-Style Vegetable soups.
• Campbell's® Low Sodium soups provide low-sodium soup choices with 140mg or less of sodium per serving.
• Swanson® broths are offered in several reduced sodium varieties, including Swanson® Natural Goodness® chicken broth, and Swanson Certified Organic chicken, vegetable and beef broths.
• V8® 100% vegetable juice is available in a variety of sodium levels, including Low Sodium V8® and Low Sodium Spicy Hot V8®.

• Cut back on the amount of salt you use in cooking and at the table. To make foods flavorful, try using salt-free seasoning mixes, low-sodium broths and sauces, and fresh herbs and spices. When eating, taste your food before you salt it to ensure you really need the salt for flavoring.
• When dining out, request that your food be seasoned with fresh herbs instead of salt. Ask for sauces and dressings on the side, since they may contain a lot of sodium.
• Practice portion control. When choosing your meals, keep portions of higher-sodium foods smaller in relation to portions of low-sodium foods.
• Balance high-sodium meals or foods with lower-sodium ones. For example, if you know your lunch will include higher-sodium foods, choose lower-sodium foods at breakfast and dinner to balance your daily intake.

Before embarking on any diet program, check with your physician whether sodium reduction is best for you.

¹U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2005. 6th Edition.
² Appel, LJ, et al. Effects of Protein, Monounsaturated Fat, and Carbohydrate Intake on Blood Pressure and Serum Lipids, Journal of the American Medical Association, 2005;294:2455-2464.
³ Appel, LJ, et al. A Clinical Trial of the Effects of Dietary Patterns on Blood Pressure. The New England Journal of Medicine, 1997;336:1117-24.