Module 2: Sodium
What Creates an
Unhealthy Diet?
Examples of how we can prevent
disease:
• Help prevent colon, rectum and
possibly breast cancer
Reduce calorie intakes – cancer rates
fall and maintain a healthy diet and
body weight
Smoke
Tobacco – grilling – smoked meats
= carcinogens which may initiate cancer
• Excessive and deficient intakes of
vitamins impairs the immune system.
• Sodium: What sodium does?
• Its an essential electrolyte that helps
balance the water in and around your
cells (electrolytes carry a small
electric charge in a fluid environment,
potassium, calcium and magnesium)
• Sodium is lost through sweating (loss
of electrolytes)
• Recommend that we consume less
2300 mg or less
• Canadians consume on average
3,400mg each day (some much more)
High sodium foods
• Smoked, cured meats, fish, poultry,
including bacon, cold cuts, sausages,
canned fish (i.e. anchovies, sardines)
• Frozen dinners, burritos and pizza
• Salted nuts
• Canned foods
How do you avoid Sodium?
•Use fresh, rather than packaged
•Choose fresh fruit and vegetables if
possible as they are very low in
sodium
•Read food labels
Rid the Body of Excess Sodium:
•Stay hydrated, water will flush
sodium from your kidneys
The Salt Shaker
•The salt shaker only adds about 6% of our
daily sodium on average
•Packaged and restaurant foods are the
main culprits
•Sodium is added for flavour and
preservatives
•Potassium can counter the effects of
sodium and may help lower your blood
pressure (bananas, oranges, cantaloupe,
beans)
•If you have high blood pressure, you can
buy a low sodium salt that contains
potassium instead of sodium
KFC’s typical takeout
•Drumstick, 2 sides , a biscuit and
Pepsi= 3,000mg salt and 1,400
calories
Best Beverage (when blood
pressure high)
•Apple Cider Vinegar
•Lemon water
•Low Fat milk
Your Kidneys:
•Kidneys will hold on to sodium and
use when needed-excess is excreted in
your urine
•Too much and sodium builds up in
your blood
•Increases blood volume
•Heart disease, stroke, and kidney
disease can occour
Food and Causes of Death
Lifestyle behaviours related to
death(old data)
Leading Causes of Death
(Diet and inactivity are leading risk factors for causes
of death shown in red) (old data)
1. Heart Disease 709,894
2. Cancer 551,833
3. Stroke 166,028
4. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
123,550
5. Accidents 93,592
6. Diabetes 68,662
7. Pneumonia and Influenza 67,024
8. Alzheimer’s Disease 49,044
9. Nephritis 37,672
10. Septicemia 31,613
11. Suicide 28,332
12. Chronic Liver Disease/Cirrhosis 26,219
13. High Blood Pressure 17,964
14. Pneumonitis 16,659
15. Homicide 16,137