GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) — The Food and Drug Administration has released new guidelines for companies to voluntarily reduce the sodium content in their food.
They’re hoping to cut salt content in products across the grocery store by 12%.
Lee Hyrkas is a Dietitian with Bellin Health and says the average American takes in 3400 milligrams of salt every say–1,100 milligrams more than recommended levels.
“It’s because of the processed foods that we eat,” Hyrkas told WTAQ. “70% of the salt that we eat comes from the processed foods in our diet.”
They can come from anywhere. Lunch meat. Fast food hamburgers–even cereal.
“In the cereal aisle, there is a lot of salt in a lot of those products,” said Hyrkas. “And most people don’t stick to one serving. They have two or three servings.”
Unhealthy sodium intake is directly linked with heart disease, kidney disease, and even strokes.
Hyrkas says he thinks that companies, if given enough incentive, will slowly reduce the salt content in their food over time to give consumer taste buds the opportunity to adjust. As for it’s impact, he believes it will have a small effect on health outcomes, noting that the FDA’s 3,000 mg average per day target is still over the 2,300 mg/day level recommended by dietitians.
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