By CARLA MORRICAL-FREDERKING

Special to The Hays Daily News

Sodium, one of the two ions that make up salt (sodium chloride), is an essential ingredient for life.

It helps keep the body's fluids in balance and is necessary for proper functioning of nerves and muscles. In ancient times and before refrigeration became available, salt was important in food preservation.

Today, we know that it enhances flavor and color, and serves as a stabilizer of foods. However, as essential as this substance is for life, we need only a small amount.

Most Americans find themselves frequently eating meals on the go and doing very little cooking from scratch, making it difficult to moderate the amount of sodium in their diets.

As a result, our taste buds have grown accustomed to a higher level than is needed for optimum health. In fact, some scientists believe that some of us are almost "addicted" to the pleasurable effect of salt.

Where is the salt in our diet?

Approximately 10 percent of the total salt we eat occurs naturally in our food, 5 percent to 10 percent we add as we prepare and eat food, leaving about 75 percent to 80 percent of the sodium being added in one form or another by the commercial food industry and restaurants.

What are the experts telling us?

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Human Services and the American Heart Association recommend most Americans limit their daily intake of sodium to 2,300 mg (1 teaspooon of salt). For those who are 40 years or older, African-American, or who have hypertension, it is suggested that they cut their sodium intake to 1,500 mg each day. Unfortunately, the average intake is much higher, approximately 5000 mg of sodium or 7 to 10 grams of salt.

The benefit of reducing salt intake was reaffirmed by a study reported in the January issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Scientists from the University of California-San Francisco and the departments of medicine of Stanford University and Columbia University used the Coronary Heart Disease Policy Model to calculate benefits for a population-wide reduction in dietary salt up to 3 grams (1,200 mg of sodium) per day.

Using this model, which analyzed the results from previous studies to estimate the benefit of reducing dietary sodium's impact on blood pressure and its impact on heart disease, they projected there would be 54,000 to 99,000 fewer heart attacks and 44,000 to 92,000 fewer deaths from all causes each year if Americans would limit their consumption of salt by even a half teaspoon per day.

The body of evidence that reducing sodium can have a significant population-wide health benefit is growing and has gained the support of the American Medical Association, the American Heart Association, the American Society of Hypertension and the World Health Organization.

What foods have the most?

Commercially prepared foods such as tomato sauce, soups, canned foods, prepared mixes, deli meats and salad dressings are often very high in sodium. Even breads and crackers can have considerable amount of hidden sodium.

Although our taste buds have become accustomed to a high level of salt in the typical diet, this preference can be modified -- but it takes time and patience. Some people can adjust to a lower sodium diet in just a few weeks. But for others it often takes months. Eventually, foods that we used to enjoy can begin to taste too salty.

What can the consumer do?

Check the nutrition facts panel on processed foods. Look for the percent daily value. Foods that are listed as 5 percent or less sodium are low in sodium, 6 percent to 20 percent are moderate, and those above 20 percent are high. When choosing processed foods, select low-sodium choices if possible, and flavor with spices or other low-sodium foods. Small changes over time can reap real health benefits.

Carla Morrical-Frederking is the Ellis County Research and Extension agent for family and consumer science.