Frozen dinners, spaghetti sauce and soup seem to be a staple for the average student. These foods, though convenient and cheap, contain high levels of sodium, putting students at risk for disease.
The Institute of Medicine, part of the National Academy of Sciences, issued a report that lowered the recommended daily amount of sodium. Previously, the daily allowance was 2500 milligrams, but it has been lowered to 1500 milligrams per day. The report set the maximum intake per day at 2300 milligrams but recommended not exceeding 1500 milligrams.
"A typical person needs between 1,000 to 1,500 milligrams per day; the new recommendations are right on point," said Edward Rosick, University Health Services physician. "However, most people are eating 5,000 to 7,000 milligrams per day, and if they are eating fast food, the number is probably higher."
Therefore, the new recommendations may do little to encourage Americans to follow a low sodium diet, especially when trans-fat and low-carb diets have been dominating the market.
"I'm not really a big fan of salt, so I hardly ever use table salt," Sarah Evans (freshman-division of undergraduate studies) said. "But I have not paid attention to the amount of salt already in my food, and I don't think this new regulation will change that."
Evans said she usually eats in the dining commons, having mostly pasta or chicken. Housing and Food Services lists the amount of sodium in an item on display entrée cards for students who are curious.
For students who live off campus, cooking can be a challenge, and some rely on soup or frozen meals for dinner.
An average can of Campbell's Chunky Soup contains between 800 and 1000 milligrams of sodium per serving, with two servings to a can. Eat the whole can and you have consumed over the recommended daily value in one sitting.
"Frozen and canned foods as well as fast foods tend to contain high levels of sodium," said Alison Harmon, a senior extension associate in the field of food science. "What we need to do to reduce sodium intake is eat a lot more fresh foods."
Too much salt leads to increased blood pressure, increasing the fatal risks of heart disease and kidney failure as well as causing increased water retention. An extreme low level of sodium can cause seizures and even death, Rosick said.
Harmon said people who tend to retain a lot of water need to be especially careful of high sodium levels.
"Sodium is one of those things in which just enough is necessary," Rosick said. "Not too high, not too low, but somewhere in between."
Having sodium levels on point is a benefit to the body.
"Sodium is definitely an essential nutrient for the body, though as Americans, we tend to eat more than we need," Harmon said.
"Sodium is critical for fluid balance, muscle control and an essential electrolyte for the body."
The new sodium recommendation has prompted the Food and Drug Administration to change food labels, which cite the percentage of daily value of certain ingredients. However, consumers will probably not see a label change for years.
