Season 1, Episode 4 Guest Robin McKinnon, PhD, MPA
Most Americans, aged 14 years and older, consume roughly 50% more than the recommended limit for sodium. And it’s not the salt shaker. The majority (71%) of dietary sodium comes from restaurant and packaged, processed foods.
Why is it important? Excess sodium/salt intake contributes to hypertension and cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of death in the United States.
For years, experts and the government have been advocating a reduction in the amount of sodium/salt in our diets. Recently, the FDA announced a voluntary 12 percent sodium reduction for ‘Commercially Processed, Packaged, and Prepared Foods.’
In honor of American Heart Month, #OurHearts, our guest, FDA’s Dr. Robin McKinnon joins us to talk about heart health and the importance of salt and sodium reduction in the diet.
Key Messages:
*Slowly and gradually reduce salt/sodium in your diet and you will adapt to the taste.
*Blood pressure can be meaningfully reduced by lowering sodium in your diet.
*Season food with herbs, salt-free spices, citrus, and vinegar. If, after cooking and taste testing, salt is still needed, sprinkle a touch of Morton Lite or larger crystal salt on top of your food at the table.
*Sodium plays a variety of roles in food, not just flavoring.
*The food industry is developing innovative technologies to help reduce sodium.
*Americans get the most sodium in their diets from breads, pizza, sandwiches, cold cuts, cured meats, soups, burritos, tacos, savory snacks, and cheese.
*Look on labels for foods with around 5 percent Daily Value which is considered low sodium.
*Get more information at FDA.gov.
Robin McKinnon, PhD, MPA
Robin McKinnon is a Senior Advisor for Nutrition Policy at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN). Dr. McKinnon works to advance FDA’s nutrition-related activities across CFSAN, including those related to sodium reduction. Prior to joining FDA, Dr. McKinnon was a Health Policy Specialist at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health. At NCI, Dr. McKinnon led initiatives to advance policy-relevant research on diet, obesity and physical activity. Dr. McKinnon has a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration from the George Washington University and a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard University.
