Canadians too salty: StatsCan report

Canadians are a salty bunch, much more salty than is healthy according to a new report.

The new issue of Statistics Canada’s Health Reports journal published a report that suggests among people aged 19 to 70, over 85% of men and 60% of women eat salt in amounts that far exceed the recommended upper limit, beyond which health risks including high blood pressure increase.

The saltiest provinces were Quebec and British Columbia, where the average daily intake for residents was more than 3,300 mg versus 3,092 mg for Canadians overall. As a general reference, a condiment packet of salt is about 1,000 mg, and a packet of sugar is 4,000 mg.
In Ontario, the only province where average daily sodium consumption was significantly below the Canadian figure, average intake was 2,871 mg.

The maximum daily intake of salt for the largest age group (nine to 50-years-old) is 1,500 mg, with smaller amounts recommended for people older and younger than that median.

“Although some sodium is needed to control blood volume and to help cells function properly,” the report states “most Canadians consume far more than is necessary or recommended.”
In 2004, regardless of age or sex, nearly all Canadians consumed almost twice the healthy limit, with men ages 14 to 30 consuming above 4,000 mg a day.

The study also found that most Canadians added more salt to their food at the table, whether it was made or prepared with a high-sodium content or not.

Although it may be more visible, table salt actually accounts for only a small amount, 5%, of the daily intake. The majority of sodium intake came from prepared foods, including highly processed foods such as yummy but unhealthy burgers, hotdogs, pizza and sub sandwiches that accounted for 17% of the average salt consumption for Canadians.

With the salt comes a higher risk of high blood pressure or hypertension — usually diagnosed at some point after age 31.

In 2004, 6% of 31- to 50-year-olds reported having been diagnosed with high blood pressure. For the 51 to 70 and 70-or-older age groups, the estimates rose to 27% and 47% respectively.

One ray of hope is that Canadians lick less salt off their fingers than our cousins to the south: When the results were compared to a similar study in the U.S., StatsCan found, as a general trend, Canadians eat about 200 mg less salt a day.


The Canadian diet — 10 main sources of sodium

Results from the 2004 CCHS — Nutrition indicate that the following 10 groupings of foods/beverages accounted for over half (55%) of all sodium that Canadians consumed:

Food (Per cent of total sodium intake)

Pizza, sandwiches, submarines, hamburgers and hotdogs (19.1%)

Soups (7.4%)

Pasta (5.7%)

Liquid milk and milk-based beverages (4%)

Poultry and poultry dishes (3.8%)

Potatoes (3.4%)

Cheese (3.2%)

Cereals (3%)

Beef (3%)

Sauces (2.9%)

source:www.canada.com