Our kids are getting too much salt.

 Sigh.

It seems the more we learn about what’s being put in our food, the more there is to be concerned about. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report last month detailing the much-too-high amount of sodium present in most children’s diets. According to the report, 90 percent of children eat too much sodium, and these higher intakes are related to high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke later in life.

Food companies use salt to make their products especially flavorful, triggering a powerful pleasure response that makes consumers want to eat more and more.  Unfortunately, as noted in the CDC report, a taste for salt is established through diet at a young age. This means that high-sodium foods like pizza, breads, salty snacks and even soups, can set kids up for a lifetime of poor eating habits, as they continually seek out more intense, salty flavors.

This shouldn’t be a concern. As parents, we shouldn’t have to spend every waking minute worrying about yet another harmful ingredient our children are exposed to daily.  The good news is that there are things we can do about it. We can make sure that when our children grow up and start families of their own, they won’t have to agonize over the choices about what to feed their kids, because most of the food in our food system will be healthier. We just have to get involved. Even a small action can lead to big changes.

There are a lot of great suggestions about how you can help improve the food environment at the CDC website, Vital Signs.

In the meantime, here are a few tips about what parents can do to reduce sodium intake for their families:

•  When cooking at home, try different spices, herbs, and vegetables instead of salt;
• Use ‘low sodium’ or ‘no salt added’ ingredients in your meals and recipes;

• Compare Nutrition Facts labels to choose the lowest sodium options before you buy;

• Ask your grocery manager to provide more low sodium options of your family’s favorite foods;

• Use social media outlets to share your challenges and successes for reducing sodium in your child’s diet.