Most of the Sodium in Food Comes from Sandwiches: Study

Salt in your sandwich accounts for one-fifth of your average sodium intake, finds a study.

Researchers from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) examined the nutritive compounds in ingredients added to sandwiches like cheese, bread, ham, tomato, mayonnaise and the overall sodium levels. The experts used a separate coding system to measure the actual amount of sodium in a regular sandwich an average American would consume.  In a past trial, they found eating sandwiches contributed to only four percent of daily salt intake. But the analysis of the new research revealed much higher percentage of sodium content in each sandwich, reports the Business Standard.

"Sandwiches alone contribute 30 percent of the less restrictive guideline and 46 percent of the stricter guideline," write the authors in the study, reports the Red Orbit News.

The caloric consumption in one sandwich a day was 300 kilocalories and regular sandwich eaters had more energy levels than those who never ate. The results revealed the overall salt levels exceed the USDA's 2010 guidelines on maximum recommendation of 2,300 milligrams of daily sodium consumption by 600 milligrams.

  "The unanticipated finding that sandwich consumption is associated with higher overall intake of energy underscores the importance of making healthful choices of sandwich ingredients. Many sandwiches, such as burgers and franks, and common sandwich components, such as yeast breads, cheese, and cured meats, are among the top contributors not only to sodium but also to energy in the diets of adult Americans," said Cecilia Wilkinson Enns, study author and nutritionist at the USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS).

The findings urge people to limit their sodium consumption by eating healthy and avoiding processed food that are loaded with fat, additives and flavorings.

More information is available online in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.