Action Step:
Set your daily sodium intake goal and determine how much sodium you will need to reduce in your daily diet.
- Take out your Sodium Tracker from Week 1 and find your Average Daily Total. This number will be your starting point.
- Determine what you want your Total Daily Sodium Goal to be by the end of this Mini Challenge.
- Calculate your Weekly Total Daily Sodium Goal by determining the total amount of sodium you need to reduce and spreading it out across 5 weeks. Use the example below to calculate your Weekly Total Daily Sodium Goal.
- Once you determine your Total Daily Sodium Goal and your Week 2 Total Daily Sodium Goal, write them down on your Sodium Tracker for Week 2 and don’t forget to track your sodium today.
Example:
If your Average Daily Total is 3,500 mg and your Total Daily Sodium Goal is 1,500 mg, you will need to reduce your sodium intake by 2,000 mg each day. While this may seem like a lot, we are going to break this down into more manageable amounts over the next 5 weeks. This means each week, you will work to remove 400 mg of sodium each day. That’s less than 1/4 of a teaspoon each day!
This would mean your goals for Week 2 through Week 5 would be:
Week 2 Total Daily Sodium Goal = 3,100 mg
Week 3 Total Daily Sodium Goal = 2,700 mg
Week 4 Total Daily Sodium Goal = 2,300 mg
Week 5 Total Daily Sodium Goal = 1,900 mg
Week 6 Total Daily Sodium Goal = 1,500 mg
Remember: Your Total Daily Sodium Goal is customizable to you. Your goal should be realistic based based on your Week 1 results and your eating habits. Pick a goal you think is doable (don’t pick a goal that is too low!) and work towards it. And even though this mini challenge will be over, you can still keep decreasing your intake past Week 6 to help make the change more manageable.
Each week, for the rest of this mini challenge, you are going to learn about the Salty Six – common foods that may be loaded with too much sodium. Learning about these foods, and how to cut back on them, will help you reach your Total Daily Sodium Goal.
This week it’s all about the breads & rolls. You may not taste the salt in bread, but one piece can have as much as 230 mg of sodium! If you have toast for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch, and a roll for dinner, your daily sodium intake can add up quickly.
Action Step:
Look at labels to find lower-sodium varieties and eat these instead. Even choosing thinner slices can help as they usually have less sodium.
Action Step:
Continue tracking your sodium intake for the rest of this week and work to reach your Week 2 Total Daily Sodium Goal.
