Most kids eat too much salt — hurting their heart health. But you can set them on a healthier path from the start.
On average, children ages 2 to 19 eat more than 3,100 milligrams (mg) sodium per day — about double the amount the American Heart Association recommends. The older children get, the more calories and sodium they tend to eat.
Research has shown that males 12 to 19 eat the most sodium — an average 4,220 mg/day, while females in the same age group eat about 2,950 mg/day.
Most of the sodium that children eat comes from processed, packaged and prepared foods commonly in grocery stores and restaurants.
Some food manufacturers and restaurants make lower sodium versions of the same food. So make healthier food choices for your children by reading the Nutrition Facts label to compare sodium content among different brands.
Eating too much sodium is associated with higher blood pressure in children and teens, and the effect is even greater if they’re overweight or obese. Kids with high-sodium diets are almost 40% more likely to have elevated blood pressure than kids with lower-sodium diets. High blood pressure in childhood can also result in early development of heart disease and risk for premature death.
Also, high blood pressure in childhood is linked to high blood pressure in adulthood. But lowering blood pressure during childhood can help decrease the risk for high blood pressure as an adult. And it can be as simple as helping them eat less sodium.
Start young! Our taste preferences for salt are shaped by what we eat early in life . Kids may not prefer so much salt if they’re given foods with less sodium from an early age. You can also help by gradually reducing the sodium in their foods — they might not even notice the difference.