It’s probably not news to you that Canadians are consuming too much sodium. What you may not know is B.C. residents have some of the highest intakes in the country, second only to Quebec. Teenagers tend to have the highest intakes, perhaps not so surprising when you think of all those salty snacks they seem to enjoy.

The greatest source of sodium in our diets is processed foods. Prepackaged, ready-to-eat foods and restaurant meals account for 77 per cent of our sodium intake. Which means that making a meaningful dent in your sodium intake requires eating more fresh foods prepared at home.

Why should you care? High sodium intake is associated with high blood pressure, which in turn is associated with cardiovascular disease, the number-one cause of hospitalization and death of Canadians. A significant reduction in sodium intake could save lives.

What can you do? As noted, the most significant change you can make is to emphasize fresh unprocessed foods – vegetables, fruit, whole grains, cereals, milk and soy products, meat, poultry, fish, legumes, eggs, nuts – and choose fewer processed foods, fast foods and restaurant meals. This most important change is probably the most difficult to make. Recent survey findings suggest that Canadians are eating far less than the recommended number of servings from each of the four food groups in Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide. For example, a significant number had not eaten any vegetables or fruit the day prior to the survey. This suggests we have a long way to go to improving healthy eating overall and reducing sodium intake.

It’s difficult to give up processed foods altogether. Most of us rely on them to a certain extent – canned vegetables and fruit or bread and breakfast cereals come to mind. Read labels and compare products. Look at the Nutrition Facts panel and choose products with the lowest “mg” or “% Daily Value” (DV) for sodium. I’ve been surprised at the significant difference in the sodium content of various brands of the same item, for example canned tomatoes. Choose the brand with the lowest amount and where appropriate rinse canned products such as legumes. Even better, look for “no added salt” and choose those products when possible.

There is something else we can all do – call on food manufacturers to supply more “no added salt” or reduced sodium products. Also ask why they are usually more expensive. The more interest consumers show in reduced sodium products the more likely we are to see them, competitively priced, on the grocery store shelves.

Finally, if the holiday party season isn’t upon us already it soon will be. Chances are we’ll be overwhelmed with high-sodium finger foods and appetizer platters. Whether you are hosting a party or taking food elsewhere to share, think about including some fresh choices – vegetables and fruit with a yogourt dip, reduced sodium crackers with bean spread or a no added salt nut, seed and dried fruit mix. Trust me – there will still be plenty of sodium to go around.