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Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.
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Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.
Katherine Zeratsky and Jennifer Nelson
Jennifer K. Nelson, M.S., R.D., L.D., C.N.S.D.
Jennifer Nelson is your link to a better diet. As specialty editor of the Food & Nutrition Center, she plays a vital role in bringing you healthy recipes and meal planning."Nutrition is one way people have direct control over the quality of their lives," she says. "I hope to translate the science of nutrition into ways that people can select and prepare great-tasting foods that help maintain health and treat disease."
A St. Paul, Minn., native, she is certified by the National Board of Nutrition Support Certification, has been with Mayo Clinic since 1978, and is director of clinical dietetics and an associate professor of nutrition at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine.
She leads clinical nutrition efforts for a staff of more than 50 clinical dietitians and nine dietetic technicians and oversees staffing, strategic and financial planning, and quality improvement. Nelson was co-editor of the James Beard Foundation Award-winning "The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook." She has been a contributing author to and reviewer of many Mayo Clinic books, including "Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight for EveryBody," "The Mayo Clinic Family Health Book" and "The Mayo Clinic/Williams Sonoma Cookbook." She contributes to the strategic direction of the Food & Nutrition Center, which includes creating recipes and menus, reviewing nutrition content of various articles, and answering nutrition questions posed to Ask a Specialist.
Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
As a specialty editor for the Food & Nutrition Center, Katherine Zeratsky helps you sort through the facts and figures, the fads and the hype to learn more about nutrition and diet.A Marinette, Wis., native, she is certified in dietetics by the state of Minnesota and the American Dietetic Association. She has been with Mayo Clinic since 1999.
She is active in nutrition-related curriculum and course development in pediatrics at Mayo Clinic Rochester and nutrition education related to the physiology and recommended intakes for premature infants.
Other areas of interest include breast milk and formula safety, neonatal feeding, and nutrition for breast-feeding mothers.
She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, served a dietetic internship at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and worked as a registered dietitian and health risk counselor at ThedaCare of Appleton, Wis., before joining the Mayo Clinic staff.
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Nutrition-wise blog
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June 9, 2009
Blog: Pass the salt, please
By Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.
Most Americans eat more than twice the amount of sodium that they need. A diet high in sodium increases the risk of high blood pressure, a major cause of heart disease and stroke. Why are we so sodium-saturated?
Are we too heavy-handed with the salt shaker? Perhaps, but that's not the whole story. Most of the sodium we eat comes from packaged, processed and restaurant food.
Part of the problem is that we don't know how much sodium we're eating. It's in more foods than we imagine. For example, sodium solutions are added to poultry — something many Americans don't know. And it's not just chicken — check the ingredient list on your meat. Why is it in there? Sodium retains moisture, and no one wants to eat dried-out steak or chicken.
Then there's the unfortunate truth that most of the typical American diet comes out of a box, can or wrapper. And most processed food has added salt. Why? Because salt is a flavor enhancer. Many fat-free or low-fat foods use it to compensate for flavor lost when fat is removed. Salt also adds a desired consistency to foods. Finally, sodium acts as a preservative and helps prevent the growth of bacteria and other harmful organisms.
Sodium is an essential mineral — our body needs it. But we don't need nearly as much as we're getting. Healthy adults need no more than 2,300 mg sodium — about 1 teaspoon of table salt — a day. Because so many of us are eating too much sodium, the Institute of Medicine is looking for new ways to help Americans cut back on sodium.
What are you doing about it? Do you know how much salt is in the foods you eat? Do you read labels and choose foods lower in sodium? Have you found ways to tame your taste for salt?
9 comments posted
August 28, 2009 5:10 p.m.
Geeta is so right! I recently developed high blood pressure from not enough salt! My sodium and chloride levels were below normal, so my adrenals over-secreted hormones that raised my pressure. Eating a natural, balanced diet with a little added salt has brought me back to where I should be. So, if you mistakenly believe all salt is bad, please rethink your position. Granted, I grow almost all my own produce, cook all meals from scratch and rarely use processed foods, so I probably am in the minority.
- Fran
August 19, 2009 2:44 p.m.
Human physiology and its response to salt are varied. Some of us are more sensitive to salt than others. In this subset of population reduction of salt consumption can have significant results. But salt much like fat is a necessary component for normal bodily function. Sodium is necessary for the maintenance of blood pressure, body fluid and cell function. Each of us is unique and our response to salt is therefore different. Our monitoring of salt intake should not be on a one size fits all approach but more on an individual basis. A balanced diet is more important for a healthy blood pressure than sodium restriction. For accurate information on salt intake and health please visit http://www.salthealth.org/
- Geeta
June 18, 2009 12:29 p.m.
My husband has high blood pressure so I am trying to cook with as little salt as possible. Does anyone know how many grams of sodium are added to food that is cooked in salted water? For example, 4L of water and 2T of salt to cook a package of spaghetti - how does that translate into sodium grams absorbed by the pasta? Or, a tablespoon of salt added to 1L of water to cook eight potaotes - how much sodium now in the potatoes? I would love to know how to calculate how much sodium is being added with cooking salt, and hope someone can give me an answer.
- Patty
June 12, 2009 12:08 p.m.
I was surprised to learn that all vegetables naturally contain sodium. Also, the baking soda and baking powder in breads and cakes is high in sodium. Another thing to be the lookout for are cheeses; many reduced fat types have 50% more sodium than the full-fat versions.
- Dee
June 11, 2009 11:22 a.m.
Interesting comment about the salt content added to chicken and other meats to help retain moisture. In fact, water is definitely added to chicken meat and probably others and it appears that sodium helps retain some of that water. Why do processors do that? So that their product weighs more and they can charge more for that product. Probably not a lot of money involved, but add it up over millions of chickens and they can charge an extra few cents for water!!
- Rob
June 11, 2009 1:16 a.m.
There are many salt free or low sodium options as well as salt substitutes in the local grocery stores today. Mrs. Dash comes in many different varieties and is reasonably inexpensive. It adds enough flavor to make you forget about the missing salt. I also noticed that you can even buy chicken, beef, and vegetable stocks in low sodium now! I don't have problems with my blood pressure but as a nursing student I am constantly trying to find suggestions for my patients.
- Brittany
June 9, 2009 7:10 p.m.
I have used salt substitute for twenty years. After a short period, I became used to it and never picked up a salt cellar again. I am 85, and my cardiologist says my lab results are like a teen-ager. Give it a try.
- raystom
June 9, 2009 6:53 p.m.
For many years I have prepared food 'no salt added'. Over the past few years I have developed high blood pressure. I was unaware of some foods to which salt and sodium is added. Cottage cheese is one of those foods. It is difficult to find salad dressings, pasta sauce and even canned vegetables that are not high in salt. However, in the past few months it seems salad dressings expecially are somewhat easier to find with lowered sodium and even tuna is not found' very low sodium. It is a matter of looking, looking, looking. I am always looking for new products with low sodium. Lilah PS I still have high blood pressure but it might have been even higher!
- Lilah
June 9, 2009 4:49 p.m.
Family history of high blood pressure influenced me as a teenager (17) to terminate use of the salt shaker. It was difficult to give up salt on a baked potato, the common staple at dinner growing up in Idaho. I am over 40 and have not used the salt shaker once over this time. Benefits observed: I can readily taste salt in processed foods. Sweat glands use to leave white residue after run cool down, likely salt deposit (using too much), not a problem after giving up "extra" salt. Immediately after saying no to the salt shaker (at 17) I no longer needed to use under arm deodorant and I have no ring around the pit on light shirts; this I do not understand but I have enjoyed not needing the Speed Stick (is this still around?) for more than 20 years.
- Brian
9 comments posted