‘Sodium 101’ app designed at Oshawa university to help reduce salt consumption [Video]

With excess salt consumption considered one of the greatest health challenges we face today, a new online tool developed by researchers at Oshawa’s Ontario Tech University aims to educate Canadians on the “hidden epidemic” and help reduce sodium use.

Registered dietitians and scientists consistently point to sodium consumption as one of the leading nutritional risk factors for developing chronic conditions such as hypertension, stroke and cardiovascular disease. As well, the World Health Organization has made lowering salt intake globally by 30 per cent as one of nine global targets for noncommunicable disease prevention.

Many Canadians consume far more than the recommended daily limit of less than 2,000 milligrams.

“We call it a ‘hidden epidemic’ because the majority of people do not feel the short-term negative health impacts of excess dietary sodium on their bodies, with most sodium hidden in foods,” explained Dr. JoAnne Arcand, a public health nutrition researcher at …