One Sandwich Equals 20% of Daily Sodium Intake

According to a recent study, 49% of adults in the US consume at least 1 sandwich daily; further, the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) investigators found that sandwiches comprise 20% of the recommended daily sodium intake.

“The unanticipated finding that sandwich consumption is associated with higher overall intake of energy underscores the importance of making healthful choices of sandwich ingredients,” said Cecilia Wilkinson Enns, MS, RD, the study’s co-author and co-author ARS nutritionist.
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“Many sandwiches, such as burgers and franks, and common sandwich components, such as yeast breads, cheese, and cured meats, are among the top contributors not only to sodium but also to energy in the diets of adult Americans,” she said.

For the study, researchers widened the sandwich definition to include those that were coded as a single food, and those coded as containing multiple ingredients. By expanding the research to include multiple sandwich codes, investigators discovered that on any give day, US adults (ages 20 years and older) consumed at least 1 sandwich.

Researchers found that those who ate 1 sandwich daily consumed approximately 300 kilocalories more than individuals who did not eat a sandwich. Additionally, those consuming a daily sandwich also had higher levels of total sodium (600 mg more) than those who did not have a sandwich.

Investigators noted that despite sandwich status, higher levels of sodium suggested their higher energy intake since participants’ sodium density was 1700 to 1800 mg per 1000 kilocalories.

The complete study is published in the October issue of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

-Michelle Canales

References:

Sebastian RS, Enns CW, Goldman JD, et al. Sandwiches are major contributors of sodium in the diets of American adults: results from what we eat in America, National health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2009-2010. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2014 Oct [epub ahead of print] doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2014.07.034.

Elsevier. Sandwiches are a major contributor to dietary sodium intake. October 6, 2014.. Accessed October 8, 2014. www.elsevier.com/about/press-releases/research-and-journals/sandwiches-account-for-one-fifth-of-total-sodium-intake,-with-nearly-half-of-american-adults-consuming-them-on-any-given-day,-according-to-new-study-published-in-the-journal-of-the-academy-of-nutrition-and-dietetics.