Ontario Tech researcher’s new online tool helps Canadians reduce their salt consumption

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. Despite this, 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 people do not feel the short-term negative health impacts of excess dietary sodium on their bodies and most sodium is hidden in foods,” says Dr. JoAnne Arcand, a public health nutrition researcher at Ontario Tech University. “More than 70 per cent of the sodium we consume is already included in packaged and processed foods, and a much smaller percentage is added with salt shakers on tables.”

Dr. Arcand also says that people only tend to be concerned about sodium after they develop a health condition. “This is why education about sodium consumption is such a challenge: people are not concerned about sodium until it’s too late,” she says.

With a generous donation from Manulife to Ontario Tech’s Tech with a Conscience fundraising campaign, Dr. Arcand, Associate Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences, and a team of dietitians and graduate students designed and launched the Sodium 101 web application. The app seeks to raise awareness about the long-term risks of excessive sodium consumption, and to provide users with an engaging learning experience, empowering Canadians to take control of their sodium intake and make healthier dietary choices.

With its step-by-step interactive format, the online tool uses proven techniques known to motivate people to change their behaviour. It also enables the development of food-literacy skills by teaching users how to understand and interpret food labels, and identify common sources of sodium, even when eating at restaurants. The tool also incorporates an easy-to-use online Sodium Calculator, previously developed by Dr. Arcand. The calculator helps users assess their own risk levels and set sodium-reduction goals that align with their individual health needs.

The app provides essential educational resources for the general public and for health-care providers.

“If we can encourage lower sodium and healthier food intake throughout the lifespan, it will enable people to enjoy a healthier, higher quality of life for longer.”

Did you know?

• The World Health Organization has prioritized dietary sodium reduction, with a goal of lowering intake by 30 per cent as one of nine global targets for noncommunicable disease prevention.

Related Ontario Tech news stories

• Ontario Tech’s newest Research Excellence Chairs showcase university’s transformational research (November 2024)
• Tech with a conscience: How excellence in strategic research at Ontario Tech is driving the future (September 2023)
• Take action on your intake of hidden salt with Faculty of Health Sciences’ updated Sodium Calculator (March 2022)

Media contact

Patricia Pickett
Communications and Marketing
Ontario Tech University
905.809.1675
patricia.pickett@ontariotechu.ca