Drexel University, HS Lesson Plan, Sodium, revised 6/19, Page 1

High School Lesson Plan Sodium Cut the Salt! Grades 9-12 I. Lesson Objectives:

A. Students will identify how much sodium they should consume each day. B. Students will identify foods that are high in sodium and ways to reduce sodium intake. C. Students will state the negative health impacts of consuming too much sodium. D. Students will identify foods that are good sources of potassium.

II. Behavior Outcomes:

A. Shift food choices to reduce sodium intake

III. Pennsylvania Educational Standards: A. 11.3 Food Science and Nutrition B. 1.6 Speaking and Listening C. 10.1 Concepts of Health D. 10.2 Healthful Living

IV. Materials

A. Laptop/Projector with PowerPoint Presentation B. Handouts- “Sodium” worksheet C. Activity- “Cut the Salt” worksheet D. Additional Activities- “Sodium” Crossword Puzzle E. Other materials – laminated food labels, The Salt Case or salt test tubes (from eNasco),

or other appropriate salt display F. Optional: Reinforcement that conveys the appropriate nutrition message G. Hand wipes H. Food tasting and any necessary supplies I. Take Home Tips Sheet: “Salt” Tear-away handout from Learning ZoneXpress, or other

appropriate tips sheet

V. Procedure: Text in italics are instructions for the presenter, non-italicized text is the suggested script. A. Introductory

1. Lesson Introduction

Drexel University, HS Lesson Plan, Sodium, revised 6/19, Page 2

a. Introduce yourself and the nutrition education program/organization presenting the lesson.

b. Review previous lesson, if applicable. c. Briefly introduce lesson topic.

2. Icebreaker a. Ask the students: What are some of your favorite snacks? Do you think these

snacks are healthy options? b. Say to students: Let’s talk more about sodium to determine if there are healthier

alternatives to the snacks mentioned.

B. Developmental 1. Slide 1: Cut the Salt!

a. Today we will be talking about sodium. We will learn about what sodium is, where it is found in the diet, and benefits to lowering your sodium intake.

b. Distribute “Sodium” worksheet and have students fill in the answers as you go through the PowerPoint.

2. Slide 2: Project Sponsors

3. Slide 3: What is Sodium? a. Ask students: What is Sodium? Solicit responses. Tell students: Sodium is a

mineral, just like calcium and potassium. Minerals are inorganic elements that come from the soil and water and are absorbed by plants or eaten by animals. Sodium is commonly found in table salt and in foods. It is an essential nutrient, which means that our bodies need to have a certain amount of it in order to be healthy. However, most Americans consume too much sodium!

4. Slide 4: Importance of Sodium.

a. While most Americans consume too much sodium, it is an essential nutrient. Essential nutrients cannot be made by the body and therefore must be consumed through the diet in order for the body to function optimally.

b. Ask the students: Does anyone know what important jobs sodium has in the body? Sodium has an important role in maintaining the water balance within cells and in the function of both nerve impulses and muscle contractions.

c. Ask the students: Does anyone play a sport or engage in physical activity? Sweating creates an opportunity for the body to lose sodium and the sodium that is lost should be replenished. Athletes are often concerned about not getting enough sodium to replace what is lost through sweat. However, sodium losses are easily replenished at the next meal.

5. Slide 5: High Blood Pressure and Edema.

a. People who consume more sodium tend to have higher blood pressure. Keeping blood pressure in the normal range lowers a person’s risk of cardiovascular disease, congestive heart failure, kidney disease, and stroke.

Drexel University, HS Lesson Plan, Sodium, revised 6/19, Page 3

b. Ask the students: Has anyone ever felt bloated after eating foods with a lot of sodium? You may notice swelling of the hands, fingers, feet, and toes, etc. Sodium can create edema or water retention. This retention is not necessarily long-term or permanent; rather, it is often a short-term result of increased salt intake.

6. Slide 6: How Much is Too Much?

a. Ask the students: Does anyone know how much sodium we should eat daily? Solicit responses. None of us should consume more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium (about 1 teaspoon of table salt) in a day. Think about it, a packet of salt from a fast food restaurant has a little less than 1/8 teaspoon. Tell students to think about how quickly sodium can add up.

b. This recommendation is even lower for people who have certain risk factors for high blood pressure.

c. Ask the students: What is a “risk factor?” Solicit responses: A risk factor is a characteristic a person has that increases their chances of getting a particular disease or condition. People who have risk factors for high blood pressure include those who are: i. 51 years old and older ii. African Americans iii. People who already have high blood pressure iv. People with diabetes or kidney disease

d. Anyone with one or more of these risk factors should consume no more than 1,500 milligrams of sodium (that’s less than ¾ of a teaspoon) in a day.

7. Slide 7: How Much Do We Eat? a. Currently Americans consume on average 3,440 mg of sodium per day. This is

more than twice the recommended amount of 1,500 milligrams for people with high blood pressure or other risk factors, and significantly more than the 2,300 milligrams recommended for the rest of us.

8. Slide 8: Where is the Sodium? a. Ask students: Where do we get sodium in our diets? Solicit responses and guide

the students toward the following answers: i. Salt shaker: Many people think that we only get sodium from the salt shaker.

Ask students: Does anyone add salt to their food before tasting it? This habit can easily lead to eating too much sodium. Always taste food first to see if salt is really needed.

ii. Prepared or processed foods: Although it is important to decrease our reliance on salting our food, it’s also surprising how much sodium is already in some everyday foods. Examples include: bread, canned foods (i.e. vegetables, soups, and some vegetable juices), frozen dinners, any dinner that comes in a box, and food purchased from restaurants or fast food establishments.

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iii. Show students the salt model, “How Does Your Salt Stack Up?” or another display that shows the amount of salt in various foods.

9. Slide 9: Ways to Reduce Sodium Intake a. One of the best ways to reduce your sodium intake is to eat foods that were

prepared at home from scratch! When we assemble meals from fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables, unseasoned grains, and fresh protein foods, we avoid all the sodium that comes in boxed, canned, and restaurant foods. Other tips to follow include: i. Fill up on fruits & veggies. They have very little sodium unless it was added

during the canning process for canned foods. ii. Choose low-fat milk and yogurt more often than cheese: all of these foods are

important sources of calcium in our diet, but cheese is typically the highest in sodium.

iii. Choose low-sodium condiments, such as low-sodium ketchup and low-sodium soy sauce.

iv. Spice it up. Choose fresh or dried spices to enhance the flavor of foods rather than salt.

10. Slide 10: Ways to Reduce Sodium Intake

a. Another great way to reduce sodium is to read the label. If purchasing canned vegetables or beans, look for a label that says “no salt added” on the front. Remind students that foods such as diced tomatoes and tomato sauce are often incorporated into a recipe with other ingredients and spices, so oftentimes salt may not be necessary. For any packaged food, look for the Nutrition Facts Label. Find the % Daily Value of sodium and compare products to make that number as low as possible!

11. Slide 11: Ways to Reduce Sodium Intake a. Reading the ingredients list on a food label can help determine whether or not a

product has salt in it. Also, within an ingredient list, ingredients are listed from most to least, which is helpful when identifying how much sodium the product contains. However, be careful when looking for the word salt or sodium, as it may not always appear clear. Here are a list of words that may be used to identify sources of sodium:

Sodium alginate Sodium saccharin

Sodium ascorbate Sodium stearoyl lactylate

Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) Sodium sulfite

Sodium benzoate Disodium phosphate

Sodium caseinate Monosodium gluatamate (MSG)

Sodium chloride Trisodium phosphate

Sodium citrate Na

Sodium hydroxide

Drexel University, HS Lesson Plan, Sodium, revised 6/19, Page 5

12. Slide 12: Understand Label Claims a. When looking at a product label, it may indicate a food is low in something or

reduced. Ask students: What does this mean? Read through the bulleted claims on the PowerPoint (listed below). Ask the students if they or anyone in their household chooses specific food products with any of these claims (salt-free, low-sodium, etc.):

Sodium-free: Less than 5 milligrams of sodium per serving

Very low-sodium: 35 milligrams or less per serving

Low-sodium: Less than 140 milligrams per serving

Reduced sodium: Sodium level reduced by 25%

Unsalted, no salt added, or without added salt: Made without the salt that's normally used, but still contains the sodium that's a natural part of the food itself.

13. Slide 13: Potassium

a. Ask students: What is potassium or where might you have heard of it before? Solicit responses. Potassium is a very important mineral for the proper function of all cells, tissues, and organs in the human body. It is an electrolyte – a substance that conducts electricity in the body, along with sodium, chloride, calcium, and magnesium. Potassium is vital for heart function and plays a key role in skeletal and smooth muscle contraction.

14. Slide 14: Eat More Potassium!

a. While reducing sodium consumption is important for a healthy blood pressure, so is increasing potassium consumption. Sodium and potassium are two different minerals in our bodies. Our blood pressure has the best chance of staying in a healthy range if these two minerals are in the right balance in our bodies. Although most of us eat too much sodium, we also tend to eat too little potassium. Great sources of potassium are fruits, vegetables, and milk.

15. Slide 15: Good Sources of Potassium a. Ask the students: Does anyone eat the foods listed on this slide? Do some of the

foods listed have high amounts of sodium? If they do, what could you do in order to gain the benefits of a good potassium source, but limit your intake of sodium to appropriate levels? (Opt for low-sodium products, if using canned beans drain the beans with cold water, etc.)

b. Remind the students to check the nutrition facts label for the %DV for Potassium. Remind students that foods with at least 20%DV are high sources of potassium.

c. Listed are good sources of potassium:

Potato, baked, with skin

Tomato paste

Plain yogurt

Low-fat milk

Bananas

Spinach, cooked

Drexel University, HS Lesson Plan, Sodium, revised 6/19, Page 6

Sweet potato

Clams, canned

Orange juice, fresh

Halibut, cooked

Soybeans, cooked

Tuna, yellowfin, cooked

Lima beans, cooked

Cod, Pacific, cooked

Tomato sauce

Peaches, dried

Apricots, dried

Pinto beans, cooked

Pork loin meat, roasted

Lentils

Plantains

Kidney beans, cooked

16. Slide 16: Take-Home Messages a. Sodium and potassium are important nutrients in our bodies. b. Americans often consume too much sodium. c. Be mindful of salt/sodium intake to protect your heart and maintain a healthy

lifestyle. d. Read nutrition facts labels for the amount of sodium in different foods and

choose foods with a lower sodium content. e. Add foods with potassium, such as bananas, fish, and beans, to encourage a

healthy heart. f. Share this information with your caregiver or household member!

17. Slide 17: Questions?

18. Activity: “Cut the Salt”

a. Provide students with laminated snack labels. Have students answer each part of questions 1-4 using their snack label. This can be done individually or in groups. Have students share their answers about their specific label and then answer questions 5 and 6 as a class.

19. Additional activities: may be used if time allows or as a follow-up activity

a. Provide students with the “Sodium” crossword puzzle.

C. Conclusion 1. Review take-away messages from lesson.

a. Ask students to identify sodium intake recommendations. b. Ask students to list some examples of high sodium food sources and ways they

can lower their sodium intake. c. Ask students to state the negative impacts too much sodium can have on health. d. Ask students to identify foods that are good sources of potassium.

2. Distribute hand wipes. 3. Provide each student with a food tasting and encourage him or her to make small

changes in his or her diet now. Explain why the food is a healthy option.

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4. If providing, distribute the reinforcement, read the message and/or explain the reason why they are receiving the reinforcement.

5. Distribute Take Home Tips Sheet (or other appropriate fact sheet) and encourage students to share it with their families.

6. Thank the students for their participation and answer any question they may have.

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Sodium Worksheet

1. Sodium is an ___________________ __________________, which means that our bodies need to have a certain amount of it from our diet in order to be healthy.

2. The average American consumes ____________________ milligrams of sodium per day.

3. The recommendation for daily sodium (salt) intake for healthy adults is ____________________ milligrams or less of sodium per day.

4. People who have risk factors for high blood pressure should consume ____________________ milligrams or less of sodium per day.

5. Name 3 foods that typically contain a high amount of sodium

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

6. Name 2 ways to reduce sodium intake in your diet? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

7. How much salt will be in a: a. Sodium-free product? _______________________________________________

b. Reduced sodium product? ____________________________________________

c. Unsalted or no salt added product? _____________________________________

8. Name 2 foods that are high in potassium?

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Drexel University, HS Lesson Plan, Sodium, revised 6/19, Page 9

Sodium Worksheet – ANSWER KEY

1. Sodium is an essential nutrient, which means that our bodies need to have a certain amount of it from our diet in order to be healthy.

2. The average American consumes over 3,400 milligrams of sodium per day.

3. The recommendation for daily sodium (salt) intake for healthy adults is 2,300 milligrams or less of sodium per day.

4. People who have risk factors for high blood pressure should consume 1,500 milligrams or less of sodium per day.

5. Name 3 foods that typically contain a high amount of sodium Answers will vary but acceptable responses include:

Luncheon meats

Canned soups

Canned vegetables that don’t say “no salt added”

Fast food

Frozen meals

Frozen pizzas

Bread

Food from restaurants

6. Name 2 ways to reduce sodium intake in your diet? Answers will vary but acceptable responses include:

Filling up on fruits and vegetables

Choosing low-fat milk or yogurt more often than cheese

Choosing low-sodium condiments

Reading the nutrition label

Reading the ingredients list

Reading/understanding label claims

7. How much salt will be in a:

a. Sodium-free product? Less than 5 mg of sodium per serving b. Reduced sodium product? Sodium level reduced by 25% c. Unsalted or no salt added product? Made without the salt that’s normally

used, but still contains the sodium that’s a natural part of the food itself.

8. Name 2 foods that are high in potassium? Answers will vary but acceptable responses include:

Potato, baked, with skin

Tomato paste

Plain yogurt

Sweet potato

Clams, canned

Orange juice, fresh

Soybeans, cooked

Low-fat milk

Bananas

Spinach, cooked

Tomato sauce

Peaches, dried

Apricots, dried

Lima beans, cooked

Pinto beans, cooked

Pork loin meat, roasted

Lentils

Plantains

Kidney beans, cooked

Halibut, cooked

Tuna, yellowfin, cooked

Cod, Pacific, cooked

Drexel University, HS Lesson Plan, Sodium, revised 6/19, Page 10

Cut the Salt!

1. How many milligrams (mg) of sodium are in one serving? ___________________________________________________________________________

2. How do I find out how many total milligrams (mg) of sodium are in the entire package (or box)?

_____________ x ______________ = ________________ mg

3. What is the %DV for sodium in one serving? _______________________________________

4. What is the %DV for sodium in the entire package? _________________________________

5. Compare the results with your classmates. Below in the space provided, rank the products from the one with the least amount of sodium to the highest amount of sodium.

Highest

Lowest

6. What did you find surprising about the products? Did you think some of the products would

be ranked differently than others?

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

Across 1. Another word for high blood pressure is ________________ 4. Both sodium and potassium are not only minerals, but also classified as ____________, substances that conduct electricity through the body. 5. A beverage specific for physical activity that contains some sodium, because it is lost during play 8. This food usually served with milk is sometimes high in sodium -- always read the label! 10. A mineral that is essential; however, we consume too much of this in the typical American diet 15. The unit sodium is measured in is called ______________ 17. Name the race that should take particular precaution when consuming dietary sodium 18. This organ needs potassium because its role is necessary for smooth muscle contractions. 19. Name the diet that is low in sodium and helps those individuals with high blood pressure 20. You can cook with these rather than adding salt... hint: chili, paprika, curry Down 2. An excellent source of potassium and fiber, these root vegetables can be baked, mashed, or fried 3. This type of food or meal starts very cold, comes in many varieties, typically contains high amounts of sodium, and is easily prepared in a microwave or oven. 6. This type of meat that you typically buy in the grocery store (sliced) has many high sodium varieties (salami, ham, bologna, etc) 7. Having high blood pressure may lead to __________ 9. One teaspoon of __________ contains about 2,300 mg of sodium. 11. A high sodium food, this green condiment can be added to burgers, hoagies/subs, roast beef, and other sandwiches 12. A good source of potassium, this fruit is great for on-the-go and can be peeled 13. A mineral that works with sodium that helps to balance fluids in the body 14. When exercising, both our bodily fluids and salts are lost through __________ 16. A food rich in calcium, it can be melted or stand alone; yet, if it is processed, it contains a lot of sodium.

Sodium Crossword

Sodium Crossword Puzzle – Answer Key Across 1. Another word for high blood pressure is HYPERTENSION 4. Both sodium and potassium are not only minerals, but also classified as ELECTROLYTES, substances that conduct electricity through the body. 5. A beverage specific for physical activity that contains some sodium, because it is lost during play Answer: SPORTS DRINK 8. This food usually served with milk is surprisingly sometimes high in sodium -- always read the label! Answer: CEREAL 10. A mineral that is essential; however, we consume too much of this in the typical American diet. Answer: SODIUM 15. The unit sodium is measured in is called MILLIGRAMS 17. Name the race that should take particular precaution when consuming dietary sodium. Answer: AFRICAN AMERICAN 18. This organ needs potassium because its role is necessary for smooth muscle contractions. Answer: HEART 19. Name the diet that is low in sodium and helps those individuals with high blood pressure. Answer: DASH 20. You can cook with these rather than adding salt... hint: chili, paprika, curry. Answer: SPICES Down 2. An excellent source of potassium and fiber, these root vegetables can be baked, mashed, or fried. Answer: POTATOES 3. This type of food or meal starts very cold, comes in many varieties, typically contains high amounts of sodium, and is easily prepared in a microwave or oven. Answer: FROZEN 6. This type of meat that you typically buy in the grocery store (sliced) has many high sodium varieties (salami, ham, bologna, etc). Answer: DELI MEAT 7. Having high blood pressure may lead to STROKE 9. One teaspoon of ___ SALT ____ contains about 2.300 mg of sodium. 11. A high sodium food, this green condiment can be added to burgers, hoagies/subs, roast beef, and other sandwiches. Answer: PICKLES 12. A good source of potassium, this fruit is great for on-the-go and can be peeled. Answer: BANANA 13. A mineral that works with sodium that helps to balance fluids in the body. Answer: POTASSIUM 14. When exercising, both our bodily fluids and salts are lost through SWEAT. 16. A food rich in calcium, it can be melted or stand alone; yet, if it is processed, it contains a lot of sodium. Answer: CHEESE