Whether sliced baguette in the form of English muffin or bagel, bread is the main source of sodium in the diet of Canadians. It's not as salt content of different breads that are high (an average slice contains 150 mg to 200 mg sodium), but the large quantity of bread that is consumed making it the first source sodium in the country. That is according to a study drawn from the Survey of Community Health canadiennes1 which listed 40 food groups according to their consumption and sodium, according to 4 age groups. Overall, the majority of the sodium consumed comes from the country: prepared food: 77%; Food in its natural state: 11.6%; Salt added at the table: 6%; salt added during

cooking: 5.1%. Thus, taking into account the foods most consumed, the daily intake of sodium in the country comes mainly breads (13.9%), processed meats (8.9%) and tomato juice or vegetable (7, 5%). The frozen meals are high in sodium, but they are not consumed. In Quebec, the bread products represent 27% of cereal products consumed by Quebecers. From this figure, the 2 / 3 are white bread, and 19% are croissants, bagels and pancakes. Origin of sodium daily (%) by food group consumed Breads 13.9% Processed meats 8.9% Tomato juice or vegetable 7.5% Soups (prepared or canned) 7.4% Pasta 5.7% Cheese 5.4% While the bread is the food most commonly eaten at home (77%), certain foods, eaten in less quantity, however sources are significantly higher in sodium. This applies to prepared soups (canned or dried), the accompanying sauces and frozen meals and pizzas, for example. These foods are more popular than bread among the group of men 19 and older. Too much salt, all ages According to data collected according to age groups, the average daily intake of sodium in the country is: 2.3 g in 1 year to 8 years; 3.4 g in 9 years to 18 years; 3.6 g for males 19 years and over; 2.6 g in women 19 and older. "These rates are all above the tolerable upper intake determined by the Institute of Medicine and the above targets set by the United Kingdom, the United States and WHO," the authors lament the study. Strategy to reduce salt Data from this study will feed into a working group commissioned by Health Canada to develop strategies to reduce sodium consumption in the country. It is estimated that a reduction of 1.8 g of salt per day in the diet of every Canadian to $ 1 million would reduce the number of people with hypertension at home and would prevent 11 550 cardiovascular events.