New Year’s Resolution – Less Salt!
| Posted on Jan 10, 2012 |
Are you having a hard time sticking to all those New Year’s resolutions you promised yourself? One simple change you could make in your lifestyle that can lead to a healthier life for this year and years to come is decreasing the amount of salt in your diet, and it’s not too late to start - today! Most of us eat too much salt. On average, we consume about 3500 mg per day. Table salt provides sodium which is an essential mineral to our survival. However, the average person takes in 20 times more than needed!
Excess sodium can lead to fluid retention causing congestive heart failure, high blood pressure and swollen feet and ankles (known as edema).
Doctors often recommend a low sodium diet for people with these conditions. A low sodium diet contains fewer than 1500 mg of sodium per day or a little less than one teaspoon of table salt.
Where Does All of that Sodium Come From?
A large source of sodium in our diet comes from restaurants and packaged foods. Examples of high sodium foods include canned soups, pre-packaged frozen meals, lunch meats and chips. Processed foods account for well over 75% of our sodium intake. Although many feel they eat a low sodium diet because they don’t use the salt shaker, it actually accounts for only about 10% of our daily salt intake.
How Can You Cut Your Sodium Intake?
There are many ways to cut down the amount of sodium you consume. Adding spice blends, flavored vinegar, citrus juices and fresh herbs to your dishes are all great options. The most important thing you can do may be to avoid processed foods. Most fresh foods such as unprocessed meats, fish, vegetables and fruits are low in sodium and are healthy, tasty alternatives to processed or packaged foods. A few examples of healthier, low sodium alternatives are listed below.
Foods to Avoid:
• Pretzels, chips
• Biscuits, instant cereal
• Canned soups
• Soy and barbeque sauce
Healthy / Low Sodium Alternatives:
• Unsalted or low salt nuts, seeds, and popcorn
• Whole grain cereals
• Low sodium bullion
• Lemon juice, vinegar
An interesting point : if you can stick to a low sodium diet, your taste buds can be retrained over a short period of time and you’ll find that you soon don’t miss the salt shaker!
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