Yeah, I admit, I LOVE salt! It is my downfall, give me something salty over sweet any day! So, I am essentially writing this post—for me!! Give me olives, cheese, salami—I mean you can bury me on a charcuterie board…..Wait weren’t these on the Mediterranean Diet???😂. OK, seriously, behind sugar, this is one of the most eaten substances in America, I’ll prove it to you! Do you think you don’t eat too much salt—90% of Americans DO!
First of all, you will find salt listed in your food in the nutrition label listed as sodium. Sodium is mineral that is found in salt, but a lot of your foods will use this interchangeably as “salt free, or no added salt”. So, HOW much salt do we need a day?? The Dietary Guidelines for America recommend 2,300 mg, you are thinking to yourself—well, that’s a lot…. Well, we’ll see about that. For context-ONE TEASPOON OF SALT HAS 2,400 mgs of sodium…………..
So WHY, should I reduce my sodium or salt intake? Well, this is actually pretty simple, it RAISES your blood pressure, and increases your risk of heart disease and stroke! As a PCP, I am always concerned when my patients come in with lower leg swelling, because salt, among other things, can be a cause for swelling. Recently, I had a guy in his 20’s who had a high BP, who had eaten processed lunch meat, and pork rinds for lunch and had a high blood pressure. He normally did not. What you are concerned about is the stress on your blood vessels and heart and after days of increased blood pressure, it does lead to damage. If you add this to a person who already has high blood pressure, then it can be a very dangerous combination! But why do we NEED sodium-sodium is an essential mineral that is vital to normal cell functioning. Low sodium in the body can cause nausea and vomiting, headache, seizures, brain swelling, coma, and finally death. It is very important to have salt in you body, but we can all have too much of a good thing (even me!).
So WHAT, has sodium? The TOP TEN OFFENDERS!!
- Breads and Rolls
- Pizza
- Sandwiches
- Cold cuts and meats
- Soups
- Burritos and Tacos
- Savory Snacks (Junk Food)
- Chicken (It’s the seasoning)
- Cheese
- Eggs and omelets
Basically, ALL MY FAVORITES!! 🙄 Can you say charcuterie??
So WHEN, do I cut out my sodium?? Limit eating out! Restaurants kill it in sodium! 71% of the sodium we eat is in processed food and restaurant food. If you don’t believe me check out the nutrition facts on a hamburger from your favorite food chain, most are 1100 mgs and over! That’s not including the fries, and the soda! EAT FRESH FOODS—eat foods that are closest to their source. Fresh fruit and vegetables. Frozen varieties of these are ok, If they are not doused in sodium sauces. Avoid canned food and frozen “microwave meals”. These meals are chocked full of sodium to aid in flavor and add freshness. Most meals have 700-1500mg of sodium a day. AVOID SODAS, they have extra sodium, you don’t need—and sugar! Consider a heart healthy diet, such as DASH (more on this diet later) . Buy lower sodium items on the list above, it you HAVE to have them (me). DRINK WATER!
Hopefully, this short blog has opened you eyes and tastebuds to the dangers and hidden dangers of salt. It can be too much of a good thing! And today, you are sodium wise!
Sources: https://www.cdc.gov/salt/index.htm https://www.cdc.gov/salt/reduce_sodium_tips.htm https://www.cdc.gov/salt/food.htm
Becoming Wellness Wise 