Cut The Salt!
Salt has been used by humankind for hundreds of years as a preservative of food. With our present state of knowledge our need for the usage of salt as a preservative has decreased tremendously but our love for the taste that salt makes our food have has not changed.
We love to salt our food . Some people will not eat certain foods without that salt. Others will refuse to even taste their food without first salting it. It is a habit that has its consequences.
Worldwide we see that salt has a detrimental effect on the health of people. We see increased cardiovascular effects to those with increased salt intake in their daily diet.
The US Department of Agriculture recommends a total daily intake of 2300 mg of sodium a day for the average American, 14 year of age and older.
Studies have shown that most Americans are clocking in at 3400 mg of sodium a day. The majority of this comes from prepared foods. This means the sodium is already in the food. Sodium and salt are not the same thing. Sodium is a mineral and salt is composed mostly of sodium.
Studies have shown that only 10 percent of the salt comes from salt added. A Big Mac has 970 mg of sodium, a large serving of French fries has 350 mg of sodium and a typical can of Coke has 50 mg of sodium. If you add all of that together you have 1370 mg of sodium in that quick meal. That only leaves
930 mg of sodium for the rest of the day in order to keep your number at the 2300mg of sodium that is recommended per day.
So especially if one is eating a lot of prepared food there is a huge challenge in following the rules and staying healthy.
Ther is no question that the increase in the sodium in the diet is detrimental to your health. So how about lowering your sodium or salt intake by using salt substitutes? Now let us be honest . It will take a little time to get used to the lowered salt intake, but those taste buds will adjust, and you are worth it.
First let’s look at hot sauce. It has salt, vinegar, sugar, and other seasoning but can add that extra taste to your food with less sodium.
How about looking at potassium-based salts? It has that little taste that some will like. They will not work for those with kidney disease but for those who are potassium deficit, it is a good alternative.
Next think about adding lemon or lime juice. Just a quick squeeze can give that illusion of salt to the food in a healthy way. Herbs such as garlic or onion powder are sodium free and can add that zest to your food.
MSG or monosodium glutamate has 125 mg of sodium per on quarter teaspoon versus the 590 mg of sodium per one quarter teaspoon of table salt. Yes, this is the MSG that was in controversy a few years back. Its name has been cleared by the Food and Drug administration.
Lastly consider using more plant-based food that have not been altered or processed. These are healthier for you and look at the Mediterranean diet for inspiration. It is well known that these are heart healthy.
For those of you who want to use Sea salt, which has 560 mg of sodium for one quarter teaspoon or Himalayan salt that has 590 mg of sodium per one
quarter teaspoon, regular table salt has 590 mg of sodium per one quarter teaspoon and the table salt has iodine in it which is a needed mineral for the body. So, No Go, on the Sea salt and the Himalayan salt.
Yes, it will take effort to learn to enjoy your food without that added salt . It will take even more effort to pull yourself away from processed foods that carry the majority of the salt. I tell my patients that if a food has more than 3 ingredients , it probably is not good for you.
Yes, it does take time and effort to make sure you are eating well but what you put in your mouth is the only thing your body has to make you out of. Give your body the best you can, you deserve that.
