Lost Shaker of Salt

Nearly one-third of all Americans have high blood
pressure. A staggering statistic, but if
you look at the nutrition information on your favorite packaged or fast foods
it is not surprising. Many items have at least half of your daily intake recommendation
in just one serving!

Sodium content should be looked at with great scrutiny along
with fat, calories and cholesterol. When
trying to eat healthy it is easy to overlook sodium. In many reduced-fat/calorie items the sodium
is deceptively increased to make up for loss of flavor from fat. Even many frozen meals, marketed to dieters
are laden with sodium, leaving the consumer to weigh the trade-off between less
fat and more salt. For example, Weight
Watchers Chicken Enchiladas Monterey has 730 milligrams of sodium or 30% of
your daily value in one 9 ounce
serving.

What is a health-conscious shopper to do? My advice is to consider sodium during your
shopping trip, while prepping food and while eating. These ideas will help you cut back on salt
without sacrificing taste.

While Shopping
Shop the outer edges of the grocery store for fresh produce,
low-fat dairy products, lean meats and fresh-baked goods. Avoid (as much as possible) the inner-aisles
of pre-packaged convenience goods which are typically high in sodium.

Look for reduced- or low-sodium canned items or no-salt added
versions of your favorite canned products.

Buy frozen vegetables versus canned.

While Cooking
Don’t add salt to cooking water.

Drain and rinse any canned items, it will wash away some of
the sodium canning water.

Avoid prepared marinades for meat; make your own using
natural ingredients like olive oil, garlic, orange or lemon juice. Season lightly with salt and pepper; most of
our intake does not come from the shaker of salt so it is not completely taboo
to add a light touch of salt.

Prepare your own seasoning blend instead of buying
packets. For example, when seasoning
ground sirloin for taco meat use a homemade blend of equal parts chili powder,
ground cumin, dried cilantro and then smaller amounts of sugar, oregano, salt,
pepper and a dash of crushed red pepper.
Mix together and keep in a spice jar for the same convenience of a
mix. Add fresh garlic, onion and lime
juice to the meat for more flavor with little or no salt.

While Eating
Save the seasoning until the end.

Use salt-free seasoning such as Mrs. Dash.

Consider snacks that are low in sodium, buy unsalted chips,
reduced sodium crackers and be conscious of how much sodium you are
drinking. Sports drinks and many fruit
drinksare very high in sodium.

Living healthy is like completing a puzzle; all the pieces
need fall into place. Balanced intake of
sodium is a key component to getting that puzzle right! Keep these tips in mind and remember that the
daily recommended intake for sodium is less than 2,300 milligrams per day for
an average adult. Look at labels; many
times you have several choices that range from healthy to downright disastrous
when it comes to salt or sodium.

For great, easy-to-prepare meal ideas that are low in sodium and high in flavor, visit The Dinner Spin.