How Do I Avoid Salt and Sodium? By Shereen Jegtvig, About.com Guide

 Editorial By Ray GollisImage via Wikipedia

July 28, 2011 10:52pm

Great Article By Shereen Jegtvig. Lots of people live on potato chips and pop. Salt and Sugar combined. This is a very bad combination. Salt, cause high blood pressure. I have never tried sea salt, but it seems like it not much better for you then real salt. I wonder what Shereen would say about that. I think too many people eat processed foods which have a lot of salt. Going to the fast food restaurant instead of cooking at home is probably a bad habit you should stay away from. Lunch meats, I agree have a lot of salt in them. Especially hot dogs. I think it is better to have more fiber in your diet like: Sweet Potatoes, Brown Rice , Wheat Pasta and Whole Grain Breads. The More fiber you have in your diet the better it suppresses your appetite. I think if a person is obese he needs to exercise more than just walking which does not do much for a person who is 100-200 pounds overweight. They really need to be exercising with aerobics, bicycling, jumping rope. Most people do not exercise enough and then eat way more than they exercise and don't lose any weight. So that is my take on this article.

What is your opinion on salt and sugar and what are some ways to curb your appetite. Feel Free To Leave Me A Comment At The End Of This Blog..

Thanks for taking the time to read this editorial

And Don't forget to not read Sherren's Great Article

Original Source:
http://nutrition.about.com/od/cardiovascular/f/How-Do-I-Avoid-Salt-And-Sodium.htm

Ray Gollis

Question: How Do I Avoid Salt and Sodium?

Answer: Salt has been use to flavor and preserve foods for thousands of years and even had a great effect on the economies of various empires. Today, you probably have a shaker of salt on your table and maybe some sea salt in the kitchen cabinet. The problem with salt is that it contains sodium, and eating too much sodium may contribute to increased blood pressure, which is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Decreasing the amount of sodium in your diet may help to keep your blood pressure at a healthy level. Eating lots of sodium may also lead to fluid retention and bloating.
While salt is a major source of sodium, many processed foods are high in sodium, too. Canned foods, frozen meals, cured meats and many snack foods contain outrageous amounts of sodium. So to keep your sodium levels in check, you need to put down your salt shaker and read Nutrition Facts labels when you shop.

How Much Sodium Is Too Much?

The recommendation for a healthy person is to keep sodium intake below 2400 milligrams (2.4 grams) per day. People with high blood pressure may need to stay below 1500 milligrams (1.5 grams). One teaspoon of salt has about 2300 milligrams sodium. Just one-quarter teaspoon has 580 milligrams and a dash of salt has around 150 milligrams. You'll find sodium in most butter or margarine, milk, bread and other staple foods. Heavily processed foods and cured meats often have very high amounts of sodium. Look for these ingredients on the label:

• Monosodium glutamate
• Baking soda
• Baking powder
• Disodium phosphate
• Sodium alginate
• Sodium nitrate or nitrite

Frozen dinners usually have more than 500 milligrams sodium, however frozen vegetables have less than 5 milligrams sodium if they don't contain any sauce. Soy sauce is also high in sodium -- one tablespoon has over 900 milligrams. Be sure to read the food labels when you shop at the grocery store.

Is Unrefined Sea Salt Good For You?

Regular table salt comes from salt mines, is purified and often has iodine -- an additive that wiped out the iodine deficiency disorders that were more common in the early 20th century. Unrefined sea salts are made from ocean water and contain a minuscule amount of additional minerals that add flavor (and sometimes color) to the salt. Some people claim that unrefined sea salts are good for your health and should not be restricted from your diet, but there is no scientific evidence to back these claims. You can choose sea salt for the flavor, but don't expect any other health benefits.

Living With Less Sodium

Your body needs some sodium so you don't want to eliminate all sodium from your diet (that would be almost impossible, anyway). Most people only need to keep sodium consumption under 2400 milligrams (or less if your doctor says so). Here are some ways to cut sodium:

• Read food labels and choose foods that are low in sodium.
• Choose fresh or frozen vegetables rather than canned.
• Avoid lunch meats and cured meats.
• Buy unsalted nuts and snacks.
• Eliminate salt from your recipes.
• If you choose canned vegetable or legumes, rinse them thoroughly with water.
• Try salt substitutes made with potassium instead of sodium.

You can also experiment with herbs and spices instead of table salt. Look at the ingredients label when you shop for spice blends because sometimes they have salt as an ingredient. _{Sources:
American Heart Association. "Sodium." Accessed January 13, 2011. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4708
Gropper SS, Smith JL, Groff JL. "Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism." Fourth Edition. Belmont, CA. Wadsworth Pub Co. 2005.
US Department of Health and Human Services. "Dietary Guidelines for Americans - 2005." Accessed January 13, 2011. http://www.health.gov/DietaryGuidelines/dga2005/document/default.htm}

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