High Sodium Diet - What You Can Do About It
Do you crave salty foods? If yes, your diet is high in sodium.
High sodium diet increases the risk of high blood pressure in certain groups of people.
It may also complicate certain medical conditions.
Salt (or sodium chloride) is the primary source of sodium in diet.
Like all habits, your salt craving is a learned behavior, which can be unlearned by making appropriate changes to your diet.
The following steps may help you reduce your sodium intake.
Read the food label before you buy any processed food.
Food labels are an important tool for making smart food choices.
Once you learn the technical terms, it is easy to read any food label and quickly gather the valuable information it provides.
Such information includes the amount of sodium in one serving as well as in the entire package of any particular food.
In the United States, the daily sodium intake for a healthy adult is 2400 mg.
Always go for foods low in sodium.
Eat more fresh fruits, vegetables, and low-sodium foods like canned "without salt" vegetables.
Use fresh poultry, fish, and lean meat, rather than canned or processed types.
Whenever you eat out, ask that your food be prepared without salt.
This way, you can control the amount of salt in your food.
In the supermarkets, you can find low- or reduced-sodium, or sodium free versions of foods.
Use spices to season your food.
Most spices naturally contain small amounts of sodium.
Prepare your food with sodium-free spices like lemon, mint, oregano, parsley, pepper, rosemary, basil, bay leaves, caraway seeds, curry, garlic, ginger, sesame and thyme.
Also, low-sodium bouillon can add extra flavor to your food, as can wine, vinegar, and lemon or lime juice.
Avoid foods high in sodium.
Cut back on processed foods; they are high in sodium.
How easy is it to exceed the recommended daily sodium intake level? It is easier than you think.
Suppose that you ate a dinner consisting of parmesan cheese (1 tablespoon), pasta with meatballs in tomato sauce (canned), and garlic bread (1 slice).
Your total sodium intake for the dinner is about 1326 mg.
This amount is more than half of your daily sodium requirement.
Sodium is an important mineral for good health but too much sodium is bad for your heart.
If you crave salt, shake the habit by making simple changes like having more fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet, seasoning your food with sodium-free spices, and cutting back on processed foods.
Changing the way you eat can have substantial health benefits, which in turn can change the way you feel.
High sodium diet increases the risk of high blood pressure in certain groups of people.
It may also complicate certain medical conditions.
Salt (or sodium chloride) is the primary source of sodium in diet.
Like all habits, your salt craving is a learned behavior, which can be unlearned by making appropriate changes to your diet.
The following steps may help you reduce your sodium intake.
Read the food label before you buy any processed food.
Food labels are an important tool for making smart food choices.
Once you learn the technical terms, it is easy to read any food label and quickly gather the valuable information it provides.
Such information includes the amount of sodium in one serving as well as in the entire package of any particular food.
In the United States, the daily sodium intake for a healthy adult is 2400 mg.
Always go for foods low in sodium.
Eat more fresh fruits, vegetables, and low-sodium foods like canned "without salt" vegetables.
Use fresh poultry, fish, and lean meat, rather than canned or processed types.
Whenever you eat out, ask that your food be prepared without salt.
This way, you can control the amount of salt in your food.
In the supermarkets, you can find low- or reduced-sodium, or sodium free versions of foods.
Use spices to season your food.
Most spices naturally contain small amounts of sodium.
Prepare your food with sodium-free spices like lemon, mint, oregano, parsley, pepper, rosemary, basil, bay leaves, caraway seeds, curry, garlic, ginger, sesame and thyme.
Also, low-sodium bouillon can add extra flavor to your food, as can wine, vinegar, and lemon or lime juice.
Avoid foods high in sodium.
Cut back on processed foods; they are high in sodium.
How easy is it to exceed the recommended daily sodium intake level? It is easier than you think.
Suppose that you ate a dinner consisting of parmesan cheese (1 tablespoon), pasta with meatballs in tomato sauce (canned), and garlic bread (1 slice).
Your total sodium intake for the dinner is about 1326 mg.
This amount is more than half of your daily sodium requirement.
Sodium is an important mineral for good health but too much sodium is bad for your heart.
If you crave salt, shake the habit by making simple changes like having more fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet, seasoning your food with sodium-free spices, and cutting back on processed foods.
Changing the way you eat can have substantial health benefits, which in turn can change the way you feel.
