Our bodies need sodium, but too much sodium can lead to water retention, high blood pressure and other health problems. However, UCSF Medical Center says, we eat "about 20 times as much [sodium] as the body needs." Take a walk down the aisle at your local grocery store, then take a drive past all the fast-food restaurants in your area, and you'll see why this is true. Most of those packaged and processed foods and drinks contain high levels of sodium. Learn how to manage a low-sodium diet that will promote good health.
Balance
Add potassium to every meal. Sodium and potassium work together. The University of Maryland says, "Keeping the right potassium balance in the body depends on the amount of sodium and magnesium in the blood. Too much sodium---common in Western diets that use a lot of salt---may increase the need for potassium." Add foods that are potassium-rich, one meal at a time.
Unprocessed, fresh foods contain potassium. If you can manage a diet of whole grains and fresh fish, meat, fruits and vegetables, you'll have a low-salt, potassium-rich diet.
Eat oatmeal for breakfast. Even instant oatmeal has high potassium and low salt. Add an apple to your oatmeal, pack a banana for lunch, eat raisins for a snack. Salad greens come conveniently packaged but are still potassium-rich and low in salt. Make balancing potassium and sodium a goal for every meal.
Substitute
Take that salt shaker off the table and replace it with a salt substitute. Buy two shakers filled with the substitute; keep one by the stove to use when cooking. Eat raw nuts instead of salted nuts. Replace regular soy sauce with low-sodium soy sauce. Substitute dairy products high in sodium with ones low in sodium. When possible, substitute fresh or home-cooked foods for canned, or choose no-salt or low-salt varieties. Substitute olive oil and balsamic vinegar for bottled salad dressing. Use sweet butter, which has no added sodium. UCSF says, "Be creative and season your food with spices, herbs, lemons, oranges, wine and Tabasco sauce." A low-sodium diet doesn't have to be low in flavor.
What to Avoid
Avoid cooking and baking with salt whenever possible. Reduce the amount of salt in recipes or eliminate it altogether. Avoid foods high in sodium, such as smoked fish, lunch meats, chips, pickles and cheese. Avoid fast food and menu items loaded with cheese or other sauces that might be high in sodium. Avoid beverages high in sodium, especially tap water if you have a water softener.
Even foods that don't taste salty can have high sodium levels. Make it a habit when shopping to automatically read the sodium content per serving. UCSF's "Guidelines for a Low-Sodium Diet" says, "Read ingredient labels to identify foods high in sodium. High-sodium food additives include salt, baking powder, brine or other items that say 'sodium,' such as monosodium glutamate." Even carbonated indigestion or cold remedies can be high in sodium.
DASH
Colorado State University explains, "For people who already have hypertension, following an overall eating plan called DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) and restricting sodium intake to 1500mg per day may be useful for lowering blood pressure."
DashDiet.org presents a diet not only low in sodium and fat but high in potassium and fiber. This diet is recommended for those with high blood pressure, or hypertension, but it's an excellent guide to overall healthy eating as well.
Warning
Watch out for low-fat products that have a higher sodium content per serving than the higher-fat product.
0 comments:
Post a Comment