(Say that ten times fast!)
Over the years, many clients have told me that summer is a difficult time to keep sodium under control. Road travel meals, rear courtyard barbecue and picnic sandwiches can add faster than ice cream melts on a hot day.
But you don’t have to deprive yourself of hitting the recommended levels. Some strategic exchanges can make a big difference.
But first, a few sodium questions:
What is the difference between salt and sodium?
Salt is sodium chloride, so sodium is part of the salt. Sodium is also found in ingredients such as baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and glutamic monosodium (MSG). Whatever the source, excess sodium can affect your health.
I don’t have hypertension – do I really have to worry about sodium?
Even if your blood pressure is normal now, Excess sodium can increase it (and the risk of heart disease) over time. So, while you certainly do not need to cut it completely, sodium monitoring is still an important prevention strategy.
How do I know if I have too much?
Estimation of sodium intake is easier than you think – an inappropriate estimate is all you need. Check package labels or Google Foods without them.
(Pictures in this post should be easier to read if you turn your device on its part.)
Just be sure to adjust the size of the section to match what you eat as below:
What about the restaurant’s food?
Many chains publish nutrition information online, though you may need to hunt a little.
The company’s website should have the most up -to -date information.
These tables may be difficult to read, but they are definitely enlightening!
How much is it too much?
Hypertension Canada recommends that it stays below 2,000 mg per day for adults to help prevent and manage high blood pressure. Other guidelines range from 1,500 to 2,300 mg.
The exact number is not critical, as long as you are in the park. The sample below shows how easy it is to hit over 4,000 mg of sodium on a summer day.
Can you get very little sodium?
Yes, we really need sodium! Health Canada sets the “proper intake” at 1,500 mg per day. Constantly getting much less than this does not help and can be problematic. Food will not win a taste awards!
Should I count it every day?
Certainly not! But doing it once or twice will reassure you that you are doing well. If not, you will have a good sense of what foods host excessive sodium.
After that, target about 500 mg per meal. A quick look at information about food packages and restaurants will help you with it.
The 7 exchanges of salt
With this as our foundation, here are seven easy ways to reduce sodium, not summer fun:
- Sandwich → granules salad – Paradoxically, the #1 source of sodium in Canadian diets are bakery products! Think of bread, muffins, bagels, tortillas, etc. A typical slice of bread has 150-200 mg of sodium. Can add quickly!
Instead, try a salad with quinoa, barley, farro or pasta, cooked without salt. Fly in good excellent virgin olive oil, lemon juice, arugula, roasted peppers, crunchy nuts or whatever you love.
- Turkey → tone – When you go for a sandwich, Turkey probably sounds like a healthy choice, until you see sodium content. (Assuming it’s Deli Turkey meat. If you bake your bird, go for it!)
There are many alternatives to processed meat, which has been linked to high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Try the tone, salmon, egg salad or even roasted roast or rotisserie chicken.
- Bbq smokies → chicken machines – Smokers are popular, but yikes, sodium! Even with a little barbecue sauce, chicken thighs, stroke or breasts will have less than half of sodium.
- Crackers Breton → Tristium Low-Sodium – With garnishes such as cheese or hummus, you will notice little that triscuits have less than one -third of sodium (and twice as much as fiber) thanks to whole grain wheat. (Breton crackers use white flour. If it doesn’t say “whole” it’s not.)
- SUB SUB → 6 -inch – Road trips are part of summer and you can’t always pack all your food. Ordering smaller inputs is a sodium cut strategy. Couple with heart -friendly snacks such as yogurt, cheese, fruits, vegetables and nuts to keep you satisfied on the go.
- Bought shop → homemade salad sauce – Most homemade dress is lower in sodium – even if you add some salt. Use a phenomenal vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic and other spices to make it tasty and fresh.
- Eat → eat – I saved the largest sodium exchange for the last. Restaurant food is particularly high. For example, a plate of spaghetti and meatballs at East Side Mario’s packages 1,900 mg – almost a whole day of value!
Do it at home, even with frozen meatballs and bottled sauce, and will be less than half of it. Even the semi-group victory wins great.
The goal is not to completely avoid salty foods – sometimes this is almost impossible! Just do your best to balance them. Grab a ham sandwich in a meeting? Consider a simple homemade dinner such as roasted cherry chicken chicken instead of ordering.
Summer weekend makeover sodium
This summer sodium makeover will give you a sense of impact that you can do with just a few substitutions.
In the lower sodium version you will still see some food for no reason to give you a sense of flexibility. It doesn’t have to be everything or nothing.
If you limit the large: bakery products, processed and restaurants, you will have room for a little cheese, salt or chocolate chips cookies.
NOTE: The menu menus with lateral menus are the exchanges that reduce sodium.
Isn’t it neat? The differences from just a few basic replacements are huge. You could go lower to the right but don’t need.
The Sweet Spot approach is to find the right balance for you between heart health, enjoyment and everything else you need right now, such as ease or viability. Keep what you love, exchange the rest.
What do you think?
What are your favorite ways to cut sodium but you still enjoy your food? That matters! If it is not satisfactory you will not do so for long.
Pop on the Facebook Group and participate in the conversation for more ideas.
