Sunday, September 30, 2012

Check That Salt Intake!

The American Heart Association recommends every one to at least limit their salt intake to no more than 1,500 milligrams everyday.
Are you being aware how much salt are you actually taking in each day? I'm sure many are aware of the possible consequences of too much sodium in the body...high blood pressure, and high risks of heart attacks and strokes.

We can't actually avoid taking foods with salt, but we can control it by lowering our intake.

It is more often recommended to cook fresh food as there are more extra salt in frozen, canned and processed foods.

When buying canned food, bread or frozen meals, be sure to read the "Nutrition Facts" label, and compare sodium levels, then choose the one with lowest numbers. Look for "low salt" or "low sodium" labels.

For canned foods, drain them if they come with liquids to remove some of the salt.

Use as litte salt as possible in cooking particularly if you are using salty ingredients like olives, cheese, anchovies, mustard and soy sauce.

Use black pepper or hot sauce, fresh or dried herbs, fresh lemon or lime juice, garlic, onions or ginger root to fill in the salt flavor "gap" when cooking.

You can hide that salt shaker while eating! ;)

When you dine out, ask your meal to be prepared without salt.

Always pay attention to serving sizes and amount of sodium per serving, especially when preparing foods. Eating more means consuming more sodium.

Check any meds you are taking. They may have some high amounts of sodium. OTC drugs should be checked carefully as well by reading labels on them. When in doubt, check with your pharmacist or doctor.

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