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We know that salt is not great for us.
Some of us have even been told to cut sodium up all together. Which should be really easy just give up the salt shaker. However sodium is really sneaky it shows up in places you would never imagine. More on that......
Let's first chat about salt/ sodium
Unlike it's counterpart~Sugar which has no nutritional value at all and you can live your whole life without ever eating sugar again, your body needs salt. Signs are salt deficiency are:
Reduced hydration
Muscle cramps
Higher risk of heart attack
Headaches
Weakness
Cognitive decline in elderly
Irritability
To be completely honest. You probably never (unless you are a serious athlete or drink a gallon of water or more a day) need to add salt via shaker or in your cooking because sodium is in everything.
The obvious but need to be aware:
All processed foods are high in sodium
(Choose Salt free as often as possible)
Frozen foods
Sauces and Gravy (canned and bottles)
Condiments (ketchup is loaded)
Deli Meats and hot dogs
Soups and Canned Vegetables and beans
Salted nuts
Canned meats
As I said at the beginning of this sodium is sneaky.
NOW KEEP in mind I am not saying do not eat the foods below. I want you to be aware that there is sodium in these things and it will add up at the end of the day.
Here are some examples of places you may not expect:
Cheese, Cottage Cheese, Milk
Brown Rice
Olive Oil
Cereals
Eggs
All Fruits and Vegetables have some sodium but these are higher than most:
Beets
Celery
Carrots
Apples:
Avocado
Bananas
Pineapple
Papaya
SO HOW MUCH?
With all the places it shows up most of us are over the recommended daily limit without ever adding or picking up a salt shaker. Below you will see the RDA.
People in great health, no weight problems and numbers in normal range.
No more than 2400 Mg of sodium a day. (1 TEASPOON total.
Overweight, HBP, Cholesterol, or triglycerides high?
1500 MG of Sodium a day 3/4 a Teaspoon
How to keep track. AOYS's favorite app to track our food is the Lose it App. It shows you exactly how much sodium we are getting each day in our food so you can take steps to reduce your intake.
Not all salt is created equal:
Choosing a better salt can also help. While table salt is the most well known It’s important to differentiate between a natural salt and table salt. Table salt is mostly sodium chloride and heavily processed. Natural salts come in their complete, whole form. Examples of natural salts are sea salt and Pink Himalayan rock salt.
Choosing the best kind of salt?
Regular Natural sea salts contains a small amount of natural iodine, although not nearly as much as iodized table salt. I
Pink Himalayan rock salt is rich in minerals, containing all 84 essential trace elements required by your body.
Celtic sea salt is an unrefined, unprocessed and sourced from clean coastal waters.
In a Nutshell:
Know what is in your food
Eat Clean
Track your food (so you can see the sodium in your food)
Limit your processed food intake
Avoid table salt
Remove the salt shaker from the table.
Find salt alternatives. Mrs Dash and Spike are great choices
Buy Salt free Vegetables, Beans, and condiments.
We hope this was an eye opener and that you will take what you learned here and incorporate it into your daily life.
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Coach Paris
Living Naturally Essentially LLC
Always On Your Side Coaching.
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