Thoughts on salt

Nutrition is a broad subject, and I've found that dietitians tend to gather around their favorite component of nutrition.  For me, I'm a huge advocate of naturally high-fiber foods.  You may have noticed that, and if you follow many of my recipes, you may have an increased budget for Charmin Ultra.

I'll admit that I've never focused a whole lot on sodium (salt).  Yes, it is critical to our diets (can't function without it), but too much causes a host of health problems, including high blood pressure, kidney failure, and congestive heart failure. 

What exactly is the link between high blood pressure and salt intake?  Think of it this way- if you have a dish that's too salty, what do you do?  You try and dilute down the saltiness.  Your blood is the same way- if it gets too salty, your body tries to retain water to tone it down a bit.  Your kidneys' job is to filter out salt, but they can only work so hard.  Increased water + salt in your blood makes them work harder to contract and push blood all over your body.  This leads to high blood pressure.  Uncontrolled high blood pressure can then lead to serious heart problems, including heart attack and stroke. 

So that covers the why when it comes to limiting salt intake.  Recommendations are to intake less than 2300 milligrams (mg) of salt per day.  This can be tougher than it sounds.  Take for example Lean Cuisine roasted turkey entree.  It's only 290 calories and has 19 grams of protein.  Aaaaand almost 900 mg of sodium.  Frozen entrees, processed foods, and soups are notorious for being packed with sodium, both for "flavor" and as a preservative. 

The best bet?  Avoid processed foods and choose fresh- instead of canned peas, go for fresh or even frozen.  Limit your intake of pre-packaged meals and packaged deli meats.  Pay mind to sauces and condiments you may use, which can be packed with salt.  Sea salt, while trendy, isn't really any lower in sodium than plain ol' table salt. 

Try tracking your sodium intake for a few days and see where you tend to fall.  It's okay to go over 2300 mg every now and then, but take note of your own pattern.

Fun fact to end this nerd-tacular lesson on salt: when you start to trim back your salt intake, you may notice foods taste more bland.  Give it a few weeks and your taste buds will start to grow and pick up on other flavors.