What is Your Sodium Intake?

WoW!  Good question.  That hand full of chips or snack crackers can increase your intake by 100-300 mg.  Processed low-fat foods have extra sodium in order to increase flavor.  What about when you eat out?  Restaurants always seem to have increased salt in their menu items.  You can eat a days recommended amount (2300 mg) in one meal. Even "healthy choices" are very high in sodium.

A few tips for a lower sodium diet (for home and eating out):

• Decrease your amount of dressings & condiments
• Use oil & vinegar or squeeze a slice of lemon on your food/salad
• Don't add salt to your coffee 
• Don't add salt to your food at the table
• Read labels and avoid items high in sodium
• Order dressing & sauces on the side
• Go online or call the restaurant and read the sodium & fat content of the menu items
• When eating out, request "lite sodium" options.  Many chefs will prepare your food with little or no salt.  This is wonderful!  Especially if you are a heart patient.  Stix Japanese Steak House is an example of this.  One of our favorite Chinese restaurants will do this for us as well, and we have found that the food is much better!  We love it!
• Purchase low sodium foods.  Read the labels.  You will find that there are many good and healthy options out there right on your market shelf.
• Eat fresh veggies and fruit
• Cook from scratch and modify your ingredients.  Recipes, especially those from older cook books, do not call for a lot of sodium.  Just enough to bring out the flavor.
• Avoid fast foods
•  Use a common sense approach to your diet (I know, it is a 4 letter word!)

 Be aware of what you put in your body.  You only have one and need to take care of it! :-)

Have a blessed day!
Hugs,
Missy

Editing to add: The American Heart Association has so much information on their website as well.  Especially about eating healthier for your heart.  They even have a pamphlet called "Shaking the Salt Habit".  They are wonderful to help you in anyway that they can.  

Recovery and "White Fast"

My recovery is continuing and doing great!  My energy is returning, I have less pain and really beginning to feel great!  I covet your prayers and if you are going through the same thing, please post a comment so that I and others reading this blog can pray for you.

A couple of months ago, I told someone that I was cutting back on caffeine.  She told me the best thing I could do is cut out my sugar intake.  If you read older posts, you will see that I do believe in cutting out sugars in ones diet.  However, if you love sugar, like I do, it is very hard to do.  I went w/out sugar and 'white stuff' (starches, etc.) for about 6 weeks.  After a 2 week slump of feeling like I was starving all the time as I was working out quite a bit, I started feeling better than I have ever felt!  Today I am starting that same diet.  In fact, I am not going to call it a diet, I am calling it a 'Lifestyle Change'. Because I will need to eat this way forever.  Now I do eat healthy, I simply love fro yo, ice cream, sweet tea, flavored creamers to add to coffee.... Well you get the idea.  Snack crackers are good as well.  I love them!

To read details on Sugar Fasting or better yet, I now like to call it "White Starch Fasting" read this post.You will find a good bit of information.  I do not include white potatoes & dairy in a white fast.  I have read and heard that corn should be considered a 'white starch' and it does make sense.  Corn syrup and many other sugars are derived from corn. 

I always encourage a "treat day".  No more than once a week.  And it this is tempting to 'fall off the wagon', then don't do it.  Increase your calories with fruits and veggies.  I will say that it takes a lot of fruits and veggies to add up to the same caloric intake as a piece of cake or an ice cream cone.

Have a great and blessed day!  If you have questions, just post or email me.
Hugs,
Missy