Sodium creeps into your diet from lots of different places, the result is, every day most people consume twice as much sodium as they should. Where does it all come from? It is important to realize what kinds of high sodium foods you eat every day that are raising your sodium level to dangerous levels.
Sodium is found in a lot more foods than you might think. Store bought spaghetti sauce, frozen entrees, chips, deli meats, soups, and other salty snacks are typically surprisingly high in sodium. Even cereals and cookies can contain a heavy does of sodium. Restaurant and take-out foods are also notoriously high in sodium. Look out for high sodium content in Indian and Chinese food particularly.
The recommended daily maximum level of sodium is about 2400mg per day. That is roughly one teaspoon of table salt. Since most people eat twice this much every day, there are rising concerns regarding the overall public health. High sodium levels tend to raise your blood pressure, and the risk of stroke and other serious health problems rises with it. Also, when you eat a lot of salt, your body loses a lot of calcium through urine. This causes the body to draw on its reserve supply of calcium found in your bones. So a high sodium diet is also a risk factor for developing osteoporosis. This is particularly true if you’re not getting enough calcium in your diet.
Eating a lot of sodium also causes you to retain a lot of water weight. This means you’ll be gaining weight that could be easily lost if you simply limited sodium in your diet.
So what should you do to cut back on sodium? First, start paying attention to the hidden sodium content in your diet. The nutrition label on your food will tell you exactly what sodium content you’ll find in the food. You can use these nutrition labels to keep careful track of your daily sodium intake and keep it to a healthy level. You can choose low sodium options for a lot of foods that you eat regularly. You’ll find low sodium soup, sauces, deli meats, and lots of other foods. If they don’t taste salty enough for you, you can always add a little salt and you’ll still have a very low sodium meal compared to a store bought regular meal.
Another great option for limiting sodium is to cook at home. Homemade soups, sauces, and baked goods are almost always lower in sodium than store bought goods.
Be sure to keep your potassium and calcium intake high to compensate for the weakening effect of sodium. Eating more fruits and vegetables is a great way to help boost your level of these essential vitamins. For added insurance against development of osteoporosis or other bone related illnesses, add a good daily multivitamin to your diet. They typically provide a good strong level of calcium and potassium to ensure healthy bones and to compensate for sodium intake. If you’re a little more careful with sodium, you’ll be a lot better off as you avoid the threat of serious illness related to high sodium levels.
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