Sodium Can Be A Silent Killer

I attempt to eat healthy, loving fruits, vegetables, soups and seafood, and water is my choice of beverage. I do enjoy desserts and thankfully diabetes doesn’t seem to be in my genes. Recently, I was forced to count my milligrams of salt partaken each day and it was a rude awakening.

Salt is hard on the heart and kidneys as it causes fluid retention and can, therefore, lead to high blood pressure and other health problems. This is a fact I sincerely wish more doctors would emphasize. We do need salt, but the American Heart Association suggests we limit it to under 2,300 mg per day. Ideally, that number should be 1500. Most Americans consume more than 3000 per day.

I am thankful that most of my 80-plus years have been very healthy. Alas, age catches up and I recently developed a condition that caused me to look twice at my salt intake. First, I cut out all chips, salted nuts, pretzels, etc. Then I closely examined my sodium milligrams and many days, it was well over 2,000 without even trying.

For instance, one cup of canned soup contains 650 mg of sodium and even if you make your own. Beef broth has 800 mg. per cup. You can purchase low sodium beef broth, which is 40 percent lower in sodium. Chicken broth contains 700 mg., and the lower sodium version is 50 percent less. We found the lower sodium levels to be quite satisfactory.

If you make your own chili, beware of the sodium levels in canned beans. Navy beans have 350 in 1/2 cup; kidney beans, 270 and corn is a bit lower at 210. You could use dried beans, which would cut the sodium content dramatically. You can also wash canned vegetables, which cuts sodium content by as much as 50 percent.

Low salt tomatoes and tomato sauce are quite tasty. I would dare say they may be better because the real taste of the tomatoes dominates.

Most canned vegetables are high in sodium, but I did discover canned yams are just 70 per cup. Fresh baked yams or sweet potatoes and regular potatoes are low in sodium and high in potassium. My husband found potato chips that are lightly salted and some that have no salt.

One of my favorites, sauerkraut, has 1,500 mg. in a cup. I got by on New Year’s by having 1/2 cup. Most fresh meats are not high in sodium; just watch how you season them. Lunch meat or preserved meats are full of sodium. If you want a grilled cheese sandwich, try Swiss at 50 mg. per slice.

Turning to condiments, I was dismayed to find the sodium in ketchup to be very high. I have switched to mustard or creamy horseradish sauce. Most purchased salad dressings are high, so I make my own.

Snacks can contain high amounts of sodium, but unsalted nuts have zero. Mix them with raisins and a few chocolate chips and you have a tasty low-salt snack. The good news is chocolate is low in sodium.

The same goes for fruits: you can munch on an apple or a banana and feel no salt guilt. I also like the dried fruits you can get at any of the Mennonite shops in the Cove.

I was disappointed to discover baked goods contain a lot of sodium due to the baking powder or baking soda. A cookie will have to suffice and most of them have about 40 mg. per cookie depending on the size. To me, a two cookie, 80 mg. dessert is fine.

A bonus is ice cream, which does not have much sodium. A chocolate covered Klondike has 60 mg., and who can turn that down?

When purchasing bread, read the label. I have bread with as much as 250 mg. per slice and others might be 100. Multi grain breads are best.

The bad news is fast food restaurants are almost impossible for the lower sodium dieter. I used to love Burger King fish until I discovered that one sandwich as 1,100 mg. of sodium. I looked up a number of fast food places and found a few choices.

At Subway, choose the multi grain bread with roast chicken, tuna fish, or all veggies for the filling. They don’t have Swiss cheese, but a light sprinkling of shredded cheese would do.

At Taco Bell order, the crunchy taco with 310 mg. of sodium, but don’t add extra seasoning, which will be all salt.

One would think a salad from Wendy’s might be a good low sodium option, but alas, a Southwest Avocado salad has 930 mg., mainly because of the seasonings. That is a whole salad, so you can always go with half. Baked potatoes with unsalted butter and sour cream are a good choice. A small Frosty has only 90 mg. Five-piece chicken nuggets contain 481 mg. You can get a burger with the bun and a side salad. A typical hamburger bun has 206 mg. of salt.

The low sodium train has been an eye opener for me. I immediately lost 12 pounds on a low sodium diet, and I did not count calories or carbs. I realize it was fluid retention but think we can also blame a lot of our country’s obesity problems on sodium.

A low sodium diet is not all that bad. Not everyone is affected by salt, but those of us who are learn quickly and without much pain, we can do with less. It’s all a part of growing older.