It's one ingredient that you don't pay attention to until you have to. Heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, the list goes on. It's never too early to pay attention to what you are putting in your body.
According to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, we are supposed to take in no more than 2300 mg of salt, 1500 if you have one of the illnesses mentioned above (or others!). Did you know the average American takes in 3400 mg of sodium a day, if not more?!?!!! Whether you think it is a lot of salt or not, maintaining your salt intake, and watching your salt levels now is better than having to do it because you have developed a condition that forces you to.
So let's take some preventative steps NOW.
1. Make small changes. There's no need to leap into excluding salt from everything. Instead, decrease your amounts with small changes, such as buying reduced sodium soy sauce, or skipping the salt on your baked potato. Craving those fries from McDonald's? Order them without salt! Did you even know you could do that?!! You can!! You will be surprised at how much of a difference it makes!
2. Don't eat processed and pre-prepared foods! Processed foods are just bad for you, but they can also include half of your daily allowance for sodium, if not more!
3. Read the labels!! Did you know that some foods that try to reel you in with the big letters, screaming, "NO FAT!!" to you are often the worst culprits? These low/non fat foods add salt for flavor. Know what you are putting in your body! Still want to eat out? Ask the restaurant for their nutritional facts on their foods. Most restaurants have them, and even post them online, so you can check out what you are truly putting in your body.
4. Make your own food. I know, the task seems daunting. But you can lower your sodium (not to mention calories, fat, and carbs!) by making your favorites with fresh ingredients, right in your own kitchen!! I recently posted an Egg Roll recipe to the Facebook page, and showed the comparison in a post about how much healthier the homemade egg rolls were! Best part? The homemade version had ONE THIRD of the sodium of those that you would find in the frozen section at your local grocery store! And there are even recipes where you can omit salt all together, and add other spices to make up the difference, without getting the sodium!
These are just a few ways that you can gradually move yourself toward the levels you need. On a regular basis, I don't take in more than 1000 mg of salt. And most days, that's a high! I would say 90% of the time, by cap for sodium is at about 500-600 mg of salt a day. Amazing, right? But I make all my own meals, from scratch. No box, nothing processed, no fast foods. Everything is homemade. Small things eventually turn into big things, and before you know it, it's all habit. Tasting things that are extra salty will make you cringe instead of crave. And this is all part of being a healthier YOU. That is truly what it is all about. Make the changes now to prevent the illnesses later. I know you can do it!!
For more information on daily salt intake, and how to reduce your salt intake, check out this article from the Mayo Clinic: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sodium/NU00284
