Salt

[thyme4change]

www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41318009/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/

Certainly less sugar and more vegetables is no surprise, but now they are saying even less salt.

I find that I probably hover around the 1500mg mark on most days. I get roughly 1/3 of my sodium intake from 15% of my calories because I eat a Lean Cuisine every week day for lunch. If I was told to cut sodium further I would need to find another lunch solution.

How would imposing a strick 1500mg salt intake change your diet?

[Abby Normal]

I find that the only days I hit below a 1500mg mark, I've had no soup or no cheese. Oh and of course no eating out.

I don't eat alot of cheese, so that would be easy to cut. But I like soup for lunch and I can't figure out how to make all of them. I do buy low sodium when I can.

[The J]

No clue. I'm fairly liberal with salt when I'm cooking. My blood pressure is always on the low end of normal, and I drink a significant amount of water, which helps prevent water retention.

[Malarky]

I rarely cook with salt, unless it's a baked good and it needs it, nor do I add it to my food at the table.
There's enough natural salt in food that we shouldn't need to add it.
When I do use salt, it's kosher salt. Large grained and sticks to food.
My only concern is that it isn't iodized (a substance we need) and I rarely eat fish. So far, I haven't grown a goiter, nor developed scurvy. ('Wait, I have rum for that...)

Blood pressure, like cholesterol is often hereditary. I spent years explaining to any one new to my health world that I was not going to die or pass out from low blood pressure.
Now that I'm overweight, it's "normal".

[thyme4change]

Did you count the salted rim?

[Deleted]

I'd rather give up sugar than salt any day. I cook most everything myself so I do control how much I add, which isn't very much. The rest of the family never touches the salt shaker, but it is always next to my plate.

[Opti]

I have no idea what my sodium intake is but I am aware when my sodium/potassium balance is out of whack.

[ktunes]

i didn't think it was that great a movie... ;D

[reasonfreedom]

Nothing wrong with sodium, it is the wrong type of sodium. The whole blood pressure theory with sodium is bs. When you use salt, use sea salt. It is just that the sodium you are eating could be bad. Those lean cuisines/weight watcher meals usually have excess sodium for preserving, just like most of your canned products( soups, vegetables, stews). Of course you don't want excessive amounts of sodium(excessive amount of anything is bad). I myself don't really even track my sodium intake at all.

[reasonfreedom]

Feb 1, 2011 13:04:29 GMT -5 @familycfo said:

I'd rather give up sugar than salt any day. I cook most everything myself so I do control how much I add, which isn't very much. The rest of the family never touches the salt shaker, but it is always next to my plate.

Use sea salt, problem solved . The problem with salt is the processing and bleaching that is done to it.

[Miss Tequila]

I rarely eat processed foods but I am a saltaholic. I have extremely low blood pressure (when I am really exercising and in great shape it has gotten down to 90/56...I get dizzy if I sit up too quickly) so salt isn't going to affect it much...and if I have to give up wine and sugar there is no fucking way I am giving up salt, too..what's next...air???

[Lindz85]

Jan 31, 2011 13:56:44 GMT -5 Abby Normal said:

I find that the only days I hit below a 1500mg mark, I've had no soup or no cheese. Oh and of course no eating out.

I don't eat alot of cheese, so that would be easy to cut. But I like soup for lunch and I can't figure out how to make all of them. I do buy low sodium when I can.

Agilemom, I buy sodium free broth. You can get the packets they are usually chicken or beef and just add it to the water. I've been buying that rather then the low sodium. That way I am avoiding any sodium.

[Mad Dawg Wiccan]

<<Use sea salt, problem solved . The problem with salt is the processing and bleaching that is done to it.>>


Not true. ALL salt comes from evaporated sea water, and it is all sodium chloride. For those who wish to limit their salt intake, kosher or sea salt is better than processed table salt because it tastes saltier and you can use less.

[Deleted]

Keeping my sodium intake under 1800mg/day is what keeps me OFF BP meds.

[gooddecisions]

For what it's worth, John Stossel has been reporting for at least 15 years that the government's anti-salt campaign is based on nothing but junk science. The government says American's should eat less salt because high blood pressure can lead to heart disease and eating less salt can lower blood pressure. However, there is no proof that less salt results in less heart disease. Many experts say there just isn't enough scientific evidence to prove that theory.

[reasonfreedom]

Feb 18, 2011 19:57:21 GMT -5 Mad Dawg Wiccan said:

<<Use sea salt, problem solved . The problem with salt is the processing and bleaching that is done to it.>>


Not true. ALL salt comes from evaporated sea water, and it is all sodium chloride. For those who wish to limit their salt intake, kosher or sea salt is better than processed table salt because it tastes saltier and you can use less.

If you use sea salt you will get the nutrients your body needs(sodium) and if you use the table salt you are not getting the nutrients because the bleaching and processing destroys most of it. This is the same with any other vitamins that you by from the store in the bottle. They way they process most of those vitamins by granulating and heating to combine other synthetic chemicals/vitamins to the pills destroys the nutrients. It is the same thing if I take an onion and cook it with high heat it will loose a large portion of its nutrients or if you keep it refrigerated it will lose nutrients. This has been scientifically proven for years and if I might say is common sense at the same time.

[Mad Dawg Wiccan]

Feb 20, 2011 11:01:37 GMT -5 reasonfreedom said:

Feb 18, 2011 19:57:21 GMT -5 Mad Dawg Wiccan said:

<<Use sea salt, problem solved . The problem with salt is the processing and bleaching that is done to it.>>


Not true. ALL salt comes from evaporated sea water, and it is all sodium chloride. For those who wish to limit their salt intake, kosher or sea salt is better than processed table salt because it tastes saltier and you can use less.

If you use sea salt you will get the nutrients your body needs(sodium) and if you use the table salt you are not getting the nutrients because the bleaching and processing destroys most of it. This is the same with any other vitamins that you by from the store in the bottle. They way they process most of those vitamins by granulating and heating to combine other synthetic chemicals/vitamins to the pills destroys the nutrients. It is the same thing if I take an onion and cook it with high heat it will loose a large portion of its nutrients or if you keep it refrigerated it will lose nutrients. This has been scientifically proven for years and if I might say is common sense at the same time.

Sorry, I can no evidence to back that up.

www.madehow.com/Volume-2/Salt.html

[henryclay]

If anyone mentioned it, I apologize for not catching it. My cardiologist told me that if the container has "salt" written on it in big letters to get it out of the house. Those were about his exact words.

He said look at the nutrition information on foods and see how much salt is already in them. For instance a two serving can of tomato soup has enough salt in it that one serving is more than one third of a days' salt needs. Toss in some saltines or croutons and it's up to a half days' salt requirements. And the same applies to just about everything that comes in a can or a box. (except breakfast cereals.)

Pasta is the rage for some, and Ramen, (chinese noodles), are pasta. But look at the salt content in the nutrition label on a packsge of Ramen. 35 percent per serving, and it takes two servings to make a good snack. Wow!

There are several brands of spices that make you think you're eating salt, , , , but it is not salt. "Mrs Dash" is one brand. After trying a few meals using their seasonings and salted foods will taste , , , , salty. , , , , and not very satisfying at that.

Just saying. . . . .

[pig]

Lots of bad advice and misinformation in this thread. There is no doubt that salt raises blood pressure, it's simple physics. Too much salt increases blood volume. Increased blood volume (your blood vessel size remains the same) = higher blood pressure. The effect is temporary and is only an issue if you continually eat too much salt over a long period of time. That's easy to do with the foods we have.

As far as the unrefined salt.......I suppose there is something to say about it as unrefined salt contains other electrolytes your body needs such as Ca, Mg etc.

[Frappuccino]

I love salt and I eat a lot of it. When the doctor tells me I have high blood pressure, then I will probably be motivated to cut back on salt. Right now, my doctor and dentist say my blood pressure is great.

[Peace Of Mind]

Feb 18, 2011 20:12:36 GMT -5 Lady Gaga Gaga Snerd said:

Life in moderation. I don't think that is too hard. I don't see a thing wrong with salt, sugar, or anything else. I don't like substitute anything so not using artificial sweetners or anything like that. Eat in moderation, eat what you like but make reasonable choices and eat reasonable portions.

This is exactly how I live. I also exercise in moderation. Less injury and I haven't changed my weight since I was a in my late teens/early twenties. But I never had kids either. I also don't like "fake" foods except margarine. I love butter (in moderation) but I want to keep my bad cholesterol low.

One of the reasons we don't enjoy eating out very often is that the food is saturated in salt and butter and it's disgusting!

[azphx1972]

That is awesome, POM. I feel the same way Snerdley and you do. Unless you have some specific medical condition that requires a certain diet, everything in moderation generally works just fine, especially if you incorporate exercise into your life. I don't count calories, weight out my food, or do anything that requires extra work when it comes to my diet. The same goes with my exercise as well. I just want to be healthy and avoid injury; everything else is gravy.