Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Don't Shake the Salt - Our Challenge for October

There will not be a kickoff for our challenge this month and November due to our Best Weigh program, which begins on Tuesday, October 9th.   However, please keep checking our blog throughout the month for useful tips on using less salt!

Please read the following information adapted from an online article by RedOrbit:

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences say the average adult needs no more than 2,300 mg of sodium daily to regulate the balance of fluids in the body.

Robert Stark, a cardiologist and medical director of the Cardiovascular Prevention Program at Greenwich Hospital, says the average American ingests triple that.

The Mayo Clinic says Americans take in about 77 percent of their daily sodium from packaged and processed foods, compared to 5 percent added while cooking, 6 percent added while eating and 12 percent from natural sources.

Part of the problem lies in how the salt flavor is hidden, says Lisa Corrado, a nutritionist and personal chef who specializes in nutritional counseling through her business, The Eating Well Center in New Canaan.

Because sodium is added as a preservative, it is found in high doses in canned foods, frozen meals and restaurant food. "But people don’t think of the salt because it doesn’t taste too salty," she says.

Thinking about healthy sodium levels, and re-evaluating meal preparation and food shopping takes work, concedes Corrado, but good health depends on it.

Ask Kathy Kenyon, a Darien pediatric nurse whose husband had two heart attacks in 1989 and underwent heart transplant surgery more than five years ago.

"After his heart attack, I became conscious of the hidden sodium," says Kenyon. "Even a glass of milk, even skim, has 130 mg of sodium.

"I would make chili and use canned beef broth. Even the low-sodium is up there. That doesn’t include the natural salt from the chicken and the salt that you’re adding to it."

With the help of the "American Heart Association Cookbook," Kenyon learned to cut out much of the processed and canned food the family was used to eating. They learned to eat more fruit and vegetables as snacks. Today, much of what she makes is from scratch, and the family has discovered the flavors that were hidden by all the extra sodium.

Many find the disovery pleasing once their palates adjust, says Corrado.

Italian cuisine, says Marchetti, with its focus on natural ingredients used in homemade pastas, sauces, breads and soups, lends itself to celebrating natural flavors.

Corrado and Kenyon say there are ways to season without salt.

"The idea is to find a way to make flavors bigger and brighter, not to replace them," says Corrado, who lists lemon or orange juice, garlic powder, thyme, cilantro, basil, oregano, rosemary, sage, curry powder, dill or paprika as alternatives.

"If you like food spicy, add some hot peppers," she suggests. "If you like it sweet, how about a little honey?"

Avoid bouillon cubes, cooking sherry or cooking wine, chili sauce, meat tenderizer, seasoned salts, soy sauce, steak sauce, tamari and Worcestershire sauce, says the American Heart Association.

When shopping, stick to the perimeter of the store, where produce is found, says Corrado. Select low-sodium or sodium-free alternatives — including spice mixes — wherever possible.

Be aware of such high-sodium culprits, say Stokes and Corrado, as canned broth and soup, lunch meats, frozen pizza, tomato juice, potato chips, pickles, pretzels, olives and ketchup.

"You must read the labels on everything," says Corrado. "Read the nutritional facts, not the marketing on the front."

For an item to be considered low-salt, says Milton Stokes, a Stamford dietitian and nutritionist, it should contain no more than 140 mg of sodium per serving. A low-salt claim on the front, explains Corrado, can mislead a consumer to believe the item is low-sodium when instead, it may only contain less sodium than its full-sodium match.

Offset the sodium in canned or prepared foods by draining and rinsing canned beans and opting for frozen fruit and vegetables over canned varieties. "Just toss out the sauce or spice packet if there is one," she says.

When baking, salt cannot be avoided, since it acts as a leavening agent. "It’s all chemistry," says Corrado. "That’s tough to take out. So I opt for, say, a fruit dessert with a crumble topping. It doesn’t need to rise."

Too much salt may still slip by, regardless of effort, says Corrado.

"Just drink more water," she says. "That naturally flushes the sodium."

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