Too Much Salt in Your Diet?

The amount of salt we consume in our everyday diets has been linked to increased incidences of hypertension (high blood pressure) which in turn can lead to increased incidences of heart disease.  A huge amount of media attention has been paid to how much sodium we consume, as well as the sodium that is hidden in our foods.  Since American society consumes a great deal of processed foods, it stands to reason that we are also consuming a great deal of hidden sodium.  Why? Because sodium is frequently added as a preservative (not to mention all the other chemicals added to our processed foods as preservatives and coloring agents and flavoring agents).  The fact that we have also become an obese society further exacerbates the problem, because obesity contributes to all kinds of maladies, including heart disease, diabetes, and certain forms of cancer, not to mention high blood pressure.  What's that?  Obesity contributes to high blood pressure?  Yep.  The more weight you carry on your frame, the harder your heart has to work to pump the blood to all your extremities.

The answer to all this excessive sodium in our diets is really rather simple, yet few of us want to accept the answer, and incorporate it into our lives.  The answer is to avoid processed foods.  Period.  Processed foods, by their very definition, are processed.  That means they are manipulated, massaged, altered and removed from their natural states, some far more than others.  Some of what passes for "food" is just a collection of chemicals, and has no resemblence to an actual food at all.  Take chips, for example.  Have you ever read the list of ingredients on the back label? If any of that stuff sounds like food to you, knock yourself out and have as many as you can.  Otherwise, stay clear of the junk.

I know - you are busy, your children won't eat anything but, you're hungry at 11 a.m. and the candy machine is just next to your desk.  All are nice excuses, but they are excuses.  Instead, how about a crisp Fuji apple? It's tart and sweet and juicy; it's huge, satisfying, and it is a real food.  No, I don't propose an apple as your diet for the day, but as a snack.  Lunch can be a gorgeous filling sandwich with real sliced chicken (not from the deli - from your kitchen), with some sliced tomato and lettuce, salt and pepper, and sliced onions.  Just a thought...