FitSugar -- Healthy, happy you.

Salty Quiz: Which Food Contains More Sodium?

FitSugar — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 09:00:00 -0800

I love and crave salty foods, so I'm careful not to consume more than the daily recommended intake for sodium. Prevent consuming too much salt by expanding your focus when you're scanning nutritional labels for fat and calorie content to the rest of the finely printed information. Take the quiz to test your sodium knowledge, and keep in mind that many healthy foods contain a ton of sodium.

Healthy Eating Tip: Don't Salt the Pot

FitSugar — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 10:00:00 -0800

Has this ever happened to you? When cooking up a big pot of soup, you add salt to enhance the flavor. When you taste a spoonful, you can't even taste it, so you keep sprinkling more and more salt into the pot. In doing so, you can end up adding huge amounts of sodium without realizing it. When you finally pour yourself a bowl, you don't really know how much salt you're actually eating. Next time you put the pot on the stove to start a soup, I suggest not salting the entire pot of soup. Instead, after ladling out individual servings, allow your family or dinner guests to salt their own soup. Everyone will be able to monitor their salt intake more precisely, and I find you're able to taste the salt and other flavors more. You can also reduce the need for salt by flavoring your soups with fresh herbs, spices, and garnishes like Italian parsley.

Source

Do You Salt Your Food?

FitSugar — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 03:30:00 -0700

I love salt, almost as much as I love sweets. For many of my meals, I like to sprinkle a little on my food to add just a hint of flavor. I know it's not healthy to use a lot of salt, especially because high blood pressure runs in my family, but everything's fine in moderation, right? So tell me . . .Source

Do You Salt Your Food?

Always, I'm obsessed with salt.

Sometimes, if my food needs it.

Rarely, since I know it's bad for me.

Never, I'm not a salt lover.

Salty Series: "Healthy" Foods

FitSugar — Fri, 16 May 2008 13:00:00 -0700

As we all know, premade foods can contain huge amounts of hidden sodium, but weren't you surprised by the disgustingly high amounts in the entrées and smaller dishes I told you about? Well here is a list of foods, published in Men's Health, that should also be ashamed of itself. These foods are posing as healthy, but they have insane amounts of salt. Just a reminder that the upper limit of daily sodium is 2,300 mg a day, which is equal to about one teaspoon. If you're concerned about high blood pressure, you may want to skip these "healthy" foods the next time you go out.

Saltiest Dessert: Atlanta Bread Company Raspberry Scone — 1,500 mg. Who new dessert could be so salty? That's as much sodium as 12 strips of bacon.
Saltiest Soup: Baja Fresh Chicken Tortilla Soup — 2,760 mg. That's more than a day's worth in just one serving.
Saltiest "Health" Food: Chili's Guiltless Grill Chicken Platter — 2,780 mg. Be a smart consumer. When food is advertised as lowfat or low in calories, what they've taken away they make up for with added sugar and salt. What's funny (or disgusting) is that Chili's Chicken Fried Steak has less sodium: 2,750 mg.
Saltiest Chinese Food Entrée: P.F. Chang's Beef with Broccoli — 3,752 mg. Sounds healthy, right? Well the special brown sauce is made mostly with soy sauce.
Saltiest Seafood Entrée: Romano's Macaroni Grill Grilled Teriyaki Salmon – 6,590 mg. Fish seems like a healthy option, but the sauce is what'll get you. Order plain grilled fish instead.
Saltiest Salad: Romano's Macaroni Grill Chicken Florentine — 5,460 mg. Those poor veggies are encrusted in salty toppings (olives, capers, Parmesan, and salad dressing). Plus the portion size is humongous.

Source

Salty Series: Smaller Dishes

FitSugar — Wed, 07 May 2008 11:00:00 -0700

Some people are in love with salt. They can't eat their food without adding a little sprinkle here and there. It's fine to indulge in a little of the white stuff, but what many of us forget is that there's already tons of sodium in the foods we eat already. I told you about the sodium content of some entrées at popular restaurants, and now you may want to put down that salt shaker before reading about these smaller dishes.

Saltiest Side Dish: Denny's Honey Smoked Ham, grilled slice — 1,700 mg. It's steeped in salty brine before it's smoked.

Saltiest Breakfast: Arby's Sausage Gravy Biscuit — 3,754 mg. What can you expect from cured meat and lard? Well surprising enough, the gravy is the real culprit here with 2,600 mg of sodium on its own.

Saltiest Appetizer: Papa John's Cheesesticks with Buffalo Sauce — 6,700 mg. Even if you split this with two friends, you're still getting your daily supply of sodium and you haven't even gotten to the meal yet. In case you were wondering, one stick has the same amount of sodium as one slice of cheese pizza.

Is your mouth feeling dry yet? Want to see how much sodium is in a kid-sized pizza? Then

Salty Series: Entrées

FitSugar — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 03:30:00 -0700

When it comes to restaurant fare and processed food it seems sodium lurks in unexpected places and unexpected quantities. The theory is that salt makes everything taste better, so more salt means tastier food, right? Not really, but you wouldn’t know that after seeing the amounts of sodium used in some of the entrées at some popular food chains. Take a look and see what meals you should avoid, especially if high blood pressure is a health concern of yours. Just to remind you that the upper limit of daily sodium is 2,300 mg a day, which is equal to about one teaspoon. Here's a list of the top saltiest dinners you can order.

Saltiest Burger: Hardee's 2/3 pound Monster Thickburger — 2,770 mg. Most of the sodium comes from the bun and the three slices of processed cheese which make up for 780 mg.
Saltiest Pasta: Fazoli's Rigatoni Romano — 3,180 mg. This dish is made with Italian sausage, meat sauce, and cheese, all of which have high amounts of sodium. Put them together and bada-boom, baba-bing, you've got one salty dish.
Saltiest Beef Entrée: Bob Evans Steak Tips and Noodles — 4,131 mg. Think beef stroganoff soaked in gravy. The steak on its own has 638 mg of sodium. That's some salty gravy.
Saltiest Frozen Dinner: Swanson Hungry-Man XXL Roasted Carved Turkey — 4,480 mg. The label on the box says that the meal is actually two servings, but what kind of hungry man is going to share?

To see the rest of this atrocious list

Sodium: Fat Free Skim Milk vs. Gatorade

FitSugar — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 09:30:00 -0700

I seem to have a couple of new obsessions lately: sodium and sports drinks. I thought this little quiz comparing these two common beverages would be enlightening for you. Take it and see if you know which drink has a higher sodium content.

Salty Quiz: How Much Is in Popular Foods?

FitSugar — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 04:00:00 -0700

We all know that eating foods high in salt isn't good for us, especially if you have high blood pressure. The RDI of salt is 2,300 mg a day, which is equal to about one teaspoon of salt. It's hard to know exactly how much sodium is in the foods we eat though, so take this quiz to find out.

Source

You Asked: Confused About Salt?

FitSugar — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 04:00:00 -0700

You're asking and I'm answering . . .

"I usually use sea salt because I thought it was healthier but now I am reading that it's not — I thought it had less sodium or something. It's way more expensive than regular salt, so should I switch back?"
- Salty Sara

Good question! To see my answer then

Healthy Eating Tip: Use These Instead of Salt

FitSugar — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 12:30:00 -0800

Are you one of those people who has to add a dash of salt to all your food? Since many of the foods we eat are loaded with sodium, especially premade ones, adding more salt to your meals can cause you to surpass the daily recommended amount in a flash. I'm a huge salt fan myself, so I understand your love affair with this tasty, white stuff, but why not add flavor to your foods instead? Try these instead of salt:

Squeeze of fresh lemon juice (I always keep lemons in the fridge)
Chopped fresh herbs, such as rosemary, cilantro, oregano, and basil
Fresh ground pepper or red pepper flakes
Finely chopped onion
Finely chopped fresh ginger
Minced or powdered garlic (not garlic salt)
Balsamic or apple cider vinegar
Salt substitutes

At first it's tough not to reach for a pinch of salt when you eat, and it's a hard habit to break, but your taste buds will soon get used to the delicious new flavors in your food. Less salt means lower blood pressure and less bloating, so the rest of your body will be psyched, too.

What is your favorite salt substitute? Share it with us in the comment section below.

Source

Salt Substitutes: Healthier Than Salt?

FitSugar — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 13:30:00 -0800

Limiting sodium is one way to eat healthier, especially if you're concerned with preventing high-blood pressure. It is a small comfort that some sodium is actually necessary for our bodies to function normally. It helps maintain the right balance of fluids in our bodies, helps transmits nerve impulses, and influences the contraction and relaxation of muscles. All this being said, the daily recommended intake of sodium is equal to about one teaspoon, 2,300 mg. I'm not talking about added salt; I'm talking about total salt intake. That isn't very much, considering that 75 percent of the salt you eat comes from processed foods and meat.

Some people turn to salt substitutes such as No Salt or Also Salt. Regular salt is Sodium Chloride and these salt substitutes are Potassium Chloride. According to the Mayo Clinic, using these in moderation is fine, but getting too much added potassium can be harmful if you have kidney problems, or if you're taking certain medications for congestive heart failure or high-blood pressure that cause potassium retention.

Also, you've got to read labels on these salt substitutes carefully, since some of them still contain sodium chloride (salt), but in smaller amounts. You may end up using more of the salt substitute to achieve the salty taste you crave, so in the end, you'll be consuming just as much sodium.

Fit's Tips: Truthfully, I think salt substitutes taste like bitter chemicals, and they have a very weak salty taste. So when I crave salt I use the real deal, but I try to add as little as possible. I also season my food with herbs and spices to give it more flavor so I'm less likely to need added salt.

5 Things About Salt

FitSugar — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 07:30:00 -0800

Since the FDA is considering regulating sodium in processed foods, I have been hearing more and more about the reasons why. Here are five things to ponder about the sodium content in your diet.

Seventy-five percent of the salt we consume comes from processed food and food from restaurants, not from the salt shaker.
Your tongue cannot adequately discern how much salt is in your food. If the salt is on the surface of the food, like a potato chip, it will taste salty. However, when the sodium of a serving of frozen mac-n-cheese is 500 mg chances are your tongue will not register that this portion of food contains 25 percent of your RDI (recommended daily intake) of sodium. You really need to read the nutritional label on processed foods to know.
Processed foods in the US generally contain more sodium than the same product in the UK. McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets is a great example – in the US they contain more than twice as much sodium as the United Kingdom version. Breakfast cereal is not exempt either – Kellogg’s Special K (advertised as "super healthy") has 58 percent more sodium per serving in the US version than the UK cereal.

There are two more reasons so

FDA to Food Makers: "Time to Cut the Salt"

FitSugar — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 02:30:00 -0800

The Institute of Medicine says just 1,500 mg of sodium a day, a little less for older adults, is enough to regulate the body's fluid balance. The recommended daily intake (RDI) of salt is 2,300 mg, yet the average American consumes between 3,300 and 4,000 mg of sodium a day. So some say it's time for the government to get involved with what we're consuming.

Public health specialists are pressuring the Food and Drug Administration to require food makers to cut the sodium, calling such government intervention, "Crucial for fighting heart disease." What's more? The American Medical Association says cutting half the sodium in processed and restaurant foods within 10 years could wind up saving 150,000 lives annually.

This whole ordeal sort of reminds me of the whole trans fat drama and whether or not it was OK for the government to tell food makers to cut the trans fat — and so the saga continues, just with another heart stopping vice.

Source

How Much Do You Know About Miso?

FitSugar — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 03:30:00 -0700

Now that Fall has blown in, it makes me crave bowls of steamy, warm soup. Miso is one of my favorites, since it has a light salty flavor that you can add just about anything to.

I remember the first time I heard about miso, I knew nothing about it. So let's test your knowledge to see what you know.

You Asked: Potassium and Sodium, What Is the Connection?

FitSugar — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 11:00:00 -0700

Dear FitSugar,
Since you have been covering a lot of ground on sodium and potassium, I heard that sodium and potassium levels compete with each other, so if the presence of one mineral rises, the amount of the other drops. Is that true?

I thought this was an interesting question, but a little out of my league, so I asked my friend, nutritionist Rania Batayneh, MPH of Essential Nutrition For You.

Here's what she had to say:

With regards to sodium and potassium in the body, the first thing to know is they are key electrolytes in the body- the third of importance is chloride. These electrolytes found in the body have a great influence on the flow of water between the various fluid compartments because of something referred to as osmotic pressure. They also influence the contraction of muscles and the transmission of nerve impulses by the nervous system. With regards to your question, it is seen in cells, for example, that potassium is constantly pumped into cells and sodium is constantly pumped out of the cell. This maintains our Na+/K+ (sodium/potassium) balance. Furthermore, it is often said that sodium (salt) is considered to be the dietary factor most related to blood pressure, but is appears that the sodium/potassium ratio is more important that the absolute amount of sodium.

I find that all very interesting and it reinforces the notion what you put in your body affects your body on a cellular level. Rania is a wealth of knowledge! If you have some specific questions for her, I encourage you to take advantage of her free 15 minute consultation. Especially if you would like to talk about creating an eating strategy that is right for you.

More From Amy's Kitchen: Organic Vegetable Barley Soup

FitSugar — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 11:00:00 -0700

Amy's Kitchen is one of my favorite brands since many of their products are made with whole organic grains, veggies, and herbs, with NO bizarre fillers you've never heard of. The ingredients in their products are always simple, straightforward, and things you'd use if you had the time and energy to make a meal yourself.

I've already tried (and loved) Amy's frozen entrées - the Vegetable Lasagna and Stuffed Pasta Shells are delicious, low in saturated fat and calories, and very filling. So I decided to venture into Amy's array of canned soups.

I tried the Organic Vegetable Barley Soup and it was surprisingly flavorful. You know how canned soups can be pretty bland or way too salty, right? Well this soup had a delicious onion, garlic and leek-based broth. When I stirred it around, I could see whole pieces of cooked peas, carrots, tomatoes, celery, yellow squash, and barley. This soup has a very soft consistency, which I loved, but some people might like soups with a bit more firmness.

Want to see the nutritional info and what this soup actually looks like? Then

Sodium & Blood Pressure: What's the Connection

FitSugar — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 14:30:00 -0700

We all know salt enhances the flavor of food, but too much sodium... well that is a different story all together. If you excessively salt your food, please read this post to learn some of the danger of sodium.

Sodium in small amounts is definitely essential since it:

Helps maintain the right balance of fluids in your body
Helps transmit nerve impulses
Influences the contraction and relaxation of muscles

Your kidneys help to regulate the sodium in your body. If levels are too low, your kidneys conserve sodium, and if levels are high, the sodium gets excreted in your urine. However, when your kidneys can't keep up with your sodium intake, the extra sodium starts to build up in your blood. Since sodium holds water, your blood volume increases, making it harder for your heart to move blood through your blood vessels. This in turn increases pressure in your arteries (high blood pressure), which can cause heart failure. That's an attention getter isn't it?

Do you know how much sodium is too much? To find out

The Skinny On: Sports Drinks

FitSugar — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 08:45:00 -0700

Staying hydrated when exercising in hot, humid weather is really important. However, if you are exercising, at a moderate level, for longer than an hour you should probably reach for a sports drink.

Unlike water, sports drinks contain electrolytes and carbohydrates to help your body absorb and retain fluid lost during exercise. Because of this, sports drinks do a better job of preventing dehydration and maintaining proper electrolyte balance, especially in warm, humid conditions when you sweat out more fluid and sodium. Replenishing sodium enhances fluid absorption and retention and prevents hyponatremia, the condition when blood sodium blood levels fall below normal, which in extreme cases can be fatal.

Look for a sports drink that contains at least 500 to 700 milligrams (mg) of sodium per liter. Also select one you don't feel like you need to dilute due to taste, since you'll dilute the electrolyte and carbohydrate concentration as well. To avoid guzzling too much at one time since no one likes to run with a belly full of liquid, drink it in small amounts at regular intervals, every 15 to 20 minutes.

Fit's Tip: To figure out how much you need to drink, weigh yourself naked before and after a typical hour of working out. Then drink the same amount you lost. For example, if you lose two pounds during one hour of running, you need to replace about 32 ounces (two pounds) of fluid during each hour of exercise. This is the equation you should use if you are racing too. If you're consuming more than that, you're probably over-hydrating.

Sodium: Do You Know the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI)?

FitSugar — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 13:30:00 -0700

I read labels all the time. I write about sodium content all the time, but this little bit of nutritional information always escapes me. I can never remember the RDI of sodium. So consider this a pop quiz and see if you know how much sodium you should be eating.

Popcorn Breakdown

FitSugar — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 10:15:00 -0700

Popcorn is delicious, satisfying, crunchy, and fun to eat. It's nature's snack food.

There are so many different ways to make and flavor popcorn, but unfortunately, some of those tasty methods turn this healthy snack into one loaded with sugar and sodium.

So let's look at the nutritional breakdown of 1 cup of each to see how they compare.

Want to see, then

Ordinary Foods, Extraordinary Sodium

FitSugar — Fri, 18 May 2007 11:00:00 -0700

Are your food choices giving you more salt than you bargained for? The RDI of salt is no more than 2,300 mg of sodium (or 6 teaspoons) a day. A diet high in sodium can lead to high blood pressure which can lead to heart disease. One simple way to reduce your sodium intake is by watching out for ordinary foods with extraordinary sodium counts.

Condiments: Margarine, butter, mayonnaise, ketchup, pasta sauces, soy sauces and dressings.
Processed foods: Crackers, chips, pickles, canned vegetables and soup and lunch meats.
Meats: Red meats and meats like bacon and ham tend to be higher in sodium.
Fast foods: A lot of items from fast food restaurants are loaded with shocking amounts of sodium.

Fit's Tip: Fresh is always best for getting lower sodium.

Which Chili's Item Has the Least Sodium?

FitSugar — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 11:00:00 -0700

You all loved the rather enlightening Denny's Quiz. So let's see how well you do figuring out sodium...

Should You Say Sayonara to Chinese Food?

FitSugar — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 02:27:54 -0700

Recent reports from the Center for Science in the Public Interest are giving Chinese food a very bad rep. The reports show that a typical battered, fried chicken dish with vegetables has 1,300 calories, 3,200 milligrams of sodium and 11 grams of saturated fat. The rice has about 200 calories per cup and an egg roll has about 200 calories and 400 milligrams of sodium. Yikes! Equally troubling are the high amounts of sodium found in common Chinese dishes. For example, a plate of General Tso's chicken, has 40 percent more sodium than the average adult needs for an entire day. Even the vegetable dishes were found to be very high in sodium.

However, Chinese was not the only type in the spotlight, Italian and Mexican restaurants are just as bad, if not worse for your health because their food is higher in saturated fat, which can increase the risk of heart disease.

If you're not ready to give up your favorite take out restaurant just yet, then consider these tips from CNN.com on making smart choices at Chinese restaurants:

Look for dishes that feature vegetables instead of meat or noodles. Ask for extra broccoli, snow peas or other veggies.
Steer clear of deep-fried meat, seafood or tofu. Order it stir-fried or braised.
Hold the sauce, and eat with a fork or chopsticks to leave more sauce behind.
Limit salt, which means steering clear of the duck sauce, hot mustard, hoisin sauce and soy sauce.
Share your meal or take half home for later.
Ask for brown rice instead of white rice.

High Blood Pressure: What Does it Mean?

FitSugar — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 04:00:03 -0800

Every time you go to the doctor, they wrap a little inflatable cuff around your upper arm, pump air into it, and squeeze your poor little bicep until it just about explodes. They're measuring your blood pressure, but how does it work?

The air is pumped until your circulation is cut off (you know, that uncomfortable feeling). When they place a stethoscope under the cuff, they can't hear anything. Then as the air is slowly let out of the cuff, blood begins to flow again and they can hear your blood pulsing.

This is the point of greatest pressure (called Systolic), and is usually expressed as how high it forces a column of mercury to rise in a tube (that's why they look at that little dial). 120 mm is about normal.

Then, as more and more air is let out of the cuff, the pressure exerted by the cuff is so little that the sound of the blood pulsing against the artery walls subsides and there is silence again. This is the point of lowest pressure (called Diastolic). 80 mm is normal.

Normal blood pressure is 120/80 (systolic/diastolic) or less. When both numbers start to go way up, you've got high blood pressure.

If you want to know why high blood pressure is called the "silent killer," then

One Teaspoon of Salt a Day

FitSugar — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 03:30:00 -0800

You often hear how salt is bad for you and that you should avoid it as much as possible. It is true that eating too much salt can raise your blood pressure, which can in turn; triple your risk of developing heart disease.

What is the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of salt? The Food Standards Agency says you should eat no more than 6 grams of salt a day.

6 grams of salt is about a teaspoon or 2,300 mg of sodium. That is not a lot considering that 75% of that amount is already in the everyday foods we eat (not including the salt we add).

If you haven't had your blood pressure checked recently - you should, just to make sure. It is heart health month, after all.

If it's high, you can help to lower it by decreasing your salt intake. Want to know how? Then