Summer is a time for outdoor eating and getting together with family and friends. Picnics come with chips, dips and hotdogs. Unfortunately, summertime food is often high in sodium. Moderation is the key!
According to the Center for Disease Control, hypertension, or high blood pressure, affects one out of every three adults. Hypertension increases our risk for stroke a heart attack, as well as other dangerous heath conditions. What can we do? We can lower the amount of salt we eat. We can also eat more fruits, vegetables, potassium and whole grains. As well as eat less saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol.
This might seem a little overwhelming. Let’s start with reducing the amount of salt we eat. We learn through research that salt (sodium chloride) affects blood pressure more than sodium alone. When we eat too much salt, it puts pressure on our blood vessels, makes the heart work harder and weakness our artery walls. This can lead to heart attacks, heart failure, kidney disease, stroke and blindness.
We Americans love our salt. It is estimated that we consume on average 3400 mg per day, which is almost 50% more than the recommended 2300 mg.
Some of us might say well we don’t add salt at the table, or I stopped adding salt to my boiling water for pasta. But where is the salt really coming from in our diets?
Most of the salt we eat is from processed foods, about 65%. Twenty-five percent is from eating out or restaurant foods, according to USDA Dietary Guidelines. Here is the list of processed foods in order from highest sodium content to lowest: Bread and rolls, chicken and chicken mixed dishes, pizza, pasta and pasta dishes, cold cuts, condiments, tortillas, tacos, sausage, franks, cheese, grain based desserts, soups, beef and beef mixed dishes, rice and rice mixed dishes, and burgers (NHANCEA 2005-2006).
Sodium chloride is the chemical name for salt. Often the terms salt and sodium are used interchangeably. The food label lists the amount of sodium in the product. Compare food labels to find out how much sodium your favorite foods contain.
The research-based diet, the DASH diet, is available and has shown good results in lowering blood pressure. Check it out by visiting the national heart, lung and blood institute (NIH) web site.
Many of the commercially made flavor enhancements like chili and taco seasonings can be made with a few items from the kitchen. Also, commercially prepared spaghetti sauce is on most grocery lists. A lower sodium option is a 6 oz can of tomato paste and two cups of water and add one serving of the Spaghetti Sauce convenience mix.
Here are the recipes. Label the mix and store in a sealed plastic bag. Enjoy eating low sodium!
Homemade taco seasoning
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon black pepper
Mix ingredients together. Store in tightly sealed container. Makes 5 Tablespoons.
Chili seasoning mix
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon instant minced garlic
1 cup instant minced onion
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon crushed, dried red pepper, if desired
1 tablespoon curry powder
Combine all ingredients. Store in a covered container. Use 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon for each packet Makes 8 packages or 2 1/2 cups mix
Convenient spaghetti sauce seasoning mix
1/2 cup instant minced onion
1/2 cup parsley flakes
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Combine all ingredients. Store in a jar and cover tightly. The above recipe makes 8 servings of mix. Measure out 1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon mix for each serving. (Option: store in packets.) Makes 8 servings or 2 1/4 cups mix
