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SALT LAKE CITY — Every week in January one of Harmons four registered dietitians will be responding to your health and nutrition questions. We understand that there are a lot of mixed messages out there when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle, so we want to provide you with sound advice that will help you meet your health goals in 2014. We are excited to tackle your questions about fad diets, "superfood" trends, dietary restrictions and more. Email your questions to askadietitian@harmonsgrocery.com.
Registered Dietitian Kayla Leitzke tackles this week's question from Jeff:
"One of my goals this year is to get my blood pressure under control. The problem is, all of the low sodium foods I'm finding are bland and tough to eat. How can I reduce my salt intake while still eating flavorful, delicious food?"
Sodium, or salt, is abundant in our diets, with the average American getting about 3500 mg per day - almost a full teaspoon more than what is recommended by experts. Sodium raises blood pressure by causing your body to retain water, which increases your blood volume, and makes your heart work harder to circulate blood in your body. Over time this can cause damage to your blood vessels and contribute to heart disease, the leading cause of death in Americans.
Although we tend to think of reducing our sodium intake as merely putting down the salt shaker, there is actually a much bigger culprit: packaged foods. On average, about 75% of our sodium intake comes from processed, packaged foods like canned soups, bread, chips, and snack foods, just to name a few. Even I experience sticker shock when looking at the sodium in most deli meats - and it is my job to know what's in food! With that in mind, let's look at a few simple changes you can make to cut down on sodium from packaged foods.
You don't have to cut out packaged food completely to decrease your sodium intake. Salt, like so many things regarding nutrition, is about making simple substitutions that really add up. For example, by switching from regular chicken stock to unsalted, you can save 420 milligrams of sodium per 1 cup serving - almost 1/4 of the amount of sodium we should get in a whole day.
Harmons Dietitian's Choice labeled products are a great place to start for both limiting sodium, and general healthy eating. Our team of four registered dietitians created strict nutritional criteria for most everything in our stores, and you can be confident that every product with a green "Dietitian's Choice" tag will be a healthy addition to your grocery cart.
While packaged foods are a major contributor to our sodium intake, the amount of salt we add to foods can really add up as well. Although it can be a big an adjustment at first, you can still make your food taste great with some of these options:
Salt Alternatives:
- Seasoning fish or poultry with a squeeze of citrus, like lemon or lime
- Adding fresh garlic to dishes right before they are done cooking
- Using oil and vinegar on salads instead of bottled salad dressing
- Using no-salt lemon pepper or Mrs. Dash, to season foods
- Flavorful spices such as smoked paprika, rosemary, thyme
- Adding fresh herbs to…just about anything
- Using a dash of Tabasco sauce instead of salt
Need more help reducing your salt intake, or have other nutrition concerns or questions? Sign up for a store tour or individual nutrition counseling with one of Harmon's Dietitians! We are here for you and are committed to helping you and your family get healthy and eat right.
Check out other Ask a Harmons Chef articles here.
