Friday, June 27, 2008
Scared to Death
I have developed a new fear. I am terrified of Sodium! A couple of weeks ago, Time Magazine had a special issue devoted to the growing problem of Childhood Obesity in our country. Several of the articles talked about the differences between what kids eat now and what they ate back in the day before childhood obesity was a significant problem. One of the things that stood out to me is how much more processed/packaged/canned/convenient foods kids (and adults) eat now. I have always known that we eat more of those types of foods now, but what I hadn't really thought about is how much Sodium is in those types of foods. There's a ton! And now I'm afraid of it. Sodium in small amounts is necessary, but in large amounts it can be very dangerous, causing high blood pressure and other problems. Since my eyes have been opened, I've now been checking food lables like never before and am on a serious quest to lower my sodium intake. The tricky part is that to lower your sodium intake, you've got eat fresh foods and cut out all of the processed/prepared crap. This is hard to do when I'm working and don't have a lot of time to cook. But, it's time to get creative because now I'm scared to death of Sodium! For more info on Sodium, it's primary sources, and how to lower your intake, check out this website: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sodium/NU00284
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
It's true! I almost never eat canned soup anymore. The sodium is soooo high. Also with canned veggies. It's ridiculous.
The way I keep track is to try to make sure the number of miligrams of sodium is roughly the same as or less than the number of calories. I eat low-sodium cottage cheese (50 mg sodium instead of 450 mg sodium), and I only buy low-sodium black beans.
It's amazing how many "healthy" things are jam-packed with sodium. huh?
Jenni! I have two books for you or anyone else wanting to make a healthy change. The China Study by T Colin Campbell and Thomas M Campbell and Green for Life by Victora Boutenko. I promise you they will change you life, especially The China Study. You have just got to read them!
Oh, speaking of books, I am going to get "Eat to Live." My friend April loves it (not to mention her change in eating habits has been a major contributer to her hot little body).
If you really want to get scared, read Carol Simontacchi's book, The Crazy Makers: How the Food Industry Is Destroying Our Brains and Harming Our Children!
Post a Comment