: How to Follow a Low Sodium Diet

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(553 Words)
Many people are recommended to eat a low sodium diet. Sodium can play a major role in hypertension, which can raise your risk of a number of different deadly conditions such as stroke. The following are tips on how to follow a low-sodium diet.
Decide how low you want to go
First you will want to decide how low you want your sodium intake to be. Of course you need sodium to survive but the amount you need is so low that it is very difficult to go below it unless you eat every single item without sodium, so most people do not need to worry about that. Most people with a regular diet are supposed to eat no more than 2000 mg of sodium, but many who are on a low sodium diet are recommended to have less. Many people do not even realize how much they are having – it is not uncommon for a single restaurant meal to have twice the daily recommended amount of sodium!
Find out how much salt is in everything you eat
Just because something doesn’t taste salty doesn’t mean that it isn’t salty. For instance, many people add salt to soups and yet this is one of the most sodium-rich foods out there, often containing 1000mg in a single serving. If you buy a packaged food, then it will often list the amount of sodium. Make sure to pay attention to serving size. A lot of serving sizes are much smaller than what most people actually consume so you may need to increase it. To follow the low sodium diet, you will want to choose foods that are lower in sodium. Sometimes they have different versions of the same food that are low or no salt so you should choose these. You can skip the items that are too salty.
If you are cooking in a recipe, then pay attention to any salt that you have as well as what is in the ingredients. You will want to choose recipes that are lower in salt. You can also sometimes omit the salt or substitute items that are lower in salt.
You need to be especially careful when you go to a restaurant if you are on a low sodium diet. If they have a nutritional brochure, then read that but those are oftentimes wrong. Find the foods lower in sodium and try not to add additional salt. You may have to skip certain restaurants if they do not have something that fits your needs.
As you continue in your lower salt diet you will start to gain an idea of the foods that have less salt like vegetables and those that are more salty like cheese. Keep good track of the foods that you eat, and make sure that the daily total from all sources does not go over your sodium limit. Do not forget to take into account things like condiments and dressings. For instance, salad dressing can be very salty, and you may not even think of it when adding up your intake. Try to use no-salt seasonings instead. You may also find that you do not crave it as much as you become used to food without it. As you lower your sodium intake you may see health benefits like lower blood pressure.
Updated On: 09/24/2010 Published On: 09/24/2010 Article ViewerClose
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