Cooking and Healthy Living Tips for Low Sodium Diets

I have to follow a low sodium diet (I have meniers) and am always on the lookout for new ways to cut the salt. I had of course heard about Mrs. dash but before joining the bzz agent campaign didn't know they have 13 different seasoning and 6 marinades. Check out Mrs. dash's website ( http://mrsdash.com/index.aspx ) You can sign up at the website for recipes, promotions and their monthly newsletter. So whether your just looking to cook a little healthier, have a medical condition or are just plain curious check out Mrs. Dash. I have also discovered that allot of the generic brands are lower in sodium then some of their name brand counterparts. Take stewed tomatoes for example. Even the no salt added regular brand still has over 100 mg per serving where as the store brand has only 20 mg. Until I had to start cutting my salt I hadn't realized just how much salt is in food. The average person takes in about 3500mg a day without ever reaching for the salt shaker. I slice of American cheese has 240mg alone. Sure packs a punch for something so small. I found that Swiss Cheese has the lowest sodium content. Soups are also a big sodium item. Most cans like chicken noodle soup have 850 mg per cup. Doesn't sound to bad until you realize the most cans have 2.5 servings in their can. But they are starting to get better about salt in their soups. Both Campbell's and Progressive now offer low sodium soups. If you go to their websites you can see the whole line. Or you can just check them out at the store. You can also buy less sodium broths in both beef and chicken. Another big item is Lunchmeats. It seems the more flavorfull the higher the salt. And smoked lunchmeat seems to be high too. There are a few lower sodium meats out there like chicken breast and turkey and hormel offers a low sodium ham that tastes very good. But overall a few slices of lunchmeat can add up quick if you don't pay attention. The food industry is slowly seeing that people are not just looking at low fat anymore. So if you haven't looked at whats in your foods yet as far as salt goes take a peek. You will be amazed. And low sodium/salt doesn't mean no flavor either. You will be amazed how much better your food will taste with a little less salt. There are other spices and seasonings out there. Even my husband notices now when we eat somewhere how much saltier foods taste now that he eats less at home. Give it a try you have nothing to lose and good health to gain. So do yourself and your loved ones a favor and check the labels.