nutrition sleuth out salt
Americans get about 65 percent of their salt intake from processed foods and another 25 percent from restaurant meals. Fast food, pizza, soy sauce, deli meats, and canned soups are top offenders, but excess sodium also turns up in unexpected places. Rein in your intake by cooking more of your own meals, reading food labels carefully, and choosing naturally lower-sodium alternatives for these surprising salt bombs.
Offender: cottage cheese. Yes, it’s packed with protein, but a single-cup serving delivers about 750 mg sodium. Switch to: reduced-fat Greek yogurt.
Tick, velvety Greek yogurt packs only 60–95 mg sodium per cup and offers twice the protein of traditional yogurt.
Offender: chicken. Claiming tastier, juicier meat, the poultry industry often injects raw chicken with a saltwater solution or broth during processing. Tese “enhanced” birds may harbor upward of 300 mg sodium per 3-ounce serving, compared with 60 mg in plain chicken. Ditto for pork and turkey products.
Switch to: wild salmon. With only 40 mg sodium in 3 ounces, it also offers a boatload of heart-healthy omega-3 fats. When you do buy chicken, compare the fine print on packages to determine which brands offer lower sodium levels.
Offender: bread. A staple in most people’s diets, breads and rolls are a top source of sodium intake, according to the CDC. Many commercial brands contain 150–200 mg per slice. Switch to: a different brand. Read labels and make sodium level one of the factors that determines which bread ends up in your grocery cart. Tis goes for canned soups and pasta sauces, too.
Offender: peanut butter. Slather just 2 tablespoons on sliced bread and you’re probably adding another 150 mg of sodium. Switch to: unsalted nut butter. Opt for “just peanuts” peanut butter or try unsalted almond butter, which contains a mere 2 mg sodium per tablespoon.
Offender: instant oatmeal. It helps you get out the door fast, but each packet hides
190–270 mg sodium and typically contains a lot of added sugar. Switch to: old-fashioned rolled oats.
Tey’re sodium free and take only a few additional minutes to cook up.
HYPERTENSION IN KIDS
In the past few decades, children’s blood pressures have steadily crept upward. Although childhood obesity is the primary culprit, salty processed foods, such as cereals and snacks marketed to kids, also play a role, says Keith T. Ayoob, EdD, RD, associate clinical professor of pediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. High salt intake during childhood also increases fluid and sugar- sweetened soda consumption, contributing to weight gain, according to a 2008 study. “Substituting [processed foods and soda] with fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy, all of which are low in sodium, could help kids reduce blood pressure and obesity at the same time,” Ayoob says.
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© 2012 Endangered Species Chocolate, LLC. All rights reserved. 56 deliciousliving | september 2012
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