Kick that salt habit

The FDA recommends that individuals on a 2,000 calorie diet do not consume more than 2,400mg of sodium per day. This seems so hard in today's world where everything is marketed as convenience food - it is easy to prepare, but is highly processed and usually chock-full of sodium.

Below you will find a few simple ways that you can reduce your sodium intake:

• Use condiments (dressing, soy sauce, ketchup, etc) sparingly. Personally, I'm a ketchup junkie, but I was able to reduce the amount I used by over one-half by slowly reducing the amount I put on my plate. Over time, my palette became accustomed to the change and I don't even miss it anymore.
• Avoid canned & restaurant soups whenever possible. Most people who are trying to lose weight eat a lot of soup because it is low cal, comforting and usually contains lots of veggies! But a can of soup can contain more than the recommended daily value of sodium! Take, for example, Progresso's Vegetable Italiano soup. Sounds healthy, doesn't it? Well 1 serving (there are 2.5 servings per can) contains 1,050mg of sodium. Not so innocent anymore, are you, Mr. veggie soup?
  
• Purchase low sodium or no salt added products. You can find anything from canned vegetables to deli meats to soups to sauces available in a reduced sodium version. Don't like the taste? Add your own salt - at least you are the one who is in control.
• Use fresh meats instead of deli meats. If you are a sandwich junkie, you don't have to give them up completely. I will often cook up boneless, skinless chicken breasts on a Sunday night so I have delicious meat available for my sandwiches, wraps and salads all week long. Don't like cooking? Ask the person behind your local deli counter what low-sodium meats they have available. At my local grocer, I found deli turkey that contained only 70mg of sodium per 2oz serving!
• Skip the frozen lunches. I work full-time, so I hear you that they are so convenient (and a lot are even really tasty!). I actually still eat these things once or even up to twice a week if I am too busy to prepare my lunch in the morning. But if I know I'm having a high-sodium lunch, I'll make sure that the rest of my meals compensate for it.
• Prepare more homemade dishes. If at all possible, give yourself the power to control what you put into your body. Use measuring spoons when adding salt to your dishes, instead of just sprinkling it on.
• Replace the salt in your cooking with herbs & spices. If it's flavor that you're looking for, it doesn't have to come from the salt shaker!

If you just make a few of these adjustments, you can really make a big difference in your daily sodium intake. Try to take it slow and make one change every week for a month. Soon, these changes will just become second nature to you, and you will be on your way to a healthy lifestyle change!

One final note: Less sodium is not always better. Sodium is vital to our health: it is used by our bodies to balance water, generate electrical messages necessary for muscle contraction and nerve transmission and to control heart rhythms. There is no evidence that a diet low in sodium is any more healthful than a diet that meets (but does not exceed) the FDA's recommendations.