Sodium---The Silent Killer

Everything you read says you must avoid salt because of the health risks involved, yet it is almost impossible to do so! Almost every food at the grocery store, whether it's in the dairy aisle or the frozen food section is loaded with sodium. You might as well not even walk down the canned food aisle. February is heart healthy month and with that in mind it's imperative that we all start doing our best to read labels and noticing exactly how much sodium we take in daily. A new report from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) revealed recently that a staggering 90 percent of all Americans consume much more than the daily recommended amount of sodium. Currently, the U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommends the average individual should consume no more than 2,300 milligrams per day. Unfortunately, according to the same report, the average person’s actual sodium consumption per day is closer to 3,300 milligrams which is totally NOT heart healthy! Too much sodium in the diet puts you at risk for high blood pressure which could possibly lead to heart disease and stroke. The CDC reports that a measly 10 foods are to blame for more than 40 percent of people's sodium intake. The most common culprits include breads and rolls, lunch meat, pizza, soups, cheeseburgers, along with cheese, pasta and meat dishes. High calorie snacks such as potato chips, pretzels and movie popcorn were also responsible for a large portion of people’s sodium per day. Another thing to realize is that a high sodium intake makes it even hearder to lose weight! The reason is that your kidneys are responsible for eliminating the excess sodium from your body and as you get older their functionality diminishes. Bottom line------it's important that we all start being hyper-vigilant when shopping at the grocery store. Your kidneys and your waistline will love you for it!
Take care of your heart...you can't live without it!