Salt Mine

Bet you thought we would be all about sugar today. Chocolate, Rockets and lollipops are definitely in your future this week.

But you know what’s really scary? It looks like sugar but it’s not. The real demon is salt!

We consulted Korey Kealey, food expert and founder of foodthought.com on what we need to know about this salty pickle we’re in.

Salt and high sodium diets are directly linked to high blood pressure which we know greatly increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. Introducing a high sodium diet to children now sets them up for poor food choices later in life when it really matters to their heart and kidneys.

Even if you aren’t ‘shaking it’ at the table or stove top, many of the packaged foods Canadians are consuming are loaded with sodium, so we’re ingesting it without even knowing it. The recommended daily allowance from Health Canada is less than 1500 mg of sodium for adults and less for children, adjusted for their weight. (Note: 6 grams of salt = 1500 mg sodium.)

Parents want to provide healthy options for our children but since more than 80% of the sodium ingested by North Americans comes from processed foods, we’re finding out that some of the choices we’ve been making are not so healthy after all. 

So Where Is That Sneaky Sodium?
Pretty much everywhere in the middle aisles of the grocery store: snack foods (packaged muffins, cookies and crackers, pretzels, chips, and granola bars); packaged soups (canned, tetra packs and dried soups, broth and stock); and processed meats (store-bought roasted chickens (tragedy, we know), luncheon meats, bacon, ham, wieners, corned beef) are some of the main offenders.

How to Shake Down the Salt

1. Read the labels. Remember the magic number 2400 (milligrams of sodium, or 6 g of salt). You will be surprised at what you see. If the word salt, sodium or soda is listed in the first three ingredients or listed more than three times in the ingredient list, try to find another choice.
2. Empty your pantry of not-so-needed packaged foods. Try making or baking just one snack a week so you can control the salt you add.
3. Use lower-salt margarine & salt-free butter
4. Choose lower-sodium cheeses like swiss & mozzarella. Instead of salt, season foods with herbs, spices, lemon & lime juices, wine and mustard
5. Reduce use of ketchup, BBQ sauces, mayonnaise, pickles, gravies & salad dressing

Kids love processed foods and moms love convenience, but we can be savvy and make some gradual and simple changes that will allow our families’ taste buds to adjust. 

Check out foodthought.com for some great low-salt recipes Korey has developed for yummy things like homemade chicken finger recipes, vegetable soup, slow-cooked chicken and stock and seriously fresh salsa.

So keep the focus on salt this week—it will reduce your sugar guilt-factor—oh, and don’t forget to save some of that sugar for yourself!

Happy Hallowe’en from SavvyMom.

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