Holiday Weight Gain: More of a Threat than Ebola

‘Tis that time of year yet again. The pumpkin spice latte has been shoved to the side as peppermint and eggnog mochas return to the spotlight. The mall has not quite turned into a zoo quite yet, however you can already find Christmas commercials on tv and radio stations playing Christmas music.

Oh the holidays, full of friends, families, parties, and of course food…copious amounts of food. When I go home for the holidays, there is a day where our house is transformed into a sweatshop where we spend an entire day cookies, chocolates, and fudge. Inevitably, there is always some squabble about what color the cookies should be frosted and if there are enough sprinkles on said cookie.

Between the stress of attempting to decorate your cookies like the ones on the box…

The stress of spending an extended amount or time with family…

And wanting to keep your physique yet being inundated with cookies...

the threat of holiday weight gain is imminent.

Now, if you haven’t figured it out by now, the media likes to exaggerate a little about the amount of weight people gain between the holidays. The media claims range anywhere from seven to ten pounds, but in reality most people only gain one pound. One pound may not seem like a lot but if you keep that pound on, it starts to add up year after year.

To help guide you through this tumultuous time, I have prepared for you Beth’s Ultimate Healthy Holiday Eating Guide!

Beth's Ultimate Healthy Holiday Eating Guide:

1. Exercise- I briefly touched on how stressful the holidays can be; we have all been there. Whether it’s the frustration of fixing the Christmas lights, the long lines at stores, figuring out what to get everybody, or just being cooped up with your family, the stress can be overwhelming. It is a saying in my family that it is not truly Christmas until someone cries.

All of this holiday stress can be channeled in one of three ways. The first is via emotional eating. The second way is best exemplified by this scene from National Lampoon’s Christmas… 

The third and probably the healthiest way is by exercising. Have you had it with the lights or your mom nagging you about every little thing? Try going for a jog or do some pushups instead of eating, drinking, or screaming away your frustrations.

2. Wear tight clothes- You may laugh at me on this one, but take my word on it. Leave the sweatpants, elastic waisted pants, flowey dresses, etc at home and opt for something more figure forming that won’t give or you can always just slap on a belt. I think we have been there after that Thanksgiving meal where we ate too much and are so uncomfortable that we have to unbutton our pants. By wearing tighter clothes, it helps serve as a reminder and may help keep you from going overboard.

3. Eat a snack before the party- Instead of arriving at the party starving and end up gorging on all kinds of not as healthy food, try eating a small, healthy snack or meal before you go to the party. This way you won’t go crazy and turn into the cookie monster.

4. Bring a healthy dish- There are no guarantees that any holiday party will have healthy options. Instead of being “forced” to eat not as healthy food, bring your own healthy dish so that there will be at least one thing there that you won’t give you a Santa-esque figure. 

5. Use a small plate and utensils- Instead of grabbing the huge buffet plate, try using a smaller plate, perhaps a salad plate, and smaller utensils. This will way it will take more effort to overeat. If you really wanted to take this advice to heart while adding some culture to the traditional holiday meal, try using chopsticks. If your chopstick skills are like mine, you will get frustrated and just give up rather quickly.

6. Sit next to either the health nut, most judgmental person, or person you dislike the most- One sure fire way to avoid overeating is to sit next to the food police or the most judgmental person at the party. Going up for seconds or loading up on cookies? Be prepared for a snide comment or to be judged heavily. While it may be agonizing, it will make you a little more conscious of what and how much you are eating in addition to want to finish eating quickly to escape. This concept also applies to sitting next to the person that you dislike the most as well.

7. Say no to Grandma (food pushers)- For some reason grandmas and moms around the world have come together to decide that nothing shows your love more than shoving cookies, cake, or more lasagna down your grandkid’s/kid’s throat. Nobody wants to hurt grandma’s or mom’s feeling so if saying no won’t work, just tell them you will take it to go. That way you can eat it later as part of a meal or, depending on how good the food was, throw it away. (Grandma if you are reading this, I have obviously never done this)

8. Fill up on fruits and vegetables- Fruits and vegetables are lower in calories and contain fiber that helps you feel full.

9. Drink water- Keeping hydrated is important because thirst is often confused for hunger. Instead of heading straight for the fruit cake at the first pains of hunger, make sure that you are actually hungry and not just thirsty. Also, not only does water help you feel full, but it will help you avoid other liquid calories in the form of egg nog or other adult beverages.

10. Eat slowly- It takes about 20 minutes for the signal from the stomach to reach the brain to tell it that the stomach is full. This is actually the key to success that competitive eaters use; the quicker you down the food the more you can shove in before your brain recognizes that your stomach is about to burst. So go ahead and slow down and talk to that weird cousin of yours.

11. Keep sweets in opaque containers- If you or your parents keep tons of holiday cookies or candies around try to put them in opaque containers (containers you can’t see through) to keep them out of sight. Research has shown that the “out of sight, out of mind” adage actually works. 

12. Don’t eat out of the container- While lounging on the couch watching all the Christmas movies or specials with the whole container of cookies may sound nice and relaxing, it can be a train wreck for your figure when you look down to see that you downed five cookies without even noticing. Instead, put whatever it is that you are eating on a plate and put said food away. This will help you from mindless eating more than you wanted to. 

13. Only make a couple kinds of desserts- Instead of making every recipe you pinned on your Pintrest board, only make two or three. Think of it this way, if there are 15 types of cookies that you can choose from, you will find it appropriate to eat more since there is more variety. Lets say in this situation you eat five cookies. Now, if there were only three types of cookies available, you would find it more appropriate to try maybe one or two.

Now if you will excuse me, I need to perfect the grace that I will be giving this year…

Until next time!

Keep it Fresh,
Keep it Green,

Beth

OMG GMOS!

Well I have avoided this topic for sometime now due to the complexities of it. After Jimmy Kimmel recently did a short segment on it, I figured it was time. What is this topic you ask? Genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Chances are you have at least heard of them or perhaps seen a label on a product touting it was GMO free. Before I delve into the world of GMOs, here is the segment that Jimmy Kimmel did where he asked people their thoughts on GMOs and if they even knew what GMO stands for…

What is a GMO?

GMOs, or “genetically modified organisms,” are plants or animals that have been genetically engineered with DNA from bacteria, viruses or other plants and animals.

Why are there GMOs?

Plants or animals are genetically engineered to exhibit desired traits. However, these desired traits do not occur naturally in nature and cannot be achieved through crossbreeding. To help me illustrate what a GMO is, I am going to refer to my dog. The breed of dog that I have is a maltipoo, a crossbreed of a maltese and poodle. She is not a GMO. Without going into too much detail, her mom is a poodle and her dad is a maltese. Now you are probably wondering how could I make my dog GMO? As cute and snuggly as she can be at times, I will admit that she can be a tad barky at times.  Let’s say that before I got her, I had a scientist take her DNA and insert the gene of a duck quack in place of the barking gene (this is fictional by the way). Instead of barking my dog would quack. I would like to think that quacking is slightly less irritating than barking. Anyways, this would make her GMO since her DNA was altered in an unnatural way with that of another species. 

In terms of foods, some of the desired traits that current GMO plants exhibit includes: drought resistant crops, herbicide and/or insecticide resistant crops, and enhanced nutrition. One example of a nutritionally enhanced crop is golden rice. Due to the high rates of vitamin A deficiency in Asian children, rice was genetically modified to contain a form of vitamin A.

What are the most common sources of GMOs?

Most processed foods contain some amount of GMOs due to the crops that are mostly likely genetically modified. These crops include: alfalafa, canola, corn, cotton, papaya, soy, sugar beets, and zucchini, yellow summer squash, and papaya from Hawaii. Dorky fact of the day: The papaya crop in Hawaii was nearly wiped out by a plant virus back in the day, but scientist developed a GMO papaya that is resistant to said virus which is now what is mostly grown in Hawaii.  You're welcome!

Recently the USDA approved a GMO potato that is engineered to reduce the amount of a potentially harmful chemical that occurs when the potato is fried (French fries and potato chips). In addition, the potato has been engineered to resist bruising, which can occur during harvesting, shipping, and storage. Like I said, this has just been approved so it will take some time before it hits the stomachs of consumers.

Are GMOs safe?

Well, there are obviously two sides of the story on this one so I am going to layout the facts of each side for you.

Pro-GMO Groups Claim:

There are no inherent differences between foods produced from genetically modified (GM) plants and those from non-GM crops. The GM plant is just modified to express a desired trait that the non-GM plant does not. Companies that wish to release a GM seed or the product of a GM crop are required to test the safety of that product and has to be approved by the USDA. No one has substantiated a single human death, or even illness, as a result of consuming GM foods.

Anti-GMO Groups Claim:

There are too few independent (non-industry) studies of the health effects of GM foods to have confidence in their safety. In animal studies, there have been some negative health effects when they are fed a diet of GMOs. Additionally, this could lead to the introduction of allergens into otherwise non-allergic foods. More research is needed. 

How do GMOs impact the environment?

Pro-GMO Groups Claim:

GMOs are better for the environment by decreasing need of insecticides and herbicides, increased crop yield, decrease water usage, and decrease use of chemical fertilizers.

Anti-GMO Groups Claim:

GMO crops will do wide-reaching damage to the environment. Insect-resistant crops may harm species that are not their target, such as monarch butterflies. On the other hand, the insects that the GM crops are designed to kill could develop resistance into a "super bug," ultimately requiring farmers to use more aggressive control measures. Also GM crops may transfer their genes to other crops, which could lead to the development of "super weeds."

Can GMOs help alleviate world hunger?

Pro-GMO Groups Claim:

Through GM seeds even the small farmers can produce bigger, more reliable crops. GM seeds will help poor farmers grow more food for themselves and more profitable crops to sell. Nutrition-enhanced GM crops now in development can directly address the effects of malnutrition, both for the farmers who grow those crops for themselves and for poor consumers in developing-world cities. In the long term, GM crops may be the only way to ensure that worldwide food production keeps pace with the growing population—which may double to 12 billion by the year 2050.

Anti-GMO Groups Claim:

The real causes of hunger are poverty, inequality, and lack of access to food and land. GMOs will do nothing to alleviate these problems. Most GM crops available so far do not address the needs of food production in developing countries. They offer conveniences to the farmer—the ability to apply more or less pesticide spray—but do not produce higher yields. Adoption of GM crops by farmers in the developing world will actually increase hunger by making poor farmers reliant on the few multinational corporations that control the market for those seeds. A better way to improve the lives of farmers is to teach them ecological farming methods by which they can grow better crops without the expense associated with GM seeds.

What are other countries doing?

64 other countries around the globe require GMO products to be labeled as such, however the US is not one of these. Some countries flat out ban the import of GMO products and the use of GMO crops.

How can I avoid GMOs?

Since labeling is not mandatory in the US at this time, there are two options. You can look for this label on processed foods to help you select items that do not contain GMOs...

You can also purchase foods that are 100% organic or certified organic/USDA organic by looking for this logo...

Note: Organic products are usually GMO free but there is a small chance that a GMO may be present due to loopholes. Also, the term natural on a package is just more nutrition mumbo jumbo and means nothing so don't fall for that one. 

Breaking it Down

In the US we do a slight have a hunger issue, but not to the extent that countries such as Africa and India do. People who are food insecure in the US have access to plenty of cheaply priced processed foods that typically contain GMOs. What they do not have much access to is affordable fruits and vegetables, which in the US are not typically genetically modified. Also of note, most Americans do not suffer a vitamin or mineral deficiency so nutritionally enhanced plants are necessarily a priority. Not to say that there may not be a use for GMOs in developing countries if they are deemed safe.

What is my "expert" opinion on this you ask? I am not going to shove my "expert" thoughts down your throat. I think that the research is still up in the air on GMOs. Are they natural? Are the Panthers having a good season? No!

Sorry not sorry Cam...

What I do know is that GMOs are mainly found in processed foods, which aren't that healthy for you to begin with. Want to avoid GMOs? Eat your fruits and vegetables (with the exception of French fries, potato chips, and papaya from Hawaii) and you will avoid most GMOs. Oh and just a tip so that you don't end up on one of Jimmy Kimmel's segments looking like a tool, do a little research for yourself on something before you make an opinion on something. Until next time!

Keep it Fresh,

Keep if Green,

Beth

For more information visit:

• Just Label It 
• The Non-GMO Project
• American Public Media 

How to Avoid the Crud

Ahh, ‘Tis that time of year again! It is time for the return of cold and flu season full of coughs, sniffles, and used tissues strewn everywhere!  With all the big swings in temperature that we have had recently, yours truly had the pleasure of being struck by what I affectionately call the crud. Although, after watching morning television from my couch, I was soon questioning if I had perhaps caught Ebola.

Just to be on the safe side, I emailed by boss and told him that I suspected that I had Ebola and would be out sick for the day in self-quarantine.

With all of this lovely crud going around, I figure what better time than the present to talk about nutrition and your immune system; thus I give you today’s blog: How to Avoid the Crud.

What is your immune system?

Just in case there are some of you out there that are in fact living under a rock, yet have heard by word of mouth how good this blog is, your immune system helps your body fight off illness such as the common cold and the not so common, yet heavily exaggerated Ebola.  

What foods are good for my immune system?

Sometimes when I am writing these blogs, I feel like I am kicking a dead horse.  Alas, I will go on. The vitamins and minerals that help support your immune system are largely found in fruits and vegetables. No big surprise there right?  The vitamins and minerals most closely associated with immunity include: vitamin C, zinc, and magnesium. Vitamin C is the most well known one from the above list, which may not be as well deserved as we would like to think, so let’s take a closer look.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin, meaning that they it is easily absorbed in water. Vitamin C is not stored in the body, so you need a constant supply of it in your diet. Some of the best food sources of vitamin C include: citrus, strawberries, cauliflower, Brussels’ sprouts, pineapple, mango, bell peppers, kiwi, broccoli, and every hipsters favorite, kale.

What about all of those vitamin C supplements?

Since vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin and is not stored in the body, excess leaves your body via urine. So unless you pride yourself on having expensive urine, you are not doing yourself any good.

Does vitamin C help with colds?

Research shows that taking vitamin C supplements after getting a cold does not really help; at that point it is too late. Crawling out of bed when the crud has you all the way to the fridge to get the OJ to help you feel better is not going to help.

However, research has shown that people who take a vitamin C supplement regularly might have slightly shorter colds or milder symptoms. Emphasis on might.

What about chicken noodle soup?

So chicken noodle soup isn’t a vitamin or mineral, but whose mother or grandmother hasn’t force-fed you chicken noodle when you were sick as a child? Mom or grandma was actually on to something with this one. Eating chicken noodle soup to help fight off illness actually has some research to support it beyond just being a placebo effect. Researchers don’t really know what component of chicken noodle soup to credit, but eating some of it helps with cold symptoms. So next time the crud has a hold of you and you just cannot bear to crawl out of bed to make some, try sweet-talking your roommate into making you some. Be sure to play up how miserable you feel and maybe even channel your inner drama queen and cry a little bit.

What about other foods?

Some studies have suggested that drinking green tea helps prevent and treat cold symptoms. Regardless if it is true or not, the hot water helps break up the crud stuck in your throat. Yogurt is another food of interest due to the probiotics it naturally contains. Probiotics help to keep your digestive system healthy and therefore, the rest of your body.

Breaking it down

Eating a diet rich in vitamin C (read: fruits and vegetables) year round is good for not only for your immune system, but your overall. Your best bet to avoid the crud this season is to wash your hands regularly, avoid those friends and family members who are hacking up their lungs, and grab some chicken noodle soup if you start to feel a cold coming on. Oh and of course, load up on fruits and vegetables. Until next time!

Keep it Fresh,

Keep it Green,

Beth

Portion Size vs Serving Size

Portion size and serving size are similar to than and then. While the terms are often used interchangeably, similar to the grammar fiasco of ‘then’ and ‘than,’ they mean different things. You however, being the smart person that you are, are wise enough to turn to me, your nutrition guru, for a little help. As always, I came to your nutritional rescue and took the liberty to write about this fiasco for this week's blog. Without further ado, I give you portion size vs serving size...

Portion Size vs Serving Size

Serving size is the amount of food listed on a product’s nutrition facts label.  In no way is it a recommendation of how much of said product/food you should eat. How are these serving sizes determined you ask? Well, basically with a serving size, the company can chose at random what to make the serving size. One good example of this is cereal. Some cereals list a serving size as ¾ cup, 1 cup, or 1 ½ cups. 

Portion size is the amount of food you serve yourself (or are served in the instance of dining out) at any given time, which can be more or less than the serving size, and is entirely controlled by none other than your lovely self or whoever is handing you your food. To help illustrate what I am talking about, here is what I consider a portion size of chips, given my inability to stop eating them once I start...

Meanwhile, the serving size is this…

I mean, how many chips is that even? Maybe 10 or 12 chips, really?!? If I have a whole bag of chips in front of me, I am definitely going to eat more than 10 or 12 chips, which is why I cannot keep chips in my house. For further visualization on things other than chips, check out this video: 

Serving vs Serving Size

In a world where there is already information overload, leave it to us to complicate things a little more. Just as there is a difference between portion size and serving size, within a serving and a serving size. Obviously we have already gone over what a serving size is so I will spare you the redundancy. Now on to what a serving is. According to the Academy for Nutrition & Dietetics a serving is the amount of recommended in consumer education materials such as MyPlate. Pretty vague right? You have probably/hopefully heard that you are suppose to get three servings of dairy a day or that you should eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables.

Ok Beth…so…what is constitutes a serving?

Despite all the flack and negative sayings about assuming, I have assumed you would ask this question, so being the awesome Dietitian that I am, I have provided you with some tips to guide you below:

• Vegetables: 1 cup of raw leafy vegetables; ½ cup of other vegetables, raw or cooked; ½ cup of juice
• Fruits: 1 medium fruit (medium is defined as the size of a baseball); ½ cup chopped, cooked or canned fruit; ½ cup small fruit, like berries or grapes; ½ cup juice
• Meat, Poultry, Fish, Eggs:  2 to 3 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry or fish (about the size of a  deck of cards); 1 egg , 2 egg whites, or ¼ cup liquid egg substitute 
• Beans and Nuts: ½ cup cooked beans, lentils or peas; ¼ cup nuts; 2 tablespoons nut butter
• Grains: 1 slice of bread, 1 ounce of ready-to-eat cereal, ½ cup of cooked cereal, rice or pasta 
• Milk, Yogurt and Cheese: 1 cup of milk or yogurt, 1.5 ounces of cheese; ½  cup of cottage cheese

What does this matter Beth?

Well if I look at the nutrition information for one serving of chips and see that they are 120 calories, I don’t feel quite so bad. But when I stop lying to myself and do the math because in fact I ate three servings, that’s when the guilt starts to set in. Now that I have consumed 360 calories instead of the 120 I initially thought I was consuming, I need to take that into account and balance my diet for the rest of the day to avoid "over doing it."

Breaking it down

Basically what I am getting to here is to look at the serving size and to be honest with yourself. Again, I just want to reiterate, that serving size is not in any way, shape, or form a recommendation of how much of a product/food you should eat. After all, should anyone ever really be eating Twinkies? I think it is pretty safe to say that we all know what foods we should be eating less of (foods high in sugar, salt, and fat) and more of (fruits and vegetables). Does this mean that you should never eat "bad" foods? No, just do so only on occasionally and in moderation. One simple way that I avoid overeating foods that I tend to binge on is to first of all not keep them in the house so that I actually have to physically go get them. My second tip would be to purchase them in the single serving size. This way I get my fix without over doing it and don't have any left over to binge on later. Chances are I will be too lazy to actually go get them anyways. Now if you will excuse me, I am going to go stuff myself with six crackers...

Oh and by the way, 'than' is a conjunction used in comparisons. 'Then' refers to the order in which things happen. Until next time!

Keep it Fresh,

Keep it Green,

Beth

Decoding a Food Label

I will admit it….I am one of those super annoying, pretentious people who stand in the middle of the grocery store aisle and read the food label. If I am really going to be honest here though, I usually end up at the grocery store in workout clothes regardless of the fact if I have actually worked out or not. They are much more socially acceptable than pajamas and at least gives the illusion that I have worked out. 

In between doing squats and lounges down the aisle to showcase my fitness, I occasionally over hear  people trying to make sense of all of the information on a food label. If I am feeling nice that day and the person doesn't look like the type of person who will want to continue to talk to me about all things nutrition for 20 minutes, I will chime in with my superb nutrition knowledge J

If you are an avid reader of my blog, you will know that I like to use memes to help get my point across. Unfortunately, there aren't really any memes for this, however I did find a marketing fail...

This gentleman has the right idea of looking at the food label; except for he is looking at dog treats and not human food. This poor guy is so bamboozled and overwhelmed by food labels he can’t decipher between dog treats and human food. Well, as you your nutrition superstar, I will not stand for this. No longer should people be so clueless that they end up eating dog food! For this week’s blog I will help you all decode a food label...get excited!

To start with, there are two parts of a food label, the nutrition facts panel and the ingredients list.

Nutrition Facts Panel

This is the nutrition facts panel…

I know what you are thinking, “Ugh…more stupid numbers that don’t mean anything to me.” This is why I am going to break it down and simplify it for you with this cheat sheet:

Below are a couple simple steps that you can take to help you out:

• Check the serving size: This simple mistake or not looking at the serving size can throw off your entire judgment as to whether a product is “good” or “bad.” To exemplify this, check out this label for the Girl Scouts’ infamous Samosas

Note that the serving size is TWO cookies. I repeat TWO cookies. How many of you actually only eat two cookies when you have an entire sleeve staring you in the face?

My guess is it goes a little something like this...

•  Look at the calories: To put this into a generalized perspective, 2,000 calories a day is the rule of thumb for how many calories the average person needs a day. Again, this is a very general rule of thumb. If you would like a more accurate picture of how many calories you need in a day, I would recommend using MyFitnessPal. Anyways, going back to the Samosas, 140 calories for two cookies isn’t terrible, but they are small cookies and who only eats two?
• Check out the % Daily Value: I am not going to waste my breath on this one; just know that 5% or less is low and 20% or more is high.
• Look to limit not as healthy nutrients: These include fat, cholesterol, and sodium. If you look on the cheat sheet, the nutrients you want to limit are the ones highlighted in light blue. Use the % Daily Value to guide you to products that are lower in these nutrients.
• Get enough of the good stuff: This includes vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber. On the cheat sheet these are highlighted in yellow. Again, use the % Daily Value to help guide you.     

Ingredient List

To be honest, when I am looking at a food label, I really don’t pay much attention to the nutrition facts panel. Yeah, I may briefly glimpse at calories, fat, and sodium, but I am usually more concerned about the ingredient list. I think it is important to know what you are eating. That being said, here are a couple of rules of thumb that I use:

• Avoid long lists: Some experts say five ingredients are less, but for some that might be a little restrictive. There goes any bottled salad dressing, crackers. chips, etc. Personally, I love Teddy Grahams and they have way more than five ingredients, so I make an exception.
•  Avoid words you can’t pronounce: Having a science background, I like to think that I am pretty smart, so when I come to an ingredient that I can’t pronounce it makes me question if I really want to eat it. Since I am so smart and can pronounce many chemistry-based words, I default to a slightly modified rule for this. I stop and think to myself, “would be mother be able to pronounce this word?” As you all like to say in the south, bless her heart but…this is the woman who has a “fracaccino” machine.

Breaking it down

Chances are if a food has a label on it, it has been highly processed and is not the healthiest option for you. You may have noticed that fresh fruits and vegetables do not have a label on them, so you don’t need to worry about decoding a food label. However, if they did here is what it would look like

The ingredient list would read as follows: peach. Pretty simple right? I mean even my mother can pronounce that :) Now if you will excuse me, I need to go get a "facaccino." Until next time!

Keep it Fresh,

Keep it Green,

Beth

Don't Be Salty: Sodium

I have a confession to make to all of you. When I was a child I LOVED salt. Why? I am not really sure. I loved salt so much as I child that I would lick peanut shells and occasionally eat playdough. Does this qualify me as weird, probably but hey it was better than eating paint chips right?!? Just to clear up any questions you may have about this, no I did not have a preference for what color it was and no I did not shape it into any particular food before I ate it.

I like to think that I was very stealth about it and hid in the corner of the basement while doing so. One could venture to say that I had a salt addiction. Even today, I often crave salty foods over sweet ones, which brings me to the topic of today’s blog: Salt.

What is salt?

I am going to go out on a limb here and assume that all of you know what salt is. To get a little dorky on you, the chemical name of salt is sodium chloride. The main component of salt that warrants our attention is sodium, which is what appears on a food label, not salt.

Often salt and sodium are used interchangeably, but now you know that they do not mean the same thing.

Blah, blah, blah Beth, what does it matter?

Why I am so glad that you asked! Sodium is one of the most over consumed nutrients in America. Sodium causes your body to retain water, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but over time can cause some health issues. Over consumption of sodium can lead to high blood pressure, heart diseases, kidney disease, and stroke. 

What is sodium used for?

Sodium is mostly used for flavor to make not so great foods more palatable. Think of saltine crackers for example. Would they taste good if they didn’t contain sodium? My guess would be no. This is why it is considered an insult to a chef if you add salt to their food. It is also used as a way to preserve foods and for anti-caking (mostly in processed foods).

Sources of sodium

Now sodium is a sneaky guy, who hides in unsuspecting foods, kind of like in this creepy ad…

People tend to think that the majority of the sodium that they eat comes from either yourselves or whoever is preparing your food simply taking the saltshaker and sprinkling it on whatever it is you are eating. Another popular commonly cited source of sodium is canned vegetables. While they do contain quite a bit of sodium, they are not the largest contributor to sodium in our diets either. Think about it, how often do you eat canned vegetables? My guess is not that often.  The largest contributor of sodium in the diet is refined grains (sandwiches, breads, pasta, rice, mixed dishes, pizza, desserts, sweet snacks, crackers and chips). Note: mixed dishes include: Burgers and sandwiches, grain dishes pizza, meat & poultry, and soups. Surprised? If you think about it, it makes sense. While none of these items alone are staggering in sodium content, you probably eat these multiple of these items on a daily basis. 

How much sodium should I eat?

The American Heart Association advises to consume no more than 2,300 mg/day of sodium for healthy individuals and 1,500 mg/day for people are more sensitive to the effects of sodium (If you have high blood pressure, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease, if you are African American, or if you are 51 years of age or older).

Now I know what you are probably thinking, “ How much is 2,300mg or how much is 1,500mg?” Luckily your favorite Dietitian has got your back yet again! 2,300mg equates to about 1 teaspoon and 1,500mg equates to ¾ teaspoon. Since most of the sodium in our diet does not come from us sprinkling it on, rather it is already in the foods we eat, a simple guide to use when looking at the food label is…

·     5%DV (120 mg) or less of sodium per serving is low

·     20%DV (480 mg) or more of sodium per serving is high

What about those fancy salts like pink salt and sea salt?

Take a trip down the grocery store aisle and you can find all kinds of fancy salts from Kosher salt, Himalayan pink salt, sea salt, and the ever so fancy fleur de sal. I commonly get asked which one is better. Well, you might just want to hold on Iggy Azalea, 

 I hate to break it to you, but from a health perspective salt is salt no matter what type it is. Sea salt and all of those other salts contain just as much sodium as regular table salt (iodized salt). Granted some may have a few more minerals in them, but they are not worth the price unless you are purchasing them for the culinary aspect (taste) of them.  

Sodium labeling

Ever walk through the canned food aisle and see stuff labeled as low sodium, reduced sodium, or no salt added and wondered what it actually means? Well, leave it to your favorite Dietitian yet again to help you out on this one.

·       Salt/Sodium-Free → Less than 5 mg of sodium per serving

·       Very Low Sodium → 35 mg of sodium or less per serving

·       Low Sodium → 140 mg of sodium or less per serving

·       Reduced Sodium → At least 25% less sodium than in the original product

·       Light in Sodium or Lightly Salted → At least 50% less sodium than the regular product

·       No-Salt-Added or Unsalted → No salt is added during processing, but not necessarily sodium-free. Check the Nutrition Facts Label to be sure!

Breaking it down

Just throwing away your saltshaker isn’t going to help if you are trying to reduce the amount of sodium in your diet; you need to cut back on refined grains and processed foods. Now, I love pizza just as much as the next guy, but I don't eat it on a daily basis. Along those lines, you know what naturally doesn’t contain any salt? Fruits and (non-canned) vegetables! Just saying. Again, I just want to reiterate, no need to splurge on sea salt or Himalayan pink salt unless you are buying them for the flavor. Now if you will excuse me, I need to go make myself a playdough salad. Until next time!

Keep it Fresh,

Keep it Green,

Beth