Sodium Woes

#1

Is the greed for money, in the food industry, a factor in high blood pressure in Americans?
I think so.
Years and years of eating high sodium content is bad for your body.

So MUCH food has high
sodium content. Makes me think that the food industry is trying to kill us all. High sodium content is
bad for you. That doesn’t occur naturally. So, I’m back to cooking raw foods, foods in their
natural state, and not adding anything.

Try to keep your sodium intake down to 2,300 milligrams a day, and see how hard that can
get to be. Read labels! Count it all up. For a huge shocker, look at the sodium content on
frozen tv dinners.
From another website:
Sodium content is another concern. Frozen meals that aren’t identified as reduced-sodium or heart-healthy often contain from 700 to 1,800 milligrams (mg) of sodium. That makes it challenging for people to stay below the daily maximum of 2,300 mg recommended for the general population.

Such levels make it almost impossible for people who are more “salt sensitive” (those with high blood pressure, African-Americans and middle-aged and older adults) to stay below their recommended limit of 1,500 mg per day.

If you know of any frozen tv dinners LOW in sodium, TELL ME!!!

I MUST monitor my sodium intake, or I’m in trouble.

#2

I am starting to think the only way you can control the amount of salt in your food is prepare and freeze dinners for yourself.

#3

I too have sodium concerns. The sodium causes water retention and I am on a diuretic for the ears. I have to make my own food and freeze it. Anything pre-made is subject to large doses of sodium. Sorry I can’t be of more help to you!

#4

Processed foods are the enemy! Which means that the best food for you to eat is probably home-made. Almost anything that comes in a box or a can should be considered BAD and should be subsequently avoided.

When I think of all the chemicals the boxed dinners have, it scares me.

#5

Dustina will tell you that one of the biggest things I will rail against in the world is sodium added to my food. I don’t have issues that preclude me from injesting sodium but I reeeeeeeally hate that it is added to just about everything we consume.

Just about anything in the frozen food aisle (pre-prepared food) is going to be loaded down with sodium. The plain frozen vegetables are usually okay though so a good way to get away from the canned veggies that are swimming in salt water. The thing to really look at, as far as I am concerned though, is your meat. You wouldn’t think you should have to check your label for ingredients but you really do. There shouldn’t be anything on the ingredients label besides “meat.” However, a lot of meats have some sort of salt laden “broth” added to make it juicier, or whatever. The meat, of course, is going to have sodium in it naturally… you need to look at the label to see if it is added or not.

It is amazing what food really tastes like when the extra added cwap is taken out of it!

:thumbsup:

#6

Yup!

I cook everything from scratch here. Because it’s not just sodium, it’s MSG, HFCS, white flour, aspartame, corn starch, modified food starch, hydrogenated oils, etc… none of those things were ever intended to be food. They cannot be found in nature, they have to be manufactured.

#7

There is no way to eat a diet which contains processed foods and keep it low sodium. Canned, boex or frozen all processed foods are high in sodium

If you need to monitor your sodium intake STAY AWAY FROM TV dinner!
As already stated, prepare your food fresh.

#8

I eat very few processed foods in part because of the sodium. I have high blood pressure and for awhile I kept my sodium down to about 1000 mg a day. It was hard, but I did find out that in my case it didn’t affect my BP. I am not as militant about it now, but I still don’t eat many processed foods or frozen dinners. DH doesn’t add salt to anything he cooks so that helps some, too.

I am planning on getting a slow cooker and making my own frozen meals for those nights when you want something fast. :thumbsup:

ETA: There are quite a few low sodium/salt free products now so it’s worth a try to see if you can stand them if you must eat processed foods. Most are just fine, but the bread… blech! :ick: Not worth it!

#9

:yay: Yes, I can and she has me thinking about what I fix/buy for my family. :rofl:

#10

Jan, try upping your potassium intake for your BP. Sodium and potassium work together to regulate body fluids (including BP) and you may be deficient in pot., not an excess of sodium.

#11

Almost anything that comes in a box or a can should be considered BAD and should be subsequently avoided.

Yes, I agree with everything that’s been said. My DH and I are healthy and active but we do like to keep the sodium down. For us it’s primarily a matter of taste and then health is a close second. DH has very sensitive taste buds and if something is even the tiniest bit “too salty” I hear about it!

I rarely buy canned foods, but sometimes I’ll buy vegetables for use in a casserole, and then I always pour them into a strainer and rinse them very thoroughly with water to remove most of the sodium.

I also buy the boxes with rice and pasta mixes – but only the ones where the “seasoning” comes in a separate envelope. That way I can control how much I add to the mix. Usually I’ll use only about half of the seasoning. Some of these come with nuts or seeds; I use a screener to separate the nuts from the powdered stuff in a separate bowl and then add the nuts to the pasta and as much seasoning as I choose. It takes a little extra effort but does make a big difference.

#12

I’ll have to check the meds I’m on. I think it’s a has a potassium sparing diuretic in it so I have to be careful. Good thought though!

#13

I always use frozen veggies for my casseroles. My mother used the canned stuff but I really can’t tell a difference between the taste beyond that the food just tastes a little fresher.

The problem with the way we get our food anymore is that it is so overprocessed nobody knows what the food is ACTUALLY supposed to taste like.

Btw… Don’t be fooled by stuff that says it is “all natural.” They put that a lot on chicken and turkey (I don’t know about the other meats since I don’t eat them) but they are still injected with some sort of broth.

#14

I learned a tip the other day from watching the biggest loser… For low sodium diets, if you feel it’s lacking some flavour, try adding some red pepper flakes, to up the flavour, but add no salt.

#15

I agree. I have high bp too and have been reading labels. I was surprised that one flour tortilla has 11% of your RDA of sodium.

#16

I also have to watch my sodium due to my BP. I use fresh or frozen vegetables, natural meats and poultry (I really don’t want to eat all the additives like growth hormones and antibiotics). I like to use spices other than salt but if you find the taste of saltless food flavorless, use a little sea salt just before you eat the food. It has a nice flavor and you only need a little tiny bit.

#17

ABSOLUTELY!! Potassium in excess can cause lethal ventricular arrhythmias and it’s very important that you check with your Dr before taking any additional K+.

#18

I agree. Control everything.
Please feel free to post or private message me some recipes.
I haven’t cooked from scratch for a long time. My husband is so picky, I gave up cooking anything but meat with canned gravy and white bread for him. He doesn’t care for veggies or fruits, much, either.

#19

What are some of your favorite meals you make for yourself?
Can you share a couple of recipes?

#20

I had not thought of all the chemicals, too. One of my brothers works in a chemical factory, and he said one of the chemicals they make smells exactly like coco puffs.