Friday, February 13, 2015

Heart Health Month......Or Is It?

Since almost dying in March of 2013 I've learned a great deal about sodium in the diet and how bad it is for you.

Salt is only one name it goes by on your food labels.  Anything listed as a chemical compound with Sodium as 1 ingredient IS salt and should be avoided in large quantities for your heart's sake.
The American Heart Association recommends no more than 1,500 milligrams of salt intake daily.
Do you know how much that comes out to?
That's 3/4 of a teaspoon per day.

You need some sodium in your diet because it's an essential electrolyte that our bodies need.
Often as salt it is paired with iodine which is another essential element needed in very salt numbers to keep our bodies in good order.

Why is sodium in large amounts so bad?
It can increase your blood pressure, cause water retention, and is a common risk factor for heart disease and stroke.

It is also put into most of the commercially made foods you eat with liberal abandon!


 The Salty Six Info HERE.

When it comes to the Salty Six it's best to choose lower sodium breads, deli meats, cheeses and soups(or make your own so you know exactly how much salt goes into it), and if you buy chicken, avoid most processed/breaded kinds and raw chicken that has been injected with a solution(as that solution is heavily salted).
If your child is eating a diet of pizza and chicken nuggets they are getting way more sodium in their diets than is healthy for them.

Ok, I didn't start this post to be a lecture on salt. ;-)
I wanted to show you how grocery stores say one thing but do another.

February is National Heart Month or something like that.
The grocery chains are playing this up as a big ad campaign to boost sales......yes, everything they do in the way of advertising is to move product and drive sales higher.

Here is a portion of a page of my local grocery store.
Can you guess why I am LMBFAO over it?



Heading says, "February is Heart Health Month.  Look for products with this logo."

Notice what they are advertising on special this week right under that heading..........
Chinese Food sauces-soy, teriyaki and sweet & sour
Chow Mein and noodles
Ramen noodles

All processed foods, most extremely high in salt.
Put the items with probably the highest sodium content right under the heart month heading.
WTF?!?

Just another reason why you should eye he sales ads with suspicion.

Sluggy

 

7 comments:

  1. Anything from a restaurant makes me NOT pee all night (it's not normal to wake up in the morning and have nuthin' in there, right?), wake up feeling like ice picks are in my eye sockets (dehydrated sinuses, I guess) - in short, I have to watch the sodium. Very sensitive to it. Just one piece of convenience food will throw me off. That said, I just ate a whole bunch of pizza. :o{ It was good! I guess I'll pay later. Chugging the water now.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I thought it was weird when I saw a gun sale advertised as a back-to-school item, just like pencils and paper.

    My ankles sort of reflect what I eat--too much sodium and they are swollen. But, I rarely salt anything I cook. I started the no-sodium cooking in 1983, and that habit has served me well. I love Mrs. Dash lemon pepper which has no sodium.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I add zero salt to things I cook. But I also eat too much processed food. More salads, here I come!

    Peace <3
    Jay

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hence the reason I cook my own food. Now, when I eat out food tastes TOO salty!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Any one with half a brain would laugh at that add. The campaign manager, needs to be enlightened or fired.

    ReplyDelete
  6. It is very difficult to avoid salt, yes.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I will have some salt with my salt. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete

Hey there! Thanks for leaving a comment.
All Anonymous commentors will be deleted.
Please include your name in your comment, or choose the 'Name' option and put your name or whatever you call yourself, in the box. Thank you.

Though I moderate it's partly to keep trolls at bay but also partly so that I read every comment. I don't often respond to comments so if you need me to answer you please write me at my email addy posted on my "About Me" page, linked on the side bar.