Lowering our Sodium While Eating Out

When we think of Salt and Sodium, we usually think that the two are the same and we interchange them all the time!  However, they actually mean something different.  Salt is a crystal-like compound that is found in nature.  Sodium is a mineral and is one of the elements found in salt!

Sodium has many purposes when it comes to our food!  We use it for curing meat, thickening, enhancing flavor, as a preservative and for baking.  There are many items that are high in sodium, yet don’t tasty salty at all!  For instance, cereals, donuts and other pastries are high in sodium, but we don’t taste the salt while enjoying them.  But we also have foods that are high in sodium that taste salty.  An example of those items are pickles and soy sauce.  Half of the sodium we consume every day are from foods such as bread, pizza, soup, deli meat and snack foods!

Sodium is a nutrient that our body needs.  The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend we have less than 2,300 mg per day or about 1 teaspoon.  However, the average person eats approximately 3,400 mg per day!  A few tips to cut back on the amount of Sodium we consume are: prepare your own food instead of processed foods, try no-salt seasonings and fresh herbs and spices, rinse canned vegetables & beans, try unsalted snack items and when possible buy fresh meats & vegetables.

This week the Clermont County Board of Developmental Disabilities discussed Sodium and how we can lower are intake especially when eating out!  We were surprised by the amount Sodium found in some of our favorite foods at fast food restaurants!  During class we cooked a homemade Quick and Easy Chicken Pot Pie recipe using fresh cooked chicken, frozen vegetables and an easy crust.  It was a delicious meal that everyone enjoyed!  If you would like a copy of the recipe, please email Becky at fiscus.22@osu.edu.

 

 

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