SODIUM

SODIUM: 

The American Heart Association recommends to eat less than 1,500mg of sodium per day. They estimate that if Americans (could generalize to Canadians as well) cut their sodium intake by more than half - to an average of 1,500mg a day - there would be a 26 percent decrease in high blood pressure.  

It is important to know the conversion between salt and sodium. We talk about reducing sodium to 1,500mg but then recipes call for 1 tsp of salt. WHAT?

• 1 teaspoon of salt = 2,400mg of sodium ---> MORE THAN YOUR ENTIRE DAILY LIMIT
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda = 821mg of sodium
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder = 340mg of sodium

General Tips for Cooking:

• When cooking with soya sauce, use low sodium. Regular soya sauce has 1280mg of sodium per tablespoon. WHAT???? That is over half your daily recommended intake. Disgusting.
• Remember, spice mixes usually have additional salt in them, another reason why we do not need to add additional salt to our recipes. Alternatives: Epicure Selections and Mrs. Dash has a good selection of spice mixes that contain low- or no- salt. You could try using fresh herbs or vegetables (such as various peppers or onions) to get additional flavour in your recipes. Also, the use of fresh lemon or lime juices to add flavour is another good option.
• Cautious with soups or broths that many recipes call for. Regular versions have upwards of 1,300mg sodium and even the low sodium versions often have greater than 500mg of sodium per can. You can always use water, to replace the liquids, and add different vegetables or herbs to replace the flavouring in the broths. 
• **NOTE: Epicure Selections has chicken, beef, and vegetable base that for 1 cup prepared contain: chicken has 100mg sodium, beef 60mg sodium, and vegetable 40mg sodium. WOW. That is a huge difference compared to the 1,300mg sodium from what is available in the store. When I started selling Epicure I was extremely excited to learn this.
• We know salt is an acquired taste, once you reduce your salt intake you will start appreciating food for their actual flavours and not "enjoy" salt like you once did. 
• If you love cheese (like I do), below is the sodium content for each type of cheese. Select for both flavour and for health.

1. Ricotta Cheese - 72mg sodium
2. Swiss - 115mg sodium
3. Cheddar (old) - 210mg sodium
4. Mozzarella - 240mg sodium
5. Parmesean - 260mg sodium
6. Feta - 290mg sodium
7. Harvarti (jalopeno) - 310mg sodium
8. Cottage cheese - 480mg sodium

    note: above are listed for 30-32g servings = ~ 1/3 cup of softer cheeses or a 3cm cube of harder cheeses


Epicure Selections: 

Epicure has many products that are low in sodium as well as a few that have zero sodium. When I first starting selling Epicure, this was one of the things that I was extremely excited about. Here are a few examples:

• Taco Seasoning: 2 tsp prepared has 20mg sodium vs. store-bought product of 260mg 
• Fajita Seasoning: 2 tsp prepared has 10mg sodium vs. store-bought product of 370mg 
• Nacho Cheese Dip: 2 tbsp prepared has 85mg sodium vs. store-bought product of 290mg 
• Marinara Sauce Mix: 1/2 cup prepared has 10mg sodium vs. store-bought product of 500mg
• Beef Bouillon Base: 1 cup prepared has 60mg sodium vs. store-bought product of 1,300mg
• Vegetable Bouillon Base: 1 cup prepared has 40mg sodium vs. store-bought product of 970mg
• Chicken Bouillon Base:1 cup prepared has 100mg sodium vs. store-bought product of 1,130mg

Other ways to reduce sodium in your diet:

• If you didn't get it from my above comments: READ NUTRITION LABELS!!!!!!! It will seem super overwhelming to begin with but once you understand what you are looking at and you do it often, you will get in the habit and it will take no time at all. You will be surprised at how many items have unexpected high levels of sodium in them. For example: I just opened my cupboard and noticed the seasoned bread crumbs container has 630mg of sodium for 1/3 cup. WHAT? 
• Choose fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs rather than frozen or canned
• Limit processed foods. Caution with all prepackaged meats and sausages. TONS OF SODIUM.
• Avoid adding salt when cooking
• As above, use fresh herbs, vegetables, or fresh lemon/lime juices for flavour rather than salt. Try looking for various spice mixes that do not contain sodium. 
• Cook at home rather than eating out. If you are eating at a restaurant, be aware of what may contain processed foods and/or salt and ask for no-added salt
• Caution with drinks, like V8, that appear healthy. These drinks have upwards to 800mg of sodium in them. I knew someone who ended up in the hospital with exacerbation of heart failure - he was trying to eat healthy, still didn't enjoy eating vegetables so thought that he would drink a couple cans of V8 a day to replace his veggies. Bad mistake that I know neither of us will ever forget.