Sunday Sodium Story And a Challenge!

( or I have a new religion!)

There's A Difference Between Salt And Sodium.
Salt and sodium are not the same, but because the two are used interchangeably, people are often confused about the difference. Sodium is a mineral that combines with chlorine to form salt. It is a necessary nutrient that helps your body maintain water balance, transmit nerve impulses and contract muscles.Too much sodium may contribute to high blood pressure and other related diseases. Salt (sodium chloride) is a naturally occurring compound that contains 40% sodium and 60% chlorine. Salt is used to season foods and is the primary source of sodium in our diet. Sodium levels in food are expressed in units of a gram called milligrams (mg). One gram (g) equals 1000 milligrams. 2300 mgs about 1 teaspoon full.

Why Should We Cut Down On Salt?
Although a small amount of sodium (about 500mg) is essential to normal body functions, it is estimated that the average person consumes 4000 to 5000mg a day. It is widely believed that a large amount of dietary sodium could result in high blood pressure (also called hypertension) and may lead to heart attack, stroke or kidney failure. Because we get most of our dietary sodium from salt, health professionals are advising us to eat less salt.

How Much Sodium Do We Need?
Only about 500mg of sodium is essential to your diet. Sodium restricted diets can be as little as 1000mg a day and as much as 4000mg. Rebel is restricted to 2000 mgs per day.

Saltiness is an acquired taste. It's estimated that about 1/4 of our sodium intake comes from salt we add to food in the kitchen. We sprinkle it from the shaker at the table and add it to cooking water and other dishes while preparing them. Salt is added, often in large amounts, to processed or prepared convenience foods such as soups and salad dressings, canned or dry dinner mixes, packaged cookies and crackers, bouillon, sauces, condiments, and dessert mixes. Many canned vegetables are also seasoned with salt.

Cheeses contain salt for preserving as well as for flavour. Smoked or canned meat and fish products such as tuna, ham, bacon, cold cuts, corned beef and sausage are well seasoned with salt. Deli roast beef and turkey breast are often cooked with salt. Marie's comments... *well seasoned* is a euphemism for *too much sodium - waaaaay too much sodium.*

Just because a food is low fat, low sugar, diet, organic or natural, doesn't mean it will be low in sodium. In fact, diet foods usually have MORE sodium which will result in fluid retention. Read the labels.

The Rebel Rule-
If it comes in a box, a package, a can or is fast food...
it has waaaaaay too much sodium in it.

Sodium And Over-The-Counter Medications
Medications can be another unexpected source of sodium in the diet. For example, just two Alka Seltzer tablets contain 1064mg of sodium. Check with your doctor concerning the use of seltzers (Alka Seltzer, Bromo Seltzer), antacids, laxatives, bicarbonate of soda, pain relievers and other preparations.

What Do Food Labels Tell About Sodium Content?
If a nutrition label is not available, you can check the ingredient statement for the presence of salt or other sodium compounds. Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight, but since the specific weights aren't listed, it only gives you a rough idea of the amount of sodium. Your best bet is to buy only those items with a nutrition label.

OK. Now that you know this. Add up all the sodium in the food you eat for just one day. Anything above 2300 mgs - 1 tsp of salt/sodium.. is overload. Now... the next day, try cutting it only 25%. See what you have to do. Your kidneys, liver, and heart... will appreciate it. Come back and tell me how you did!

copyright protection and know that I was lazy and didn't want to write my own thing.. Why re-invent the wheel right? I took this content pretty much directly from the Wegmans' website. Wegmans is an American grocery store. Their content came up even before the American Heart Association pages during my search which is the ultimate source for anything to do with low sodium information.

"it's a mission!"

Rebel is doing all right. The surgery incision is healing. We see her arrhythmia docs in two week . She is eating a lot finally. She lost so much because of the fluid retention that none of her own clothes fit. She is wearing her sister's clothes. But only those clothes that little sister deems suitable for her big sister. Rebel and I spent two hours at the grocery store on Sunday reading labels and finding food she wanted and could eat. When you start reading labels and see the outrageous amount of sodium in foods. OY!

As the Rebel says... "it's a mission!"

The two girls were in a battle royal this weekend too. The SU doesn't help matters. Rebel Tweeny continues to find ways around the locked doors - leave it open for two minutes and she is in there.. She takes Rebel's jewelry, and other things, uses them, wears them, gets caught and lies. And the thing is- she is a lousy thief and even worse liar. She gets caught every time! Rebel becomes furious - her temper has strengthened! It's frustrating. SU takes the RT's side. Until Sunday morning. RT managed to use *his* hair brush* and *his razor.* SU came storming up the stairs asking us where the hell his stuff was. Rebel and I barely gave him the time of day as he was sputtering and looking for things.

Of course, he put a lock on RT's door and couldn't get in to see if she had his stuff because Rebel and I did not! It was amusing. Rebel gave him a piece of her mind too. Telling him that perhaps he might now understand at least a little bit the frustration she feels when her stuff goes missing because of sticky fingers.

It's quite sad. Most or Rebel's friends who are around our family can see how SU is playing favourites with his daughters. It's really sad. He is the one driving the wedge between the two sisters. Rebel sees it. RT doesn't.... yet. It will be a sad day for SU when RT realizes how his attitude affected her relationship with her big sister. He will pay for it I hope. He should.

Shame on him.

In the meantime, I am going to have a visit with my counsellor and see if I can do anything to mitigate this- short of leaving the house now with at least one kid in tow. Not an optimum solution yet. He locked himself up in his room most of the weekend.

Shame on him.