Feb
16
I don’t think most of us realize what a large role sodium plays in our life. When we think of sodium, many of us still tend to think of table salt.
I found myself faced with the task of substantially reducing the sodium in my diet. I had never been one to use much table salt so I thought it wouldn’t be difficult at all. I quickly learned how wrong I was!
Once I started reading labels for sodium content, I was amazed that so many of the foods that I ate regularly were packed full of sodium. I knew that a lot of canned foods had large amounts of sodium for preservation purposes, but it never occurred to me that most packaged and frozen foods also contained high amounts of sodium. I found that two main ingredients flavoured food; sodium and fat. If something was high in sodium it would often be low in fat and if it was low in sodium it would be high in fat. I found it very difficult to purchase foods that were low in both.
One of the things I found most difficult cutting back on was ketchup – a huge source of sodium. Ketchup has never been a condiment to me; it’s always been a side dish!! I grew up being a “sauce” person, so cutting back on and giving up things such as soya sauce and barbecue sauce – that was tough. Even the low sodium versions tend to be higher than recommended. Another favourite of mine – tomato juice – which is loaded with sodium – was hard to stay away from. I would indulge occasionally; however, purchase the low sodium type.
I made these changes but didn’t think they were really having much impact. I quickly realized, though, that this was not the case. Every time I had dinner at my grandparents, my feet and legs would swell up within hours and I’d have to elevate them. One night it was so bad I had to wear grandma’s slippers home because I couldn’t get my feet into my shoes. It finally dawned on me that grandma always cooked with a lot of high sodium ingredients. It was then that I realized what I was doing was working and how important it was that I stay vigilant with the amount of sodium I ingested.
2 Responses to “ Sodium ”
A posting on Feb.18 the person spoke of a product called Cardia, where do you get it? I have not been able to find it!!
Looking for to hearing from you!
By Sue on Feb 27, 2009
Hi Sue,
Cardia is very hard to find. I’m not even sure if it’s still on the market…but if it is, it is “behind” the counter. I found it was only private pharmacies that carried it – not Shopper’s or anything like that. FYI…The main ingredient in Cardia is CoQ10. Once I stopped taking Cardia I took the CoQ10. It is my understanding that this is very helpful to our hearts. Just please check with your doctor to ensure it won’t interact with any of your current medications. You might also want to read about it on the internet. There is so much information regarding the link between CoQ10 and heart health. Good Luck!
Debbie
By Debbie on Feb 27, 2009