i've read from a few semi-reliable sources that the USDA is giving some serious consideration to lowering their recommended daily allowance for sodium.
i'm stoked, if it's actually true, and more so if it actually happens.
currently the allowance is about 2300 milligrams, which is equivalent to a teaspoon. i know, some of you are balking-- ONLY A TEASPOON!?!?! it seems like a small amount. go measure it out and dump it on a plate. it looks like this:
i hope to high heaven that you don't put that much salt on your food throughout the course of a day.
the new amount that they'll be pushing for (per hearsay) is 1500 mg, closer to the recommendations made by other world health organizations.
the problem doesn't lie so much in the salt that you're sprinkling (but don't dismiss your shaker as inconsequential just yet), but in the salt that you don't even know you're consuming from processed products like breads, pastas, sauces, dressings, tv dinners, fast food and a host of other options we've created to help our busy lives seem a bit less frantic. i'm by no means opposed to frozen dinners. we have tons in our house. but i made them all from scratch. and truth be told, i don't have a problem with store bought bread, freezer section mac'n'cheese, a few mcdonald's nuggets or a $5 pizza here and there. as with everything, moderation is key. if all three of your major meals are coming from a vending machine, frozen food section, or restaurant (fast food or not), you're doing some serious injustice to your body, particularly to your heart.
life gets tough. in an economy like this one, sometimes you're too tired from those 2 jobs you're working to come home and make a gourmet meal fresh from the farmer's market you shopped at earlier in the week. so start shopping smarter at your grocery stores.
buy unsalted butter, ALWAYS. chances are that most people already add extra salt to everything, so cutting it out of the butter you use can only help you.
start looking for unsalted frozen and canned veggies.
consider making some of your own dressings, sauces and marinades or look for lower sodium varieties.
experiment with other flavors-- don't downplay the power of black pepper! look at spices used in other cuisines and try for savory instead of salty. nutmeg isn't just for holiday cookies--it can also be used to flavor salad dressings, meats, and marinades! :)
try some substitutes. lemon and lime both lend that great bite to the flavor that we all hope to get from salt. i'm not a proponent of actual salt substitutes like NoSalt or AlsoSalt on the grounds that i don't need more weird chemicals in my body and generally they taste horrible.
here's a recipe for no salt-salt from my husband's barbeque cookbook. we haven't used this recipe yet and it is admittedly more expensive than regular salt, but we're going to be making it soon and using it for all of our grilling/seasoning (not baking) needs!
2 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp sweet paprika
1 tbsp dry mustard
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
1/2 tsp ground celery seed
put all of the ingredients into an airtight, dry container. shake a ton until it's all well combined. it can keep for up to a year!
really, all this comes down to is paying a little closer attention to what you're eating. if you grab a big mac and fries for lunch, make your dinner as salt free as you possibly can. take care of yourself. i want you to be alive as long as possible.
because if you aren't alive, who will i rant to?
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