Another Addiction - Sodium

Question: Which measurement contains 550 mg of sodium?
a. 1 tablespoon
b. 1 teaspoon
c. 1/2 teaspoon
d. 1/4 teaspoon

Go look at the nutrition facts on your salt container.

If you suffer from high blood pressure, you should be eating around 1500 mg of salt, if you are a healthy adult you should consume no more than 2400 mg of salt. That's a lot of salt, you say, but it can add up...try adding your salt up for the day. I did, my exceeded 2400 mg of salt and I don't eat processed foods....imagine if I did, what that amount would be. Read on...

My Dad went to the doc the other day and he encouraged him to eat less salt. This brought on lots of discussion in our house. The one thing we talked about was what we all love to eat most, for some it's sugar, for others it's salty foods, like chips, fries. So, salt can be an addiction? I think it can. It's in everything! Now, don't get me wrong, salt is important, very important, however, too much salt can cause all kinds of problems....how do you know if you're getting too much or too little?

I just read, yet another article that sums up what I'm trying to say much more eloquently! Click HERE to read more!

Low Sodium Brown Rice and Barley Soup
1 Tbs Olive Oil
1 Onion
3-4 cloves garlic
1 small package baby carrots chopped in large chunks or 3-4 large carrots, cut in large chunks
3-4 stalks celery, sliced
3 potatoes, cut in large chunks
1 cup brown rice
1 cup Barley
2 cans diced tomatoes, blended
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
8-12 cups water

Cut all veggies and saute in Olive Oil on Medium heat, for about 5-8 minutes. Add in brown rice and barley, saute again for another 5-10 minutes. This alone give the soup so much flavor (without salt!). Add in about 6-8 cups water and bring to boil on medium heat. Turn to low and let simmer until barley and brown rice is soft. Add in the tomatoes and spices and heat through. Add more water if your soup is too thick, unless of course you like it this way!

One more little tip: Most broths found in the store are LOADED with sodium, as well as canned goods, like tomatoes. So, our goal is not to cut out salt, but to cut back. By bringing out the flavor in our veggies and adding spices, not containing salt and letting them simmer before adding water, is a great way to go. I didn't use low-sodium canned tomatoes, because they added a lot of flavor alone. However, if you need to cut back even more, you can buy low-sodium tomatoes as well.

ENJOY!