How salt can affect your health
Shaking things up
When I was growing up I remember watching my mother cook dinner every night. She'd toss a pinch of salt into each dish just about every time she went to the stove to give everything a stir. Back then no one really thought much about it. Now, though, there's a lot more information out there on just how salt can affect your health -- especially your heart health.
In fact, limiting your sodium intake is vital to decreasing your risk of congestive heart failure (CHF). The problem with sodium is that it causes our bodies to retain fluid, and to circulate that extra fluid, our hearts have to pump harder. People with heart failure -- whose hearts are struggling to pump fluid as it is -- shouldn't put all that extra strain on their hearts.
The trick is limiting the salt we use daily, and finding substitutes for the salty foods we crave. But this can be much harder than just hiding the saltshaker -- some of our favorite foods contain tons of sodium, even without you adding an extra dash of salt.
Some of the most basic staples of modern-day cooking -- including a handful of items you probably consider to be healthy -- are full of salt, including canned and dry soups, instant cooked cereals, pancake and muffin mixes, frozen dinners, and salad dressings. Because the recommended daily serving of salt for a CHF patient is 2,000 mg (less than a teaspoon), foods like these are potentially lethal.
Try restricting your use of certain flavorings -- such as bouillon cubes, cooking sherry, and soy sauce -- when cooking dinner. And instead of eating canned or processed foods -- which often contain preservatives high in sodium -- try using fresh produce instead. Also, make sure to read food labels and check for salt content. Go for labels that read, "No salt added," "low salt," or "low sodium."
DASH to ease high blood pressure
Dieting is rarely fun. In fact, the meals associated with a lot of diets can be downright boring. And don't even get me started on fad diets, which make impossible promises and rarely work. Most of those diets focus only on making you skinny, and have less to do with actually improving your all-around health.
But there are some diets I can get behind. Last November government researchers concocted a diet that can help you control high blood pressure, or keep you from developing hypertension to begin with. It's called the DASH diet. (DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, and researchers have found that it may do just that, and more.)
Scientists tested the diet on 459 adults, some who suffered from high blood pressure. At the end of the study, patients who followed the DASH diet saw significant and fast reductions in their blood pressure.
The DASH diet is low in cholesterol, low in sodium, low in fat, and high in nutrients such as magnesium, potassium, and calcium, as well as protein and fiber. It focuses on a 2,000 calorie per day diet of mostly fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, and poultry, while still offering tasty and enjoyable meal plans and recipes. And although it wasn't designed as a weight-loss regimen, its low-fat nature makes losing weight a definite possibility, especially if you substitute some of the higher-calorie foods with fruits and vegetables, or if you're switching from a diet that's typically high in fat and calories.
For more information on the DASH diet, go to www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/dash/
In the meantime, here's a sample recipe from the diet, so you can see for yourself that eating healthy doesn't have to be boring:
ZUCCHINI LASAGNA
Ingredients:
1/2 pound cooked lasagna noodles (cooked in unsalted water)
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, part-skim, grated
1 1/2 cups of fat free cottage cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1 1/2 cup of raw, sliced zucchini
2 1/2 cups of unsalted tomato sauce
2 tsp of dried basil
2 tsp of dried oregano
1/4 cup of chopped onion
1 clove of garlic
1/8 tsp of black pepper
1.) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly spray a 9" x 13" baking dish with vegetable oil spray.
2.) In a small bowl, combine 1/8-cup mozzarella and 1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese. Set aside.
3.) In a medium bowl, combine remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese with all of the cottage cheese. Mix well and set aside.
4.) Combine the tomato sauce with the basil, oregano, onion, garlic, and black pepper. Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Cover the bottom of the dish with a single layer of the noodles. Spread half of the cottage cheese mixture on top. Add a layer of zucchini. Repeat layering. Add a thin coating of the tomato sauce. Top with noodles, sauce, and reserved Parmesan-mozzarella cheese mixture. Cover with aluminum foil.
5.) Bake 30 to 40 minutes. Cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Serves six.
Nutritional Information per serving:
Calories ... 276
Total fat ... 5 g
Saturated fat ... 2 g
Cholesterol ... 11 mg
Fiber ... 5 g
Sodium ... 380 mg*
Calcium ... 216 mg
Magnesium ... 55 mg
Potassium ... 561 mg
*To reduce the sodium content even more (to 196 mg), use unsalted cottage cheese.
Sleep off excess weight
It may seem like a small detail compared to a proper diet and regular exercise, but your sleeping habits could have a significant impact on your weight.
According to a doctor at the University of Bristol in England, a lack of sleep can contribute to increased hunger and poor food selection, among other problems. Also, insufficient sleep can contribute to lower levels of the hormone leptin, which is produced by our fat cells and plays a role in body weight regulation by helping our brains suppress our appetites and burn fat.
If you find you're not sleeping well, try taking valerian root. The herb valerian has a long history of use for sleep. It's safe, non-toxic, and non-habit-forming. It's one of those remedies that needs a little time to build up in your system: A single dose usually doesn't do the trick on its own, so I recommend taking it every night for at least two weeks. One brand my patients have had good results with is Nature's Way Standardized Valerian Extract (one to three capsules 30 minutes before bedtime). Avoid using valerian for longer than four months at a time. Using it for longer than that can actually cause insomnia in some people.
When you're ready to stop taking the valerian, don't quit suddenly. Instead, taper off over a couple of weeks. This prevents withdrawal symptoms like confusion or rapid heart beat.
