Salt: The Bane Of Your Healthy Eating Plan

When we think about ways to live a healthy lifestyle with a great diet there are some obvious things that we can put our finger on as things to avoid. Clearly any medical professional, and probably anyone with common sense, will know that if you want to improve your diet there are certain things you should avoid. Most people, when asked about this, would give answers such as fat and sugar as those things that are very bad for us and that we should attempt to keep out of our diets if possible. But these are not the only things that can cause a problem. In fact there is one that often slips on the radar despite the obvious problems it can cause for our health. In this instance we are talking about the menace of salt.

 

Salt is a strong part of just about every food. We think of it as a food enhancer. But we now are seeing rather worrying levels of salt consumption. For example, it is known that the average person in the U.S. consumes about 3,400 milligrams of sodium (the principal component of salt) daily. This might not seem like a lot become it becomes very alarming when you realise the fact that the American Heart Association’s recommended limit is 1,500 milligrams a day. So in effect most people are now eating more than double the recommended level of salt that they should be.

 

Given that salt is linked to all sorts of problems, especially with your heart and the clogging of the arteries, it’s clear that something needs to be done about this over eating of salt. Do you have this problem? If you are someone who likes to put salt on your food or eats lots of processed meals it is highly likely that you’re getting too much salt in your breakfast, lunch and dinner. Isn’t it about time you did something about it? So here are some great meals that you can eat that have very low levels of salt in them.

 

For breakfast, how about trying banana nut oatmeal? This hearty dish combines oatmeal with banana, mixed nuts and a little sprinkling of cinnamon for delicious flavour. This is great as a filling and nutritious breakfast and has the added advantage that it is almost entirely free from salt. This comfort food is a great way to start the day. You could also try having granola or smoothies for your morning meal.

 

How about lunch then? Well salads are always a great choice, be sure to get plenty of healthy mixed leaves with a variety of other salad vegetables such as peppers, beetroot, cucumber and carrot. Be sure not to use store-bought dressings as these can often catch you out with alarming high levels of fat and (you guessed it) salt. Homemade soups are a great way to go too. There are plenty of healthy options that you can go for including leek and potato and carrot and coriander – deliciously flavoursome without having to add lots of salt.

 

For dinner you can make use of healthy and filling components such as pasta and then combine it with a delicious sauce using herbs and spices for flavour rather than salt. Herb-roasted turkey or pan-fried steak are another fine choice that impart lots of flavour without having to add any salt to the recipe. The key thing to do is to avoid packaged meals and when you are cooking using herbs and spices to flavour the food rather than salt. This will keep you on the path to healthiness.

Categories: banana, beetroot, flavour, Food, Healthy, nbsp, Salt, salt nbsp

How to Reduce Salt in Your Diet without Missing Flavour

There’s no denying you have too much salt in your diet (unless you’re in a very small minority of Brits who can boast such as wellness claim). Still, just because it’d be better for your wellbeing if you cut down your salt intake, it doesn’t mean you have to compromise on flavour. Here are some low-sodium meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner that taste great without boosting your blood pressure.

 

1. Banana and nut porridge: There is absolutely no sodium in this delicious and comforting breakfast, making it the perfect way to start a winter’s day. Packing your porridge with bananas, nuts, and cinnamon is a great way to rise and shine, being completely devoid of cholesterol and providing just 310 of your daily calorie allowance. Plus, in each serving of this protein-packed breakfast you will find nine grams of fibre, and plenty of blood pressure-lowering potassium in the bananas.

 

2. Granola: While there is a little salt in granola – about 22mg or so – comparatively it’s a little amount and granola is still mega beneficial for your heart. The best thing to do is to cut your prep time down and make a big batch for the week on Sunday night. That way, you can grab this breakfast first thing and not have to think about food again until lunch. As well as being filling and heart-healthy, granola is contains three grams of fibre and three grams of protein per serving.

 

3. Crispy potato hash browns: You don’t have to give up your favourite breakfast side dish, you just need to make a few small changes to make it a little less salty. Using a combination of cooking oil and high heat, rather than the oil traditionally used for frying, this recipe offers the same taste but with only 97mg of sodium.  Plus, each serving of this classic dish yields only 97 calories and less than one gram of fat – what a winner.

 

4. Beetroot, Orange, and Ricotta Salad: When lunchtime rolls around, why not tuck into a nice bit of beetroot? Combining this colourful vegetable with salad, orange and ricotta provides you with 94g protein per serving, even though the calorie count is just 132. This lunch is sweet and salty, despite having only 88mg sodium, so you can satisfy your taste buds without hurting your waistline.

 

5. White bean and roasted garlic dip: If you’re a chips-and-dips kind of snacker, but can’t afford the sodium content, have a go with this 94mg wonder. Grinding up white beans gives you four grams of fibre and seven grams of protein, while using garlic and lemon juice to season this dip cuts the sodium count, which can be sky-high in other savoury dips.

 

6. Pappardelle with lemon gremolata and asparagus: Containing 106mg of sodium, this is the saltiest dish we’ve come across so far but it is dinner we’re talking about here. Combining lemon gremolata with asparagus and pappardelle pasta gives you an amazing burst of vitamin K, five grams of protein and two grams of fibre. Aside from keeping you feeling full all night – and thus helping you to avoid unhealthy snacking – this zesty, fresh dish has only 179 calories per serving.

 

7. Minted gin froth: Bet you didn’t expect to find cocktails on this list! A minted gin froth contains no sodium at all, but that’s not the only reason why you can enjoy it, guilt-free. While being minty and refreshing, a minted gin froth contains no fat and very few calories, so look online for exciting, healthy recipes.

Categories: blood pressure, gin froth, grams, Granola, Hash Browns, lemon gremolata, minted gin, nbsp, Protein, Salt, serving nbsp, sodium

Could These Simple Food Habits be Putting Years on You?

Have you ever heard the saying, ‘you are what you eat’? Put simply, this means that everything that you eat has an impact on the wellness and wellbeing of your body, and this includes the way that your body looks. One of the best anti-aging methods is simply to be aware that the food you eat could be making you look older (and that there is food out there that can actually make you look younger!)

 

Consuming too much full-fat dairy produce or red meat is one of the biggest problems when it comes to looking and feeling older. A study carried out in 2012 by the Brigham Women’s Hospital found that the saturated fats found in red meat and dairy produce can cause the brain to age at a faster rate than other types of fat. This study looked into the dietary habits of around 6,200 women who were over 65, and found that those who had the highest intake of saturated fat also scored the worst on cognitive tests. The good news is that if you want to slow down the aging of the brain, you can actively take in monounsaturated fats such as avocado oil and olive oil.

 

Using too much salt is also a big no no when it comes to anti aging. A little salt is a good thing, and should never be avoided altogether, but too much salt dehydrates the body, causing kidney disease and high blood pressure, and it can also be linked to low cognitive health and low physical activity.

 

Having a sweet tooth is also, unfortunately, a red flag when it comes to anti aging. Sugar has a damaging effect on collagen, and this leads to the sagging of your skin and to wrinkles appealing. Whilst a cake or two here and there won’t do any damage, many people consume far too much sugar and should cut down if they want their skin to stay youthful.

Categories: aging, anti, anti aging, body, dairy produce, Food, nbsp, red meat, Salt, years

Eating Out While On The DASH Diet

Everyone wants to lose weight. It might seem like an exaggeration but it definitely seems to be true that most people are not happy with their weight or physical appearance and feel like they could stand to lose a few pounds or alter their body image. This has led to many people going on many different diets. There are hundreds of them out there – maybe even thousands, and every single one makes claims to be the best and offer you the ideal way to lose weight.

 

One such example of this is the DASH diet, which is a diet that emphasises healthy eating to help to treat or prevent high blood pressure, or hypertension. The main principal of the DASH diet is to reduce your intake of sodium and promote the eating of foods that are rich in nutrients.  DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. But what happens when you’d like a night off from cooking at home?

 

If you’ve decided to go out for dinner, it can be a worry that you’ll kill off your diet. That’s because eating out generally involves large amounts of fat, salt and sugar. This is especially true of a diet like the DASH diet, where there is a very serious amount of importance placed on the foods that you avoid, and that you should do everything you can to avoid salt. We’ve produced a simple list of tips to make things easier for you. Keeping these tips in mind, you can dine out and still follow the DASH diet.

 

So, the top tip when dining out and trying to stay on the DASH diet is that you should find ways to cut back on salt basically any way that you can. It is completely OK to ask for your food to be prepared with less salt and other sodium heavy products. Most restaurants will be very accommodating to your wishes. Of course, another good idea is to limit your consumption of condiments which are often full of salt, and especially to remember to avoid adding any salt to the meal yourself with the salt shaker. Choose fruits and vegetables rather than salty options for your appetiser and be mindful of how likely certain dishes on the menu are likely to be packed with salt. Best avoid those anchovies and olives!

 

Another great move is to reduce your consumption of unhealthy fats. Once again this could be an example of a time where you can ask for your food to be cooked a different way – it’s worth choosing olive oil instead of butter or other very bad fats. Other great tips include asking for vinegar and olive oil for a salad dressing instead of one that is high in other bad fats. You should do your best to trim off any visible fats from your meat or poultry.

 

Don’t forget that’s easy to slip up at any time during the meal when you are in a restaurant. When selecting a drink try to choose something that does not have lots of sugar in it. When you’re about to choose an appetiser, you should select something that does not have lots of fat or sugar. When you’re going about selecting a main course you should try to avoid foods that have been cooked in unhealthy ways and instead choosing something that has been steamed or boiled. And perhaps the easiest place to slip up comes when you’re choosing your desert. It might be best just to avoid this course altogether or opt for fruit.

Categories: avoid, Dash, dash diet, diet, Lose weight, nbsp, olive oil, Salt, Tips

Salt Shakers: How to Consume Less Sodium In Your Diet

Having too much sodium in your diet can lead to a whole host of health problems, and the main issue is that most of us don’t know how much sodium we’re getting. Although your body needs sodium to transmit nerve impulses, maintain fluid balance and help in the contraction and relaxation of muscles, you need less than 2,300 mg a day – which is about 1,100 less than the average diet contains. So, what can you do to cut back on sodium?

 

1. Eat fresh: You’ll find low levels of sodium in most fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as in fresh sources of meat. However, you should steer clear of bacon, hot dogs, sausage and ham.

 

2. Look on the label: If you really can’t get over your love for processed foods, at least pick the ones that say “low sodium” on the label. Still, it’s better to buy plain, wholegrain rice and pasta than those found in ready-meals or with added seasonings. When buying any food items, watch out for salt-containing ingredients like monosodium glutamate (MSG), baking soda, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, disodium phosphate, sodium alginate, sodium citrate and sodium nitrate. You should also avoid products with more than 200 mg of sodium per serving, and make sure you know how many servings are in a package

 

3. Revamp your recipes: It may not be the way your grandmother made it but you should remove salt from recipes whenever you can. Often, you won’t even notice salt is gone, especially in hearty meals like casseroles, soups, stews and other main dishes. If you need a little more inspiration, find cookbooks that focus on guarding your wellbeing against high blood pressure and heart disease.

 

4. Cut down on condiments: Although they don’t make up a huge part of your diet, condiments are not worth the salt-content they give you. There’s sodium in soy sauce, salad dressings, sauces, dips, ketchup, mustard and relish, so it’s better to flavour your food with delicious herbs, rather than throwing on some sauce at the end. Fresh or dried herbs, spices, zest from citrus fruit, and fruit juices can really help to jazz up your meals.

 

5. Be suspicious of substitutes: Let’s get this straight right now; sea salt is not a good substitute for table salt – they have the same sodium content. You can get “light” salts which contain a mixture of table salt and other compounds, but this often means that you use even more of the light salts to achieve the salty taste you’re used to. Plus, a lot of these substitutes contain potassium chloride which, when eaten in excess, can threaten your wellbeing. This is certainly the case if you have kidney problems or if you’re taking medications for congestive heart failure or high blood pressure that cause potassium retention.

 

6. Learn the lingo: Manufacturers make cleverly-worded claims about the sodium content of food, so you need to learn the difference between good marketing and a low-sodium product. If it says sodium-free or salt-free, there will be less than 5 mg of sodium in each serving. The label “very low sodium” indicates a sodium content of 35 mg or less per serving, while “low sodium” means a serving containing 140 mg of sodium or less, and reduced or less sodium means that the product contains at least 25% less sodium than the regular version. For a product to be “light” in sodium, the sodium content needs to be reduced by at least 50% from the regular version and, finally, unsalted or no salt added means that no salt has been added to the food, but the product, or some of its ingredients, may still be naturally high in sodium.

Categories: blood pressure, high blood, light salts, Read the label, regular version, Salt, sodium, sodium content, sodium means, substitutes, table salt

Natural Ways to Help Your Skin Look Young and Healthy

If one of the reasons that you are not that ‘into’ anti-aging is that you think you cannot afford the products, then think again. You can actually protect the wellness and wellbeing of your skin using simple products that you find around the house.

 

Not only is this a cheaper method than buying the latest pills and potions, but you may also be doing your skin a favour in the long run. There are over 10,000 chemical ingredients in some of the most common personal care products. It’s also worth noting that skincare products are not regulated by the FDA or any other government agency, and as such nobody is really aware of what is going into them or the potential long-term effects that they could have. Thousands of chemicals that people use on their skin daily (around 89 percent of all products in fact) have not been safety tested.

 

Instead, you can mix up a batch of your own homemade skin care products, and keep this going for ages.  The simple ingredients that are recommended instead for your skin are lemon, baking soda, salt, olive oil and white vinegar – all things that you either have in your cupboard or have easy access to.

 

To make a skin softener, for example, you can mix two parts of extra virgin olive oil and salt together to make a fantastically warm skin softener. The salt soaks up the oil, and you then use it to scrub your whole body. Make sure you wash it off thoroughly, though.

 

If it’s bath products that you’re after, why not make a citrus mix by cutting two lemons into very skinny slivers. Drizzle a few drops of olive oil onto the slices of lemon, and then add some sea salt. When you are running a hot, steamy bath, pour the mixture into the bath and allow it to settle. When you get into the bath with this, your skin will feel renewed and rejuvenated.

Categories: bath, care products, health, Natural, nbsp, olive oil, products, Salt, skin, skin softener

Unhealthy Snacks You Didn’t Realise Were Bad for You

In an ideal world, everyone would snack on fruit and carrot sticks. If you’re one of the few that already do, well done! For everyone else, snacking is a tricky area of your diet to navigate. It can be difficult to know what’s good for you and what isn’t – you may be surprised to know that some of these snacks make the unhealthy list, despite much PR to the contrary. It’s easy to be swayed by a bit of fancy marketing that tells you that something is good for you, but do you really know what you’re eating? Here are a few snacks masquerading as good for you, and the real nutritional details you need to know about.

Home-style popcorn

Popcorn should be great for dieters, as its naturally low in fat and calories, a whole grain and surprisingly high in antioxidants. If you were to make this from freshly popped kernels in your own home, you’d be fine. However, in the hands of manufacturers this becomes an unhealthy snack. Suddenly, our low-calorie snack food is high in salt, trans fats, calories and sugars.

Yoghurt

If yoghurt was left alone by the food industry, it would maintain its healthy nature. However, most yoghurts on the market are packed with sugars and added flavours that make them an unhealthy snack. Some products contain corn syrup, gelatine and corn starch – not ingredients you want to be eating on a regular basis. Stick to natural yoghurt and just add fruit for a sweetener – a far healthier way to eat this product.

Ritz crackers

Cheese and crackers may sound like a harmless snack, but just one serving of this has more salt and twice the saturate fat as a small portion of chicken nuggets – even more alarmingly, it contains more sugar than two Hershey’s kisses. Cheese is incredibly high in fat, so if you want to snack on this you should limit yourself to just a dice-sized cube.

If you want to make healthier choices with your snacks, you need to look for those that are high in protein, fibre, minerals, vitamins, and that are low in salt, sugar and fats. The ingredients are the top of the list will indicate to you what your product is made of. So, for example, if it is high in sugar, you know you should avoid it. Don’t be fooled by other variations though, such as glucose or malt syrups, as these are still sugar by another name. Check for foods that say they contain whole grains to ensure that they really are made up of whole wheat flour, or the equivalent. If there is just a small quantity of it, then it won’t be as good for you as you think. Try to stick to unprocessed foods where possible, such as fresh fruit and raw vegetables – you could also add a healthy dip such as houmous to make them taste a little more appealing. Nuts and seeds, as long as they are salt and sugar free, are great for snacking as they contain plenty of healthy oils and fats and are low in calories, salt and sugars. Snacking is often more out of habit than a need to eat, so try having a glass of water when you feel hungry to ensure that you really are craving food – dehydration is often mistaken for hunger and could lead to you eating empty calories throughout the day.

Categories: calories, high, popcorn, Ritz crackers, Salt, Snack, snacks, Sugar, unhealthy, unhealthy snack

Unhealthy Snacks You Didn’t Realise Were Bad for You

In an ideal world, everyone would snack on fruit and carrot sticks. If you’re one of the few that already do, well done! For everyone else, snacking is a tricky area of your diet to navigate. It can be difficult to know what’s good for you and what isn’t – you may be surprised to know that some of these snacks make the unhealthy list, despite much PR to the contrary. It’s easy to be swayed by a bit of fancy marketing that tells you that something is good for you, but do you really know what you’re eating? Here are a few snacks masquerading as good for you, and the real nutritional details you need to know about.

Home-style popcorn

Popcorn should be great for dieters, as its naturally low in fat and calories, a whole grain and surprisingly high in antioxidants. If you were to make this from freshly popped kernels in your own home, you’d be fine. However, in the hands of manufacturers this becomes an unhealthy snack. Suddenly, our low-calorie snack food is high in salt, trans fats, calories and sugars.

Yoghurt

If yoghurt was left alone by the food industry, it would maintain its healthy nature. However, most yoghurts on the market are packed with sugars and added flavours that make them an unhealthy snack. Some products contain corn syrup, gelatine and corn starch – not ingredients you want to be eating on a regular basis. Stick to natural yoghurt and just add fruit for a sweetener – a far healthier way to eat this product.

Ritz crackers

Cheese and crackers may sound like a harmless snack, but just one serving of this has more salt and twice the saturate fat as a small portion of chicken nuggets – even more alarmingly, it contains more sugar than two Hershey’s kisses. Cheese is incredibly high in fat, so if you want to snack on this you should limit yourself to just a dice-sized cube.

If you want to make healthier choices with your snacks, you need to look for those that are high in protein, fibre, minerals, vitamins, and that are low in salt, sugar and fats. The ingredients are the top of the list will indicate to you what your product is made of. So, for example, if it is high in sugar, you know you should avoid it. Don’t be fooled by other variations though, such as glucose or malt syrups, as these are still sugar by another name. Check for foods that say they contain whole grains to ensure that they really are made up of whole wheat flour, or the equivalent. If there is just a small quantity of it, then it won’t be as good for you as you think. Try to stick to unprocessed foods where possible, such as fresh fruit and raw vegetables – you could also add a healthy dip such as houmous to make them taste a little more appealing. Nuts and seeds, as long as they are salt and sugar free, are great for snacking as they contain plenty of healthy oils and fats and are low in calories, salt and sugars. Snacking is often more out of habit than a need to eat, so try having a glass of water when you feel hungry to ensure that you really are craving food – dehydration is often mistaken for hunger and could lead to you eating empty calories throughout the day.

Categories: calories, high, popcorn, Ritz crackers, Salt, Snack, snacks, Sugar, unhealthy, unhealthy snack

How to Tell if You Are Getting the Right Amount of Salt

A little-discussed aspect of diet and nutrition is the amount of salt that the average person takes into their diet. Recent figures show that the average American diet contains twice the necessary daily amount of salt. To protect your wellness and wellbeing, you should start to become aware of how much salt you are taking in and to actively try to reduce the salt and sodium in your diet.

 

Currently, the recommended daily amount of salt is less than 2,400mg, which represents less than one teaspoon of salt per day.

 

Of course, there are always people who are suffering with the other end of this problem, and taking in too little salt can be as dangerous as taking in too much. A low sodium diet puts anyone with a chronic illness or the elderly at risk of a condition called hyponatremia (also known as low blood sodium).

 

This condition is very difficult to diagnose without a blood test, and symptoms can include headaches, nausea, confusion, loss of consciousness and lethargy. The elderly are most at risk from this condition as the human body becomes less able to metabolise sodium as it gets older.

 

Some medications can also interfere with the body’s ability to absorb sodium: medicines that are particularly bad for this include pain medications, diuretics and antidepressants. Those who have a chronic illness such as Addison’s Disease, dehydration, hypothyroid, cirrhosis and heart or kidney failure are also at increased risk of developing a problem absorbing sodium, and so should be aware of the symptoms and see their GP if they feel it is necessary.

 

Too much salt can be very dangerous for those with high blood pressure. In these instances, a strict allowance of no more than 1,500mg of salt per day is recommended. Research has shown that those who have high blood pressure and keep their sodium levels under control prevent their blood pressure from rising and also allow their blood pressure medication to work more efficiently. Too much salt can result in a worsening of blood pressure symptoms such as shortness of breath and swelling, and it can also lead to weight gain.

Categories: Blood, blood pressure, Chronic Illness, high blood, Intake, levels, nbsp, pressure, Salt, sodium

Have Lower Levels of Salt in Bread Contributed to UK Health?

Supermarket packaged bread may be more beneficial to your wellness than ever, as a new study has found that the average salt content in such bread has fallen by 20% over the last decade. Bread is the biggest contributor of salt to the UK diet, but the study, published in the online journal BMJ Open, found that your wellness may be more secure from the damaging impact of salt, as salt levels in packaged bread in supermarkets across the UK fell from 1.23g per 100g in 2001, to 0.98g per 100g in 2011.

 

‘This study shows that the salt content of bread has been progressively reduced over time, contributing to the evidence base that a target-based approach to salt reduction can lead to reductions being made,’ the study authors, from the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine in London, explained. ‘A wide variation in salt levels was found, with many products already meeting the 2012 targets, indicating that further reductions can be made. This requires further progressive lower targets to be set, so that the UK can continue to lead the world in salt reduction and save the maximum number of lives.’

 

Professor Graham MacGregor, chairman of Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH), and professor of cardiovascular medicine at the Wolfson Institute, commented, ‘A reduction in population salt intake is one of the most cost-effective measures to improve public health, as lowering salt intake lowers blood pressure and reduces the number of people suffering and dying from strokes, heart attacks and heart failure. Bread is the single biggest contributor of salt to the UK diet and it is vital that we set challenging targets for the bread industry in order to save the maximum number of lives.’

 

According to a spokesman from the Department of Health, ‘Too much salt can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. So we are really pleased that there has been a 20 per cent reduction in the amount of salt in bread and are continuing to work with industry, through the Responsibility Deal, to help people reduce their salt intake. Many foods contain higher levels of salt than we might expect so it’s important to check the label. To make it easy for everyone to keep track of what they eat and make healthier choices, we will soon be announcing a simple and clear system for front-of-pack labelling that everyone can use to help people make healthier choices.’

Categories: Bread, Research, Salt

Comfort Food: How to Beat Arthritis with Your Food Habits

To avoid arthritis from debilitating your wellbeing, you need to ensure that you follow the proper treatment and management plan. This involves your choice of foods, as well as exercise and the medicines that your doctor prescribes. What you eat can worsen the wellness symptoms of arthritis, but the right kinds of foods can also help you relieve your pain and discomfort.

Firstly, spice up you diet with more vegetables such as garlic, onions and ginger. According to renowned dietician Naini Setalvad, ‘I would even suggest simply chewing on ginger all day long – that truly helps!’ You should also stock up on your supplies of chillies, getting a good range of everything from capsicum to fresh green chillies, and use other spices such as cloves and cinnamon. Setalvad adds that rotis made of jowar, nachani, raagi and bajri are great for your arthritis-ridden joints because they contain nutrients that help ease the problem.

Next, make sure you’re getting plenty of healthy fats to soothe your joints. These can be found in nuts such as walnuts, cashew nuts, pistachios, as well as seeds like sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and flax seeds. You can also get these fats by cooking your food in extra virgin olive oil, and they work to lubricate your joints and provide them with nutritious vitamins. If you have whipped up some rotis, Setalvad says don’t forget to dab them with ghee or coconut flesh to get some healthy fats in there too.

Keeping a food diary can help you to become more aware of foods that worsen the pain. As a rule, these foods tend to comprise of tomatoes, lemon, dairy products and wheat, and so should be avoided where possible. However, the downside to cutting these foods is that you could be depriving your body of much-needed vitamin C, which is vital in fighting inflammation. Therefore, make sure you get the amount you need from other sources, such as guava and blackcurrants. Also, make sure you avoid white foods; namely white flour, sugar and table salt, and replace them with wholemeal flour, natural sweeteners like dates and rock salt and sea salt, which contain additional healing minerals that are not available in white table salt.

Comfort Food: How to Beat Arthritis with Your Food Habits

Categories: Arthritis, Food, foods, Healthy Fats, Salt, Seeds, spices, table salt, White Foods

How to Reduce Your Chance of Premature Ageing with Your Diet

You could end up spending a fortune on anti-ageing products, but is there a simpler way to maintain your youthful look? It turns out, there are certain foods that aren’t only bad for your wellness, but take their toll on your appearance and so simply avoiding certain foods can help you to combat the signs of ageing from the inside out.

Firstly, sugar is a major culprit in making you look older. When you have excess levels of sugar in your body, the sugar attaches to your collagen which makes your skin look stiff and inflexible. In her book, Diet Myths Busted; Food Facts Not Nutrition Fiction, Ann A. Rosenstein writes, ‘losing this elastic resilience of young skin will give the skin deep wrinkles and make it look old.’ She adds that trans fats work much the same way, making your skin look old because ‘trans fats clog and stiffen the arteries and smaller blood vessels.’

Salt is another dietary ingredient which ages you. Salt dehydrates your body, which makes you fatigued and looking more tired and worn out. Excess levels of salt also contribute to kidney disease, high blood pressure and interfere with bone metabolism, so it’s a big no-no for your overall wellbeing. Another dehydrating aspect of your diet is coffee, as caffeine also makes your look and feel tired and worn out.

According to The Dr Oz Show, consuming too much alcohol also dehydrates your body, leading to face full of wrinkles, redness and puffiness, with a lot less collagen. If you’re thinking you can simply replace your usual with an energy drink, think again. Dr Oz asserts that energy drinks damage the enamel in your teeth eight times more than fizzy drinks do, and this makes your teeth look yellow and unhealthy.

When it comes to fizzy drinks, they tend to dehydrate your body and make you look older as they are high in sugar. GalTime.com advises water as the best replacement for fizzy drinks, energy drinks, caffeine and alcohol: ‘A good rule of thumb is to drink half your body weight in ounces. So if you weight 130 lbs, you need 65 ounces of water a day – just over eight cups.’ The website also notes that fried food contributes to collagen break down in your skin, which makes you look wrinkled and worn out.

How to Reduce Your Chance of Premature Ageing with Your Diet

Categories: Alcohol, body, Drinks, energy, Energy Drinks, Excess Levels, fizzy drinks, Salt, skin, Sugar, trans fats

Salt, Sugar, Caffeine, Alcohol: Foods That Age You

When it comes to foods that take their toll on your wellbeing, as well as your ageing process, one underlying theme seems to be that they dehydrate your skin. Sure, you could amp up your intake of water – which is certainly no bad thing for your wellness – but if you really want to make your anti-ageing regime the best it can be, there are certain foods you need to avoid.

With dehydration, the number one culprit to turn on is salt. Anyone who’s ever eaten a bag of crisps will tell you that you get thirsty afterwards, and salt is the reason why. The dehydration that salt causes your body causes you to become fatigued, and this, in turn, makes you look tired and worn out. As an added bonus, consuming salt excessively can cause you to develop high blood pressure and kidney disease, and it also interferes with your bone metabolism. Bottom line: don’t pass the salt.

Another well-known dehydrating ingredient is caffeine. Sure, your morning cup of coffee gets you going in the morning – and there’s nothing wrong with that – but the average Brit drinks four cups of something caffeinated every day, and that’s where the danger of looking fatigued rears its ugly head, as well as yellowing your teeth. The same goes for caffeinated energy drinks and, according to the Dr. Oz Show, energy drinks damage the enamel in your teeth eight times more than fizzy drinks do, which makes your teeth look yellow and unhealthy, meaning that you look older.

While we’re mentioning fizzy drinks, these too tend to dehydrate the body, as they are high in sugar. The Dr. Oz show adds that consuming too much alcohol dehydrates your body, and so that vodka and coke is a cocktail for anti-ageing disaster! However, the ageing properties of alcohol don’t stop dehydration, but Dr. Oz explains that your favourite tipple also causes wrinkles, loss of collagen, redness and puffiness – lovely!

If in doubt, avoid things that are high in salt, sugar, caffeine or alcohol, but if you do partake then GalTime.com recommends plenty of water: ‘A good rule of thumb is to drink half your body weight in ounces. So if you weight 130 lbs, you need 65 ounces of water a day – just over eight cups.’

Salt, Sugar, Caffeine, Alcohol: Foods That Age You

Categories: Alcohol, anti ageing, body, caffeine, Drinks, Energy Drinks, fizzy drinks, Salt, salt sugar, sugar caffeine

Salt May Not Be As Bad For You As You Think

For many years we have known that salt is bad us. In fact, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention have been recommending that Americans cut back on their salt intake for decades. The guidelines advise that lowering that amount of sodium we eat would decrease the growing burden of high blood pressure and heart disease. And through this, it could even prevent deaths.

It’s recommended that we should have no more than a teaspoon of salt per day as a young, healthy person. The level should be around half for people over 40 or those who already have high blood pressure.

Even though the government has been pushing the idea of reduce levels of salt for decades, salty foods have been making a comeback, even for so-called “healthy” chefs like Jamie Oliver. It is becoming more regular that researchers and doctors are starting to doubt the science behind the “recommended daily levels” of sodium intake. According to many, the guidelines just aren’t backed up by the evidence.

A study published in the Journal of Hypertension analysed data from over 6,000 people. The results failed to find an association between lowered salt intake and a lower risk of heart attacks, strokes or death.

Another study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, went even further, suggesting that a low-salt diet might even be bad for us. The authors reported that the less sodium subjects excreted in their urine, the greater their risk was of dying from heart disease.

These findings may be at the more extreme end of the scale, but the fact is that the evidence is divided on how bad salt is for us.

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Salt May Not Be As Bad For You As You Think

Categories: guidelines, Jamie Oliver, Salt

Could Sneaky Salt be taking its Toll on Your Heart Health?

The American Heart Association has spoken out against salt sneaking into the average diet, as they report that the typical Americans’ daily sodium intake is over double what it should be. According to the American Heart Association, it is recommended that you only consume 1500mg of salt daily, but, on average, an Americans’ daily intake is more in the realm of 3400mg every day.

Kelli Dixon, executive director of The Miami Valley Division of the American Heart Association, commented, ‘Americans are eating too much salt, and they are not aware of hidden areas of salt.’ Sodium can sneak into your diet to a greater extent than you realise, and Dixon explained that this is bad news for your heart health and overall wellbeing. ‘Your intake of salt in your diet can mean the difference between having high blood pressure and not having high blood pressure,’ she said, adding that salt increases water retention and makes organs work harder.

With the nation’s wellness in mind, the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association has created the Sodium Swap Challenge, an initiative designed to raise awareness and encourage Americans to reduce their sodium intake in 21 days. As part of the Sodium Swap Challenge, the American Heart Association has identified the Salty Six, which are a list of popular foods that can add high levels of sodium to a diet; breads and rolls, cold cuts and cured meats, pizza, poultry, soup, and sandwiches.

In the first week of the Sodium Swap Challenge, participants are encouraged to look for lower sodium options of breads, rolls, cold cuts and cured meats and to record their daily sodium intake. Then, in week two, the focus will turn on pizza and poultry, in which participants will be advised to make certain changes. This means adding more vegetables to pizza slices, limiting toppings such as cheese and meats, and opting for fresh poultry instead of processed, canned or fried.

Lastly, week three will focus on soups and sandwiches, requiring Americans to read labels closely, look for low sodium cans of soup, meats, cheeses and condiments and build a better sandwich by adding more salad and vegetables. Christine O’Connor, a registered dietician at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Centre, advised, ‘Read your food labels, especially the ingredients, which are listed in descending order from greatest to least. If you see sodium in the first couple of ingredients, it will be a high sodium food. There are also other names like monosodium glutamate, sodium citrate, or sodium alginate, to name a few.’

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Could Sneaky Salt be taking its Toll on Your Heart Health?

Categories: Bread, Pizza, Salt

Eating Too Much Salt Could Trigger Rheumatoid Arthritis

It has been well documented over recent years that eating too much salt can be very bad for you. Salt has been linked the hardening of arteries and to raising blood pressure which can cause a wide range of problems for your wellness. Most healthy-eating diets and nutrition experts recommend eating as little salt as possible and so public awareness for its negative health impact is quite good. However, new research has uncovered a new reason for us to worry about how much salt we’re sprinkling on our food.

A team of researchers has reported that eating a diet laden with salt actually helps the development of autoimmune diseases, where the body’s immune system erroneously attacks healthy cells believing them to be foreign bodies that need to be gotten rid of. Three studies were examined and it was found that salt could indeed increase the risk of multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis.

This has interesting repercussions for how we view the recent rise in the diagnoses of autoimmune diseases as this research suggests that the increase could be down to environmental factors rather than genetics. This research also shows that salt affects the body in ways that we had not yet recognised. This only adds to the body of knowledge that having an excessively salt-rich diet is very bad for your overall health.

But interestingly it was actually an accidental discovery that triggered the researcher team’s interest in salt. They found out that people who ate at fast food restaurants seemed to have higher levels of inflammatory cells than others. While originally assuming that this was down in increased levels of fat it turned out that salt was in fact the culprit and an increasing risk factor for autoimmune diseases.

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Eating Too Much Salt Could Trigger Rheumatoid Arthritis

Categories: autoimmune, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Salt

Effective Salt Solutions For Cold and Flu Symptoms

While the idea of a cure for the common cold might be nothing but a pipe dream, many people are still looking for effective relief of the symptoms of cold and flu. But quite often chemicals and drugs are found to quite ineffective which has seen many people choosing homeopathic alternatives such as solutions made with salt and saline.

One non-pharmacological therapy for sinus congestion and sinus infections know as nasal saline irrigation. This treatment has been known for centuries to be effective in preventing and treating these conditions. It has even been promoted by the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology, which stated that salt can bring relief to these conditions by removing allergens from the nostrils and sinuses.

However, it’s important to use the right kinds of salts as some are less than perfect as a treatment for colds. Salts that contain iodine, anti-caking agents and preservatives can actually irritate the nasal lining and shouldn’t be used. Some of the salts you can use, to avoid these irritants, are pickling salts or Himalayan sea salts. The latter is readily and conveniently available.

Another option using salt to counter the effects of cold and flu symptoms is known as Salt Air Therapy. Salt Air Therapy is the process of breathing in air that contains dry, micronised salt particles which then travel to all areas of the lungs providing a natural cleansing to maintain the respiratory system from within.

This is a safe and natural way to clean the lungs which then promotes the body’s own natural defences to help you get over the cold or flu as soon as possible. If you’re looking for another simple trick try gargling salt water to help keep your throat free from allergens and other problems.

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Effective Salt Solutions For Cold and Flu Symptoms

Categories: cold, Flu, Salt

Which Foods Can Weaken Your Bones?

Our diet plays a very important role in the health of our bones. Recent research has shown that a continuous bad diet puts you at an increased risk factor for developing osteoporosis. This can be very problematic for your overall wellbeing.

In the UK, one in five men and one in two women over the age of 50 will break a bone due to poor bone health. There are an estimated 3 million people suffering from osteoporosis in this country. And your diet can be an important way to fight back against the disease. Here are three foodstuffs to avoid if you want strong bones.

Sugar and saturated fat

It’s no surprise to find that sugar and saturated fat are something to avoid if you want healthy bones. Experts agree that sugar and saturated fat should generally be kept to a minimum if you want a healthy lifestyle. Too much sugar prevents calcium absorption, and saturated fats can form insoluble coats on the intestines. Calcium is the most important nutrient for strong bones and so it’s important your body can process it properly.

Salt

Experts often advise that salt intake should be limited, but it also seems that salt is just as bad for your bones as sugar and fat. Salt is often heavily present in processed foods so it can be easy to eat too much of it without even realising that you’re doing it. Try to avoid processed food and keep salt to a minimum.

Caffeine

Remember that caffeine isn’t only found in tea and coffee; you get plenty of it in fizzy drinks and chocolate as well. Caffeine is only very bad for us in very high doses, so as long as you temper yourself and don’t go crazy then you should be fine.

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Which Foods Can Weaken Your Bones?

Categories: osteoporosis, Salt, Sugar

You may be aware already that eating a large meal of pie and mash isn’t the best diet choice to make for the benefit of your wellness, but a survey has revealed that many supermarket, takeaway and restaurant pies contain more than the recommended daily salt intake for an adult, meaning your wellbeing is even more at risk than you thought. As part of National Salt Awareness Week, Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH) looked at 526 pie, mash and gravy products. Wetherspoons was top of the pubs as the chicken and mushroom pie, served with gravy and peas and a choice of either mash or chips was found to contain 7.5g of salt, 1.5g more than the recommended daily maximum for an adult of 6.0g, and the British Beef and Abbot Ale Pie with the same sides contained 6.7g of salt per meal. Pie meals from Punch Taverns and Hungry Horse pubs also exceeded an entire day’s salt intake, and Wetherspoons’ spokesman, Eddie Gershon, assured that ‘The company is working closely with its suppliers, development chefs and the FSA [Food Standards Agency] to reduce the amount of salt in these two meals, and we would aim to have a salt reduction in the coming months.’ For the supermarket salt shockers, Waitrose topped the tables as the supermarket’s Mushroom and Red Wine Pie contained 2.69g of salt per 270g portion, and its Aberdeen Angus Steak & Ale Topcrust Pie also contained 2.69g of salt for a 300g portion size. Their spokesperson said ‘We want to make it as easy as possible for our customers to eat a healthy diet which is why all of Waitrose products meet the Governments 2010 salt targets. Both of these pies will be reviewed with portion size and salt content, working towards the revised 2012 target.’ However, other supermarkets such as Marks and Spencer and Iceland weren’t far behind Waitrose with some of their pie offerings. The survey was published during the same week that the Department of Health announced 170 firms and organisations had agreed to its ‘Responsibility Deal’ for improving public health in England. Waitrose and Marks & Spencer, along with 5 other Supermarkets, are backing the scheme, and pledged to make a further 15% cut in salt levels by the end of 2012. It’s also important to note that adding mashed potato and gravy can significantly increase the salt content of a meal, such as the Lamb & Mint Pie from Punch Taverns almost doubling the salt content from 3.5g to 6.5g just by adding the mash and gravy. Pies - How bad they are really for your health

You may be aware already that eating a large meal of pie and mash isn’t the best diet choice to make for the benefit of your wellness, but a survey has revealed that many supermarket, takeaway and restaurant pies contain more than the recommended daily salt intake for an adult, meaning your wellbeing is even more at risk than you thought.

 

As part of National Salt Awareness Week, Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH) looked at 526 pie, mash and gravy products. Wetherspoons was top of the pubs as the chicken and mushroom pie, served with gravy and peas and a choice of either mash or chips was found to contain 7.5g of salt, 1.5g more than the recommended daily maximum for an adult of 6.0g, and the British Beef and Abbot Ale Pie with the same sides contained 6.7g of salt per meal.

 

Pie meals from Punch Taverns and Hungry Horse pubs also exceeded an entire day’s salt intake, and Wetherspoons’ spokesman, Eddie Gershon, assured that ‘The company is working closely with its suppliers, development chefs and the FSA [Food Standards Agency] to reduce the amount of salt in these two meals, and we would aim to have a salt reduction in the coming months.’

 

For the supermarket salt shockers, Waitrose topped the tables as the supermarket’s Mushroom and Red Wine Pie contained 2.69g of salt per 270g portion, and its Aberdeen Angus Steak & Ale Topcrust Pie also contained 2.69g of salt for a 300g portion size. Their spokesperson said ‘We want to make it as easy as possible for our customers to eat a healthy diet which is why all of Waitrose products meet the Governments 2010 salt targets. Both of these pies will be reviewed with portion size and salt content, working towards the revised 2012 target.’ However, other supermarkets such as Marks and Spencer and Iceland weren’t far behind Waitrose with some of their pie offerings.

 

The survey was published during the same week that the Department of Health announced 170 firms and organisations had agreed to its ‘Responsibility Deal’ for improving public health in England. Waitrose and Marks & Spencer, along with 5 other Supermarkets, are backing the scheme, and pledged to make a further 15% cut in salt levels by the end of 2012. It’s also important to note that adding mashed potato and gravy can significantly increase the salt content of a meal, such as the Lamb & Mint Pie from Punch Taverns almost doubling the salt content from 3.5g to 6.5g just by adding the mash and gravy.

 

Pies - How bad they are really for your health

Categories: Information, Pies, Salt

Most Salt Sins Come From Every Day Foods

According to a new report from the American Heart Association (AHA) and American Stroke Association, your excess salt intake doesn’t always come down to the salt shaker or a bag of ready salted. Surprisingly, six salty foods have emerged that contain surprisingly high sodium levels including bread and chicken.

 

AHA spokeswoman and research nutritionist at Northwestern University Linda Van Horn, PhD, RD says that ‘Excess sodium in our diets has less to do with what we’re adding to our food and more to do with what’s already in the food’, and over 75% of people’s salt comes from eating processed or restaurant foods.

 

Having too much salt in your diet can damage your wellness, as it can cause swelling, puffiness and bags under the eyes, as well as more seriously threatening your wellbeing with high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.

 

So what are the six salty sins? Firstly, one piece of bread can have as much as 230mg of sodium, which is 15% of your overall recommended daily amount. So if you have two slices of toast for breakfast, a sandwich at lunch and side order of bread at dinner, it quickly adds up.

 

Cold cuts and cured meats also make the list, as pre-packaged turkey can have as much as 1050mg of sodium to reduce spoilage.

 

Therefore, the third item on the list is a sandwich, as putting bread or a roll together with cured meats and adding a salty condiment like ketchup or mustard means one sandwich gives you well over your recommended intake of salt for an entire day.

 

Fourthly, two slices of pizza accounts for a day’s worth of salt, and a single bowl of soup can likewise add up, as it contains 940mg of sodium.

 

Finally, beware of poultry as packaged raw chicken often contains an added salt solution, which can quickly add up depending on how the chicken is prepared the sodium. Just 3 ounces of frozen and breaded chicken nuggets contains about 600 mg of sodium. Think on your salty sins and try halving a sandwich with a side salad, or limit the cheese on your pizza and add extra veggies.

Most Salt Sins Come From Every Day Foods

Categories: Advice, Salt, Sins