How Bad Is Sodium In Our Food?

When it comes to sodium- a lot of people don’t know much other than it brings flavor to food and any other item that you put it in. Although sodium usage in our food and beverages can taste good, in the realistic realm of things, sodium that is found in our food is not good for us at all, especially if you use too much of it in your food.

Sodium In The Body

We don’t want to put across the fact that sodium is bad for you or your body,  that’s not the case at all. Sodium is something that your body does need to function; it’s needed for many basic processes that are very crucial to the life that you live. Sodium is good for your muscle, in fact, it helps your muscles to function the way that they need to function.

It gives your nerves the ability to send surges through your body that bring stability to the fluids that are in your body and the tissue that is in your body. But, as it is often said, too much of anything is bad for you and your body. While sodium is something that your body does need, is it the salt that you add to your food while you are cooking it or the levels of salt in prepackaged foods that are bad? Not necessarily, a lot of the sodium that you are taking in is already in the food beforehand.

How Much Salt Is In There?

Salt in itself is not a problem, the problem is the amount of sodium that is in a lot of foods before it is on our plates. A lot of the food that many people take in from stores and restaurants is filled with sodium. A good portion of this is because the salt can help preserve some foods.

This means that when manufacturers put sodium in the food to help preserve it, and then more of it is added in when you cook it or when it is being prepared in the restaurant, you really can’t tell how much of it is in the food that you are consuming in total.

Health Risks

There are many things that can occur from having too much sodium in your diet. Although there are some things that many may know about, there are other health risks that you can develop that you don’t know were caused by sodium. Some of the health risks that can develop from having too much salt in your diet are:

• High blood pressure
• Risk of atherosclerosis (the hardening of your arteries)
• Your blood vessel walls can become damaged
• A raised threat of a heart attack
• A raised risk of a stroke

You may not know that any of these things may be developing. There could be what some consider-silent killers.
Your body can be affected by the sodium and you’re not able to tell a difference until it’s further down the line of it occurring.

Lower Your Intake

There are ways in which you can lower your sodium intake that is easy. One of the first things you can do is not use as much table salt on your food. There are a lot of seasonings that are salt-free that use other spices and herbs that will bring out the flavor of your food in the same way that sodium would do. You can also make sure that you are staying away from processed foods that will have a lot of sodium in them to keep the food longer. Some of these foods include:

• Processed lunch meats
• Frozen meals and entrees
• Fast food
• Canned soups

Better options that you can choose to eat are fresh poultry, fish, meat and a lot of fresh vegetables and fruit. You can also choose reduced salt soups and other low sodium options that are available. In addition, make sure that you are checking your labels so you can see how much sodium is already in the food.