Leaving behind my shaker of salt in Margaretville

My family will tell you in a loud voice that I was a salt-aholic. I would grab for the saltshaker without even tasting my food. Not a good habit. Most are in agreement that your daily intake of salt should be kept to a minimum, a teaspoon for your total daily intake. This includes all the salt that is hidden in most processed foods.

Since starting Joy’s plan I have cut back and frankly have put my saltshaker on vacation for the last three weeks. I use a lower sodium hot sauce if I feel the need to flavor my food.

I haven’t really given it much thought until this weekend when I was having lunch with my parents at Panera. I ordered the Low fat chicken noodle soup; I am fighting a cold and it seemed like the thing to do. The soup was served lukewarm and I sent it back but the salty taste from one spoonful stayed with me all day.  I did a web search on the nutritional value of the soup and learned that just one cup had 1110mg of sodium or 46% of your daily intake of salt.  Lesson learned!

Tip: I have taken the saltshaker off my spice shelf and have replaced it with Vege-Sal Vegetized Seasoning Salt. It is lower in sodium than salt and its mix of spices and vegetables gives my food a nice flavor without all the sodium. I find it my local grocery store or health food market.