Sodi-YUM!

Ok, so I like salt on a few things: watermelon, apples, bread with butter, soups, my hand, an occasional salt lick. Having said that, on any given day I don't have salt at all - at least, I mean, I don't add salt to anything.  It did get me thinking though, how much is too much and where do we get most of our sodium.  I did some digging and this is what I found from the Mayo Clinic: If you look at the picture, 77% of our sodium intake comes from processed and prepared foods, NOT what you add while eating.  Holy water-retention Batman!   

Your body needs some sodium to function properly. Sodium:

• Helps maintain the right balance of fluids in your body
• Helps transmit nerve impulses
• Influences the contraction and relaxation of muscles

Your kidneys regulate the amount of sodium kept in your body. When sodium levels are low, your kidneys conserve sodium. When levels are high, they excrete the excess amount in urine.

If your kidneys can't eliminate enough sodium, the sodium starts to accumulate in your blood. Because sodium attracts and holds water, your blood volume increases. Increased blood volume, in turn, makes your heart work harder to move more blood through your blood vessels, increasing pressure in your arteries. Certain diseases such as congestive heart failure, cirrhosis and chronic kidney disease can lead to an inability to regulate sodium.

Some people are more sensitive to the effects of sodium than are others. People who are sodium sensitive retain sodium more easily, leading to excess fluid retention and increased blood pressure. If you're in that group, extra sodium in your diet increases your chance of developing high blood pressure, a condition that can lead to cardiovascular and kidney diseases.

Note: Most recommend between 1,500 and 2,400 milligrams (mg) a day for healthy adults. A lower sodium intake has a more beneficial effect on blood pressure.

The average U.S. diet has three main sources of sodium:

• Processed and prepared foods. Most sodium in a person's diet comes from eating processed and prepared foods, such as canned vegetables, soups, luncheon meats and frozen foods. Food manufacturers use salt or other sodium-containing compounds to preserve food and to improve the taste and texture of food.
• Sodium-containing condiments. One teaspoon of table salt has 2,325 mg of sodium, and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce has 1,005 mg of sodium. Adding these or other sodium-laden condiments to your meals — either while cooking or at the table — raises the sodium count of food.
• Natural sources of sodium. Sodium naturally occurs in some foods, such as meat, poultry, dairy products and vegetables. For example, 1 cup of low-fat milk has about 110 mg of sodium.

Whether food comes by its sodium naturally or not, your daily intake can add up quickly when you tally the sodium from all of your meals and snacks. Here's an example of how easily sodium adds up:

Breakfast
Scrambled eggs, 2 large 342 mg
Bacon, 1 slice 192 mg
Whole-wheat bread, 1 slice 148 mg
Butter, 2 teaspoons 54 mg
Total sodium for meal 736 mg

Lunch
Whole-wheat bread, 2 slices 296 mg
Ham, luncheon meat, 1 slice 350 mg
Mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon 105 mg
Dill pickle, 1 spear 385 mg
Pretzels, 1 ounce 486 mg
Orange, 1 large 0 mg
Total sodium for meal 1,622 mg

Dinner
Spaghetti noodles, 1 cup 179 mg
Spaghetti sauce, 1/2 cup 601 mg
Parmesan cheese, 1 tablespoon 76 mg
Green beans, canned, 1/2 cup 177 mg
Garlic bread, 1 slice 200 mg
Total sodium for meal 1,233 mg

Total sodium for the day 3,591 mg - YIKES!
(Source: Department of Agriculture, Nutrient Data Laboratory, 2005)

Let's be honest here folks, those meals look pretty "ok" right?  I mean, there are elements where we all know aren't great but overall it looks ok.  Not so much!  So if you see me salting something, don't just yell at me but also ask me what i've eaten that day.  Then yell at me, ok?