The Low Sodium DietSodium is an essential element responsible for a number of important functions in a humn body. It helps regulate blood pressure, muscle and nerve functions. In a world of fitness, sodium is mostly known for its role in hyponatremia.
Just as other dieting and exercise myths, hyponatremia is a byproduct of a mistaken belief, which could lead to water intoxication. For some unknown reason, some athletes believe that drinking as much water as possible during exercise increases performance.
This practice could lead to overhydration, consequently reducing the sodium concentration in your body to dangerously low levels. On another hand, many experts recommend reducing your sodium intake to better manage high blood pressure, or hypertension, which affects millions of Americans.
But what if you are not necessarily concerned with health related aspects of sodium intake? Maybe because of too much sodium, you simply do not like how your favorite foods taste.
Although I prefer to get my protein from fresh sources [meat, poultry and seafood] – this is not always possible. Canned salmon and sardines are excellent sources of calcium, as well as protein.
You can always look for reduced-sodium, or no salt added version of these products, but it could be time consuming, or simply not available in your area. For instance, lightly-smoked wild salmon, or Al Fresco Chicken Sausage are also good sources of protein.
I like these products, but they contain too much sodium for my taste, leaving me often thirsty after I eat them. So how can you reduce excess sodium in your favorite prepackaged foods?
Remove original packaging, put its content in a container, cover with cold water, and refrigerate overnight. That is it! Next morning, remove from the container, rinse with water, and refrigerate as you normally would.
This little technique does not remove all sodium, but it makes a difference that you can taste. If you are on a strict low sodium diet, AlsoSalt substitute seems promising. The Diet-Blog recently posted an excellent review about this product.