Forums: January 2011 Kickstart Forum: sodium/salt
Created on: 01/06/11 01:02 PM Views: 1307 Replies: 5
ctrteresa Joined: 01/04/11 Location: SE Tennessee Posts: 12	sodium/salt Posted Thursday, January 6, 2011 at 1:02 PM I did a search before I started this topic and couldn't really find the info I'm looking for. What exactly is the "ideal" amount of sodium PER SERVING of food. I have borderline high blood pressure and do not want to go back on medicine for it. I usually don't cook with salt. Just lately I've discovered sea salt and use that on some things, but most of the time I forget it. (If a recipe calls for salt, I usually half it or leave it out.) I've always avoided boulion cubes because they're very high in sodium. I saw some no-chicken and no-beef boulion that has about 900 mg per serving (1/2 cube). That seems like a huge amount of sodium to me. How do I make "chicken" soup if I can't use this and obviously can no longer use my low-sodium organic canned chicken broth. Is there a ready-made vegan "chicken" broth out there? I couldn't find one when I googled. Everything came up as a boulion or make-it-yourself. The make-it-yourself wouldn't be cost effective for me, because I seldom use chicken flavoring. I only ever purchased chicken broth if I needed it for a recipe.
	Edited 01/06/11 1:03 PM Quote | Send PM | Link | Top | Bottom
karajake Joined: 01/04/11 Posts: 14	RE: sodium/salt Posted Thursday, January 6, 2011 at 1:30 PM here is a boullion I really like, specifically because of the no MSG. See what you think http://www.superiortouch.com/retail/products/better-than-bouillon/vegetarian-bases
	Quote | Send PM | Link | Top | Bottom
tinabean Joined: 09/08/10 Location: Pasadena, TX Posts: 113	RE: sodium/salt Posted Thursday, January 6, 2011 at 1:50 PM Pacific makes a low-sodium veg broth. I don't know how it compares to chicken broth. I generally don't buy anything that advertises itself as tasting like chicken because I've been vegetarian so long it icks me out. At my neighborhood store it's in the health food section and not the soup section. I'm not sure if they do that so that we healthy types don't have to wander the whole place or so that we don't comparison shop against the more traditional brands. I like to think it's because they're trying to do us a favor.
	Quote | Send PM | Link | Top | Bottom
Bugsmom Joined: 09/13/10 Posts: 2072	RE: sodium/salt Posted Thursday, January 6, 2011 at 2:33 PM I think it's something under 200 mg sodium per serving if you're in the hypertensive range, less than 1000 mg per day. Also, make sure to get 2:1 to 4:1 ratio of potassium to sodium. So, if you have a favorite product/recipe that has 150 mg of sodium, try to get at least 500 mg potassium somewhere along the way to balance it. Google the DASH plan (Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension) and they explain a lot about the sodium/potassium balance. Potassium, from what I can remember, helps relax the blood vessels so they are more elastic - the more rigid they are, the higher the blood pressure going through them, the more elastic the more the pressure comes down. --Deb R
	Quote | Send PM | Link | Top | Bottom
ctrteresa Joined: 01/04/11 Location: SE Tennessee Posts: 12	RE: sodium/salt Posted Thursday, January 6, 2011 at 4:14 PM karajake wrote: here is a boullion I really like, specifically because of the no MSG. See what you think http://www.superiortouch.com/retail/products/better-than-bouillon/vegetarian-bases AWESOME! I'm going to stop at the whole foods on my way home to see if they have it. 690 mg per serving is MUCH better than 900 mg per serving! I appreciate the help.
	Quote | Send PM | Link | Top | Bottom
Bugsmom Joined: 09/13/10 Posts: 2072	RE: sodium/salt Posted Thursday, January 6, 2011 at 4:22 PM ctrteresa wrote: karajake wrote: here is a boullion I really like, specifically because of the no MSG. See what you think http://www.superiortouch.com/retail/products/better-than-bouillon/vegetarian-bases AWESOME! I'm going to stop at the whole foods on my way home to see if they have it. 690 mg per serving is MUCH better than 900 mg per serving! I appreciate the help. And, as you know, don't forget to check the serving size and make sure you're comparing apples to apples (600 mg/serving is definitely better than 900 mg...unless the serving size is 1/3 less than the other). Current studies indicate that about 1500 mg sodium per day is PLENTY of sodium for most people - don't want to be too low or too high. So, a serving of 690 mg soup is about half the day's worth of sodium (and it's often based on half cup servings!) --Deb R --Deb R
	Quote | Send PM | Link | Top | Bottom

New Topic Reply Subscription Options

Page: 1

There are 21 active user sessions right now.