Ring In The New Year... Salt Free!

While many of us make a New Year's resolution to reduce fat, sugar and calories, too many of us overlook the importance of reducing the sodium in our diet when we are trying to lose weight or improve our health. Did you know that Americans typically consume an average of 4,000 mg to 7,000 mg of sodium per day? This is much higher than the latest recommendation of 1,500 mg established by the National Academy of Sciences in 2005. In fact, a sodium intake of just 2,300 mg (the equivalent of one teaspoon of salt) is now considered a health hazard!

Excessive sodium intakes can wreak more havoc than just high blood pressure. Studies show that too much salt can lead to stiffened artery walls, a damaged heart muscle and even insulin resistance. You might be surprised to learn that even osteoporosis and the joint stiffness associated with arthritis can be aggravated by too much sodium. On average, individuals with blood pressures of 90/60, versus "normal" 120/80mm/hg have a 30 percent less chance of experiencing a heart attack or stroke.

While others may find this to be breaking news, those of you that have participated in the Rice Diet program know that we have been touting this information since 1939, treating heart disease, hypertension, obesity and other chronic diseases with a low sodium diet. Kitty Rosati reveals that the best way to avoid skyrocketing sodium levels is to stay away from processed foods. "Though putting down the salt shaker helps, 77 percent of our sodium intake comes from salt added during the processing and manufacturing of our food supply," she warns. Look out for this Top Five List of Most Surprising Sources of Sodium on your grocery store shelves:

1. Bread and Cereal. One serving of the average cereal contains at least 200 to 400 mgs of sodium. A slice of bread usually comes in at 120 mgs; add another slice and some meat and cheese for a sandwich and you are looking at a sodium disaster. To be safe, read labels carefully and look for cereals and breads without added salt.

2. Desserts. Sweets have far more sodium than people imagine. Since fat and sugar seem to lead the diet disaster, the 300-600 mgs of sodium they contain often is not suspected. Try local, organic fruit, or freeze grapes for a delightful sweet alternative.

3. Meat and Dairy. Animal products inherently contain more sodium that many people realize, typically more than 100 mgs of sodium is hidden in a small serving of meat or cup of milk. But, when it gets processed - watch out! A couple of ounces of cheese can slip you 200 to 4,000 mgs of sodium, so read your labels and avoid processed, cured or barbecued meats.

4. Condiments, sauces and pickles. They may look harmless, but their dangers often amaze the previously uninformed sodium consumer. A baked potato only offers 16 mgs of sodium, but jumps to over 1,000 mgs when smothered with cheese sauce. Marinara sauce can contain 10 or 1,000 mgs of sodium depending upon whether you choose the type with added sodium or not; the same is true for a dill pickle, which traditionally contains more than 800 mgs of sodium each.

5. Reduced sodium foods. These seemingly healthy choices can be the most dangerous of all, fooling people into thinking that they are eating a low sodium diet. A regular canned soup can contain over 1,000 mgs of sodium, and their "low sodium" alternative often packs a whooping 790 mgs - that's 1,580 for the entire can! Read labels carefully, prepare more foods from scratch, and look for genuinely healthy alternatives like the Health Valley line of no salt added soups.