by Ralph Mcallister

Created on: June 15, 2010

Living a low sodium lifestyle, like any life-changing decision, should be undertaken with research and planning.  Not to say that taking on a low-sodium lifestyle is not for the faint of heart, because it is a good idea for anyone, particularly in North America where sodium intake, obesity and heart disease are all on the rise.  Considerations in making the decision to moving to a low sodium lifestyle are education, information, planning, action and support, each taken one step at a time.

It was on purpose that the three in combination were mentioned before: sodium intake, obesity and heart disease.  These three are linked in a cycle, one leading to the next.  The National Center for Biotechnology Information has a resourceful website which can help you understand the biological relationship between sodium and obesity, and subsequently hypertension leading to heart disease.  The website content itself is not exactly light reading, but is worth its informational weight in gold. 

Many cases of people making the low sodium lifestyle change unfortunately reach the heart problems phase of this cycle before having made any effort to reduce sodium intake.  Making a choice to live a low sodium lifestyle can keep you from falling victim to this circumstance. 

If you have been affected already by a high sodium diet, you can learn to adjust your life to a healthier pattern by altering the sodium intake.  Education is the first step, and an important one, when making this type of lifestyle change.  Find out what you can about your body, and how it uses sodium, and what happens when too much sodium is consumed over an extended period.

Information is a key element in the change to low sodium living.  Start with a reference of your ideal daily sodium intake.  From this you can manage the amount of sodium you consume throughout the day.  The easiest way to manage this is reading the serving information on packaged foods.  This is a good and practical way to become familiar with sodium levels in natural foods as well.  There are many natural foods packaged and frozen which still contain information on sodium level.

 Searching food and health websites on the internet is the best way to go, however.  If ever there is a doubt with the vast number of websites with expertise displayed, you can always resort to your physician for resources and information to help you manage your sodium intake.

• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next Page >>