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In the Kitchen:

• Cook plain rice, pasta, and hot cereals using less salt than the package calls for (try 1/8 teaspoon of salt for two servings). "Instant" rice, pasta, and cereals may contain salt added by the processor.

• Adjust your recipes, gradually cutting down on the amount of salt. If some of the ingredients already contain salt, such as canned soup or vegetables, you may

not need to add any more salt at all.

• Use herbs and spices as seasonings for vegetables and meats instead of salt.

At the Table:

Taste your food before you salt it. Does it really need more salt? Try one shake instead of two. Gradually cut down on the amount of salt you use. Your taste will adjust to less salt.

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Where's the Salt?

The following table will give you an idea of the amount of sodium in different types of food. Individual products vary. Information on food labels can also help you make choices to moderate your sodium intake.

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Summing Up:

It's natural to think about fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, or sodium as separate parts of your diet, but the best idea is to look at your diet as a whole. You can have small amounts of any food as part of a balanced diet. For example, if one of your food choices is relatively high in fat and

sodium, such as baked ham, choose low fat and low sodium foods to eat with it, such as fresh or plain frozen vegetables cooked with little salt and seasoned with herbs instead of butter or margarine.

A Food Choice Checkup

Think about your own food choices. Use these quizzes to check your diet for fat and sodium and see where you might begin to make some small changes as suggested in this section.

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Several checks in the last two columns mean you may have a high fat or sodium intake. Perhaps you could use those types of foods less often, or in smaller quantities. Watching your fat and sodium can be a real challenge at certain meals or snacks. See Section 4 for ideas on healthful snacks, desserts, and tips for eating out.

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