Sayonara, sodium.

Researchers have recently discovered a groundbreaking medical breakthrough that will save an estimated 1 million lives! 1 MILLION lives — amazing!

And chances are you probably haven’t heard a single thing about it.

These researchers at Stanford University, have found that a 10% reduction of daily sodium intake will lead to prevention of 1 million deaths in the United States over the lifetime of adults.  Did you know that the recommended daily value for sodium intake is 2300 mg? Did you know that the average daily intake of sodium in the United States is 3900 mg?!

You already know what will happen if you consume sugar at that rate – obesity, type 2 diabetes, and the list goes on.  So why aren’t the adverse health effects of sodium over-consumption not common knowledge? Hypertension, increased chance of stroke, cardiovascular disease — this is just the beginning of the list.

The array of foods with high sodium content may surprise you.  Even foods you would suspect to be healthy options may deceive you.  Check out some examples in this WebMD piece.

Today’s healthy lifestyle tip is to examine the sodium content on the nutrition label of the foods you eat.  Just give it a try.  You most likely look at the fat contact and sugar content already, so just look a few lines lower and check out the sodium line while you are at it — you may be shocked at what you find, but don’t let this discourage you — awareness is the key to living your healthy life, today.

Snacking.

I am wondering if the following statement is wrong: Snacking and munching on sweet, salty, or sweet and salty treats is a universal vice.

I know that it certainly is a vice for me.  However, I have noticed something about myself — the main reason I munch and snack on things is that I am bored and need to satiate a compulsive need to eat something, anything. But in recent times, I have learned that I am just as content chomping away on carrot sticks, as I am scarfing down a sack of salty potato chips.  I feel that I do not differ greatly from others in this regard.

Because I am so passionate about making simple decisions every day, including today, to improve health, the step to take today is cutting out the salty, sweet, greasy munching and snacking.  Replace Doritos with sliced bell peppers, fruit snacks with real fruit, Cheetos with carrot sticks, chocolate covered raisins with green or red grapes, barbecue chips with edamame,  ice cream with yogurt or a fruit smoothie.

You will notice that you don’t miss those greasy and salty snack foods, and that other munchies, courtesy of nature, are just as effective as satisfying that need to munch (because I know we all have it).

Learn more about healthy snacking here.