Stop excess sodium to save your health
Buddha advised, “Let yourself be open, and life will be easier. A spoon of salt in a glass of water makes the water undrinkable. A spoon of salt in a lake is almost unnoticed.” World Cup champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist Hope Solo, goalkeeper for the U.S. women’s national soccer team from 2000 to 2016, gets to about the same conclusion her own way: “It’s all in fun. I take everything with a grain of salt.”
They’re right about how much salt to consume, and because of new guidelines, it may be easier for you to get it right, too. The Food and Drug Administration just asked (not required) the restaurant and food industry to reduce sodium in processed, packaged and prepared foods by 12 percent over the next 2½ years.
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine says the Chronic Disease Risk Reduction Intake for sodium is 2,300 milligrams, or 1 teaspoon, daily for anyone age 14 and older.
You can reduce your intake, before the industry takes steps, by dodging hidden salt. Plain, frozen shrimp delivers around
800 milligrams in 3 ounces! Fresh, plain, unfrozen shrimp has only about 110 milligrams. Canned soup and cottage cheese — about 700 milligrams per serving. Other unexpected culprits: tortillas, canned vegetables, vegetable juice, grocery store bagels, even canned tuna. Better choices (but do check labels): frozen veggies, fresh tuna — and homesqueezed veggie juices.
Waist not, want not
When you’re overweight or obese, visceral fat is packed around your internal organs, fueling inflammation and causing insulin resistance, high blood pressure and an increased risk for heart attack and stroke, breast and colorectal cancer, Type 2 diabetes, and perhaps dementia.
The best ways to trim that fat, reduce your waistline (men to below 40 inches; women below 38), and fight off aging-related health problems:
■ Resistance training two to three times weekly using your body weight, stretchy bands or weight machines.
■ Eating a fiber-rich, plantbased diet with no red or processed meats, added sugars or highly processed foods.
■ Seven to eight hours of sleep nightly — too little or too much packs on visceral fat.
■ Stress management to lower chronically elevated cortisol hormone levels that encourage adding belly fat (in case you need extra fuel to fight off an attacking tiger).
Email questions for Mehmet Oz and Mike Roizen to youdocsdaily@sharecare.com.