It has never been about being obsessive about the sodium content in your diet. Rather, it is about knowing your sodium intake and then adjusting around it. Most of the time we are unaware of just how much sodium is hidden in our foods and then its easy to go way over the recommended daily limits. So the big question is how do you know how much salt and therefore sodium you have consumed?

Tracking

There are online calculators and apps that help track sodium based on your input. I am still evaluating them to see what makes sense and if its a sustainable activity. After all we do not want it to completely take over our lives! Also, it is especially difficult when eating out since sodium levels are not regularly published in restaurant menus. More on eating out later! In the meantime, I suggest this handy little tool:

I keep a bowl of kosher salt on the kitchen counter with a 1/8 tsp measuring spoon in it. I know that each 1/4 tsp of kosher salt translates to 480mg of sodium (from the nutrition fact label on the package). So depending on how much of this salt was used in a given day, I can do simple math to know my daily intake. Obviously, this would apply to all sources of sodium. If it helps and depending on how accurate you intend to be, a food diary may be relevant too.

Nutrition Labels

Also, reading nutrition fact labels on packages has become second nature now. When cooking from first principles, it’s actually easy since we control everything. However, shortcuts come at a cost. Every time a store bought sauce/paste/seasoning is opened, be aware of the sodium content.

Budget

We have found that a simple budget plan helps to plan the day. For example, if the plan is to target 1500mg of sodium per day, you could break it down as 300mg for breakfast and 600mg each for lunch and dinner. Obviously a plan is just a guideline and will vary depending on your habits and what fun social events come along to shake things up!

It’s better for the body to evenly distribute sodium intake over the day rather than getting it all in one meal. Obviously this works well in a regimented routine which most of us are unlikely to stick to day in and day out! Thinking in terms of guidelines helps to keep some room for flexibility for that unplanned tempting snack. For the long term, it is probably better to allow for slip ups and then adjust accordingly. Let’s be kind to ourselves!!