Sodium – How much is okay?

All of us need sodium for our bodies to function well.   It regulates blood pressure and fluid balance.  Overdoing it, however, can be dangerous with regard to high blood pressure and heart disease.

The daily recommended daily intake of sodium is just over 2000mg (ONE TEASPOON).  The next time you go shopping, look through the pasta sauce and soup options, for example, and surprise yourself by noting how much sodium is in one serving (keeping in mind, once again, that you need to take a look at the serving size line on the label – one can of soup might contain 2 servings).

I’ve recently started making my own pasta sauce at home…

One can of crushed tomatoes (no sodium)

Garlic

Diced onions

Italian seasonings of my choosing

Red pepper flakes

A bit of salt and pepper to taste, which I can control. 

Not only do I feel more confident about what I’m serving the folks around my table, but it takes about as long to prepare as unscrewing a jar of the store bought variety and heating it up.  AND it’s a heck of a lot cheaper.