Living Well In Yalobusha County

Several members of the Mississippi Homemaker Volunteers will be traveling to Mississippi State University  next week for the upcoming MHV State Council. This is always an enjoyable time. We will take care of MHV business, visit with old friends, make new friends, and attend workshops and the annual awards banquet. If you are interested in joining MHV it is simple and very inexpensive. Dues are around $7 a year and we do such great things for our community and beyond.  Contact me at the Extension office for more details.
The Healthy You exercise class meets on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Wear cool clothes, comfortable shoes and bring some water to drink.  You do not have to register for this class.
Don’t forget to like us on Facebook at MSU- Yalobusha County Exten-sion Service to keep up with our upcoming events

Waiter, There’s Salt in My Food!
When people say that you just can’t watch your weight if you dine out regularly, many dieticians will disagree. There are just so many lower calorie options out there now. However, when those same people say that restaurant foods have too much sodium, dieticians usually agree.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults should consume no more than 2,300 mg of sodium per day. That recommendation drops to 1,500 mg per day if you’re 51 years of age of older, an African American, or if you have high blood pressure, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease.
While there are 2,400 mg of sodium in a teaspoon of salt, you can easily reach your daily max without ever touching the salt shaker. That’s largely because some foods naturally contain sodium, much of the food in a restaurant kitchen is canned or processed, and restaurant chefs can have a heavy hand with the salt.

Tips for Reducing Salt Intake:
Don’t rely on your taste buds to distinguish the sodium content of a food.  Did you know that a slice of bread has as much sodium as an ounce of chips?  Our taste buds trick us all the time. Refer to the restaurant’s nutrition information, if it’s available.
Learn to eat foods plain. Yes, many meals are loaded in sodium, but the extras–ketchup, mayo, soy sauce, salad dressing, etc.–add even more!
Soups will always be high in sodium and so will salad dressings. Learn to enjoy salads dressed with just oil and vinegar. It’s also wise to restrict high-sodium ingredients like cheese, croutons, and olives.
Avoid processed meats such as salami, ham, sausage, lunch meats etc. Consider cheese as a condiment, rather than the center of a meal. Cheese is not only high in sodium, but it is also high in unhealthy fats.
Article Source: Communicating Food for Health Newsletter, May 2013.