When I was writing the Seven to Sleek meal plan, I started off by describing the little puffball under my left eye.  I hate it!  I hate it because I see it, and it’s caused by one of my most favorite things….salty food.  Yep!  Too much salt or sodium in my dinner means that I’m waking up with the puffball.  You would only notice it if I pointed it out to you, but I see it.

Like sugar, sodium is EVERYWHERE.  Dang it.  In fact, the stuff you shake on your food isn’t the problem.  It’s the sodium found in everything from breakfast cereal to frozen burritos.  Our bodies need sodium, but too much can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease and strokes.  On a superficial level, it can make you feel bloated and yes, give you a puffball under your left eye.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and the USDA, we should consume no more than 2300 milligrams of sodium per day.  If you’ve been playing along, we’ve tracked sugar and fiber. Let’s track sodium for a week.  These “tracking weeks” are fine-tuning our healthy diets.  They also serve as a great wake-up call if we are consuming too much or too little of these ingredients.  When we have them just right, chances are your weight stays in check and you feel fabulous in your leather leggings.
If you are down for tracking sodium, you’ll need to read every label and Google the items without a label.  When I do a sodium week, I avoid restaurants because we know that they load even the healthiest of entrees with the salty stuff.  If I do go out for a meal, I choose something with no sauce and always tell the server that I’m watching my sodium intake.  This works great!  For the record, I adore pink Himalayan sea salt.  I sprinkle it on avocados and cherry tomatoes, and it never gives me the puffball.  Soy sauce?  Puffball city!  All right – go for it!  2300 mgs of sodium per day.  Start reading labels and tracking.  This week isn’t easy, but stay within the guidelines and you will be doing your heart and your bod good.

BTW..if you need a good energy bar recipe that is low in salt, I’ve got one for you HERE.