The two things most of us can and should cut down on in our diets is sugar and salt.
Too much sugar in our diets leads to excess weight as well as increased risk for diabetes and heart disease to name a few. Excess salt can damage our kidneys and can be even more dangerous to those already suffering from kidney disease or malfunctions. Excess salt is also believed to be linked to elevated risk of high blood pressure which is a risk factor for heart disease.
Our diets are way too rich in both sugar and salt. So when my blood pressure began to rise I decided that I was going to make a commitment (besides already working out and watching pretty much what I eat) to cut down on my salt intake that I insist makes my food taste so much better.
I told myself to give it a week where I would not add any table salt to my food and I would sharply decrease the amount added to my cooking. I would also consciously choose foods with less sodium content as well.
A week went by pretty fast after which I found myself at a social get together where snacks were being served, and upon eating something I had eaten before at this particular house, I could really taste the salt. It tasted strong….too strong.
I realized that after about a week my taste buds had become comfortable and more accustomed to less salt. But even more to the point was realizing how much excess salt I must have been consuming.
So being aware that excess sugar can also have an impact on blood pressure as well as a negative impact on our blood vessels, I decided to do the same with sugar. I forgot to mention that I love candy…especially chocolate. I decided that for a week, I would cut out ALL unnecessary sweets.
I ate fruit instead when my sweet tooth craving kicked in…and I did not eat it excessively. I also did not feel deprived as time went on. I just told myself to give it a week before I allowed any small sweet indulgence back into my life.
After a few days, I actually felt physically better and was not suffering from that daily afternoon drag that was becoming a regular part of my routine.
I felt even better when I had an appointment with my doctor where I discovered my blood pressure had decreased significantly. Now I can’t be positive that my cutting down so much on salt and sugar contributed to this significant decrease, but I do know it certainly didn’t hurt.
And I found out that all it took was a week to feel differently and for my taste buds to actually prefer this new and better way of eating….less salt and less sugar. In fact, I don’t even crave these things anymore.
The holidays are over….just give it a week………………..
