2nd Checkup

The good news is I went back to the doctor and it looks like the Enalapril is really helping. My blood pressure seems back to normal levels, and that's a good thing.

On Wednesday, I went to the pharmacy to refill, and it just so happened I had forgotten to take my pill that day. I took advantage of the blood pressure reader there, and ONE DAY off meds, my bp was 145/90. Ugh! Guess this is for real.

I'm finding the hardest part of watching sodium isn't so much the absence of table salt, but of vinegar and brine. I LOVE pickles, olives, Tabasco sauce, and malt vinegar. All bad, bad, bad. But cutting back has, so far, not upped my taste buds or sense of flavor. At least not noticeably. I just burned my tongue though; maybe on regeneration I'll be able to taste food for real :)

Banning Salt in NY Restaurants

A bill has been introduced in the NY State Assembly that would ban the use of salt in the preparation of restaurant foods. Each violation would result in a $1000 fine.

Even as someone with newfound high blood pressure, I don't think that chefs should be hamstrung from using salt in preparing foods. It's actually a vital component in most successful dishes. Of course, I'm talking about legitimate craftsmen and women who use quality ingredients in original recipes. The sad reality is, though, most restaurants use at least some level of processed foods (courtesy of Sysco). You can usually tell if the menu is far too extensive for a kitchen to freshly prepare every item. Soups and dessert courses are often pre-prepared, which means sodium processing. And THAT's where most of the problem lies—not in the freshly prepared foods (even with added salt), but the prepared/frozen stuff that's just as bad when we prepare it ourselves at home as it is when someone cooks it for us in a restaurant.

I don't think this bill has any chance of passing, and while I hope its drafters intentions were good, it doesn't seem to be the right solution. Chefs should be encouraged to find lower-sodium solutions, but not mandated to do so. Labeling might help, as NY already requires calorie and fat content in most places. But cooking is a creative endeavor, and it's not up to the legislature to limit one's creativity. Sysco, however... that's not creativity.

For more info, here's the news story where I learned about this (via Google search, I'm no fan of Fox).

Sodium Comparison: Girl Scout Cookies

It's Girl Scout Cookie season, and even a low-sodium girl wants to help out. Well, that, and cmon, they're delicious. Here's a list from lowest to highest of sodium content PER COOKIE:

11 mg - Dulce de Leche
12 mg - Reduced Fat Daisy Go Rounds
23 mg - Trefoils
27 mg - Samoas
30 mg - Thin Mints
30 mg - Lemon Chalet Cremes
37 mg - Do-si-dos
37 mg - Thank U Berry Munch
40 mg - Lemonades
42 mg - Caramel deLites
42 mg - Peanut Butter Sandwich
47 mg - Tagalongs
55 mg - Peanut Butter Patties
55 mg - Thanks-A-Lot

Now, obviously, the overall health info (fat content, calories, etc) varies much more greatly. But I'm happy that my personal favorite, Trefoils, are at least towards the lower end of the sodium spectrum :)

Food Review: Trader Joe's Sea Salt & Pepper Crisps

TJ's Sea Salt & Pepper Crisps are made from brown and white rice and baked. There's no wheat, so my gluten-free friends can enjoy them, although the bag does say they are "made on shared equipment with wheat & soy." The crisps have less fat than potato chips, with a texture somewhere between a saltine, which is more airy, and a tortilla chip, which is denser. It's sort of like eating Rice Krispies without the rice puffing up. There's a nice salt and pepper flavor, but the sodium content is only 230 mg for a whopping 38 football-shaped crisps! You can eat a fourth of the bag, and that's a SERVING! I was pretty jazzed to find that out. (Of course, if you're watching your sodium, you should eat less, that's still 15% of your daily recommended intake) Other favorable label notes: no saturated fat (3g total fat/serving), no trans fat, and cholesterol-free.

Taste: 3 out of 4 stars.
Overall rating: 2 1/2 stars.

These chips got me to wondering if sea salt is any healthier or different sodium-wise than regular table salt. For that answer, check out this article courtesy of the Mayo Clinic.

Food Review: Progresso Reduced Sodium Chicken Gumbo

As far as canned soups go, this one isn't bad. The broth is somewhat bland but was freshened up a bit by my addition of black pepper. It's also got rice, celery, tomatos, pretty tough cubed chicken, carrots, and bell peppers in it. I'd never mistake it for a homemade soup, but I don't think I've ever met a canned soup that doesn't taste like one. So for taste, it gets 2 out of 4 stars.

The label says it's 450 mg of sodium/serving, but the thing is, the can is two servings. Besides anorexics, I have no idea who eats half a can of soup. So at 900 mg, I wouldn't go out of my way to add this to my diet. You're spending 60% the standard recommended sodium intake on a bowl of soup. And not a very filling one at that... even though I ate two "servings."

Overall rating: 2 stars.

Sodium-laden Chicken

I was so angry when I heard this story, because chicken is one of those foods that people trying to get healthy should be able to trust. And they're talking about the chicken that we cook at home, in an effort to avoid processing.

Here's what's happening: More than 30% of chicken in grocery stores is injected with saltwater. Those numbers will most likely continue to grow unless the Department of Agriculture steps in to change standards in labeling.

The saltwater adds weight to the product (up to 15%), meaning you pay more per pound. But even more insidious,

A serving of the plumped chicken can contain more than five times the amount of sodium as a serving of regular chicken, [Senator Barbara] Boxer said. A serving of chicken typically has 70 milligrams of sodium, but a serving of the injected chicken can contain about 370 milligrams. The Institute of Medicine just last week lowered the daily recommended amount of sodium to 1,500 milligrams per day.

Discouraging, huh?

Foster Farms has built its ad campaign on the fact that it doesn't plump its chickens, but I, like I'm sure many, didn't realize how prevalent the practice is. The ads are clever, and, given this story, timely. If I find more poultry brands who explicitly ban "enhancing," I'll add to this post.

Welcome.

My name is Kim Kohatsu. This blog was an idea I came up with a few months ago, because I got really furious about a news story I heard (more about that later). The reason I’m launching it tonight, with a little added urgency, is that this afternoon, my doctor told me that I have high blood pressure.

I’ve been wary of my blood pressure for a few years, because both my parents suffer from it. But I’m still very young (I’m 30), so I didn’t think I’d have anything to worry about for at least a decade. Well, that all changed today. My systolic (top) number was 149, where a healthy systolic pressure would be 120. I was prescribed a daily medication, Enalapril, because my doctor said with hypertension that high, changes in diet and exercise wouldn’t have a drastic enough difference.

I’m not overweight, though I wouldn’t mind losing a few pounds. I’m 5-feet tall and weigh 120 lbs. At my heaviest, I was 130 lbs, so last year I went on a low-calorie diet. It was my first experience ever watching what I ate, and regularly working out. I was always the skinny girl who could eat whatever I wanted and still be a rail. Well, once I got back to 120 I started to lapse, even though my goal weight was 110. I’ve been a steady 120 for a few months, and have gotten pretty comfortable there. I don’t go to the gym anymore and stopped keeping a food journal.

Well now, I’m going to reinstate my weight goal, but the focus is going to change—it’s not enough to count calories and beware of fat; I need to start monitoring my sodium. And this blog will be a documentation of my successes and failures as I do so.

I’m no health freak, athlete, vegetarian, or otherwise. I’m a regular girl with a few things working against me:

1. Both my parents have high blood pressure
2. I am single so I cook for myself, meaning I rely on convenience foods which are packed with sodium
3. I LOVE eating out. I love eating, period. And, unfortunately, I do love my salt.
4. I am not completely sedentary, but I’m not what I’d call “active,” either. I sit at a desk most of the day and get no joy from the gym.

I’m guessing a lot of people out there can relate. And, if you’re one of them, welcome aboard.