What Has Zero Calories But Can Make You Fat???

 

We all learned about water retention at an early age.  It is the cause of much misery and suffering, particularly around the bathing suit season.  Sodium, mostly found in salt, makes you retain water.  You know this.  We know this.  Every woman knows this.  Still, we eat salt like we're on a premenstrual rampage.

Where is all that sodium coming from?  Your greatest concern isn't the flaky stuff you shake on the table, it's the hidden salt already in your food.


The biggest culprits are processed and packaged foods.  Food manufacturers load them up with salt for flavor, color, and texture and to prevent spoilage.

About 80% of the sodium in our diets is found in the premade crackers, cookies, cereals, soups, frozen dinners, and pasta sauces we eat at home.  And that doesn't even cover fast food and other restaurant meals.

That means even if you are doing your part and passing up the salt-shaker, you could be consuming salt in the amounts that put you at a higher risks for cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, sleeping problems, and excess pounds - and not even know it.

Do take control of salt to slim down!  Eating too much salt may cause weight gain in less noticeable ways, too.  It changes how your body makes and metabolizes fat.  Studies show a high-salt diet can boost the production of insulin, the hormone that tells the body to store fat.  The more insulin you have, the more fat you store and the more weight you can gain.

Your body needs some sodium to maintain the right balance of fluids, transmit nerve impulses, and contract and relax muscles - but only about 2/3 tsp per day.  When we eat more than that, brain chemistry is altered, says Prevention Magazine.

EXERCISE:  Go through your cabinets & refrigerator and look at a just a few items that contain salt.  Thinks of ways that you and your children can eliminate excess salt.  Come up with a plan of action for your family for about a week, bi-weekly, or even a month.  Notice the difference in your body.  Tell me how it worked out for you.




*Taken from Prevention Magazine