Salts of the Earth
Most Americans get too much sodium in their diets, primarily from salty processed foods. The USDA recommends getting less than 2,300 mg of sodium per day (about 1 tsp of salt), so start reading labels and avoid high-sodium foods. And when choosing salt for your home, consider salts that provide additional nutrients (table salt is refined down to just sodium chloride). According to Salt Works (www.saltworks.us), there’s a wide variety of salts available. Below are just a few.
Kosher salt: Less refined granules (used on pretzels), fewer additives, more salty taste
Himalayan salt: From deep within Himalayan mountains, high mineral content
Black salt: Unrefined mineral salt with strong sulfuric flavor
Sea salt: Harvested from the sea and refined, contains sodium chloride plus some trace minerals
Organic sea salt: From pure waters and clean sea beds in France, New Zealand or Wales
Hawaiian sea salt: Unrefined sea salt rich in natural minerals
quick tip
Rinse high-sodium foods such as olives and pickles before eating.
May is National Stroke Awareness Month, and the National Stroke Association is offering a free booklet, Women in Your Life, to teach men and women about stroke prevention and the importance of recognizing stroke symptoms in each other. Call 1-800-STROKES to get your free copy, or go to www.stroke.org/site/DocServer/women05.pdf?docID=881 to print your own.
What’s in Store
This easy-to-use diagnostic tool allows you to monitor cardiovascular health indicators at home.
What It Is: CardioChek by Polymer Technology Systems is a diagnostic analyzer for people with elevated or high cholesterol to keep close tabs on their heart health between doctor visits.
Special Benefits: CardioChek provides personal, at-home testing of cholesterol and other cardiac risk factors and is the only analyzer to receive clearance from the FDA for at-home testing of total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose and ketone levels.
Why We Like It: Results are available in less than two minutes; it requires just a small amount of blood for testing; the large digital readout is easy to see.
What You Should Know: Test strips are sold separately for each test factor.
