(Roughly) Daily

What’s going to become of health-care in the U.S. in the wake of partial “reform” and evaporating public funding, is anyone’s guess.  What’s more certain is that it’s prudent for one to take good care of oneself– to stay out of the system…

The Mayo Clinic reminds us that the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting sodium to less than 2,300 mg a day — or 1,500 mg for those age 51 or older, or African-Americans, or those with high blood pressure, diabetes or chronic kidney disease.

But the average American takes in about 3,400 milligrams of sodium every day.  And studies suggest that a high-sodium diet is linked to a host of ailments, including high blood pressure, stroke, osteoporosis, and exercise-induced asthma.

So it’s bracing (if not indeed shocking) to consider the salt content of restaurant meals…

P.F. Chang’s Double Pan-Fried Noodles with Pork

7,900 milligrams sodium
1,652 calories
84 g fat (12 g saturated)

Sodium Equivalent = 23 Slabs of Hormel Canadian Style Bacon
Here are a few things with less salt than these sodium-sunk nefarious noodles: 239 Saltine crackers, 153 cups of Newman’s Butter popcorn, and 22 orders of McDonald’s large French fries…

Chili’s Fajita Quesadillas Beef With Rice and Beans, 4 flour tortillas, and condiments

6,390 milligrams sodium
2,240 calories
92 g fat (43.5 g saturated)
253 g carbohydrates

Sodium Equivalent = 194 Saltine Crackers
This confounding creation delivers nearly a dozen Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnuts worth of calories, the sodium equivalent of 194 saltine crackers, and the saturated fat equivalent of 44 strips of bacon…

Applebee’s Weight Watchers Chipotle Lime Chicken

4,990 mg sodium
490 calories
12 g fat (2 g saturated)

Sodium Equivalent = 31 servings of Ruffles (that’s more than two “Family Size” bags!)
Avoiding salt at Applebee’s is nearly impossible. Not even the “healthy” selections pass muster. The six items on the Under 550 Calories menu average 2,341 mg of sodium per entree. The five items on the Weight Watchers menu average 2,448 mg…

27 other meals-to-miss at Eat This, Not That’s “30 Saltiest Foods in America.”

As we insist on at least two colors (not counting ketchup) on our plates, we might wish a juicy Happy Birthday to actress Shanelle Workman (Gray); she was born on this date in 1978.  While she’s probably most widely recognized for her role as Sarah “Flash” Roberts on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live (2003 and 2004), she is probably most widely heard as the voice of “Wendy” in commercials for the fast food chain.

Shanelle Workman Gray (source)