Reduce Sodium Intake by Using Mountain High Yoghurt
Mountain High Yoghurt is an excellent ingredient to help reduce sodium intake when used in recipes to replace high-sodium prepared foods. Using yoghurt as an ingredient to reduce sodium intake affords home cooks many tasty and wholesome options.
Denver, CO (PRWEB) July 7, 2010
All natural yoghurt is a great ingredient to help Americans reduce their sodium intake when used in home-made alternatives to prepared foods and condiments with high sodium counts. In the United States, reducing sodium intake is of national concern because excessive consumption can lead to long-term health problems that are now reaching epidemic proportions. Currently 32% of US adults have hypertension (high blood pressure) and another third struggle with pre-hypertension. In April 2010, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommended that the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) set mandatory national standards for sodium levels in processed foods in an effort to reduce sodium consumption and its consequent health risks. Mountain High Yoghurt offers many recipes for low-sodium alternatives to prepared foods as well as wellness tips on its website.
Excessive sodium consumption is a leading cause of hypertension, a known risk factor for heart disease, stroke, congestive heart failure and renal disease. Using yoghurt can help hypertension and pre-hypertension patients reduce their sodium consumption. A delicious, high-quality yoghurt that can satisfy taste buds reduces the need for added salt, making alternatives to high-sodium snacks, entrees, and side dishes just as tasty. “Using thick, creamy Mountain High Yoghurt to reduce sodium is a great start, because it contains no added salt; the only sodium in it is what occurs naturally in milk,” says Stephanie Green, a registered dietician and professional chef.
According to the authors of the IOM study that recommends salt regulation, 40 years of education and awareness campaigns to reduce sodium intakes have largely failed. The problem, some researchers contend, is that very high sodium counts can lurk in restaurant and prepared foods that Americans regularly consume without worry. “It’s commonly known that chips and snack foods are typically salty, for example, but some of the worst sodium ‘offenders’ are foods consumers might assume are relatively healthy, such as salad dressings, soups, and marinades,” Green explains.
Salad dressings: Most commercial or bottled salad dressings contain 12-20% of the maximum Daily Value (DV) for sodium per serving. “By making their own salad dressings with Mountain High Yoghurt, consumers can drastically reduce the sodium content per serving,” says Green. The freshness of the ingredients boosts the flavor naturally, she adds, so there’s little or no need for added salt. In Mountain High’s salad dressing recipes, available on the company’s website, the sodium content for a two-tablespoon serving equals 5% or less of the DV for sodium. “Mountain High’s Zesty Yoghurt Dressing, for example, contains only 2% of the maximum recommended daily amount of sodium for healthy adults, but it still offers plenty of zing. Their Ranch Dressing, which is very tasty, contains only 4%.”
Soups: Canned and prepared soups can be loaded with sodium. Home-made soups, even those prepared with low-sodium broths, can help reduce sodium intake. And making cream soups with low-sodium broth and yoghurt instead of heavy cream or half-n-half cuts not only sodium but also fat and cholesterol, other contributors to heart disease and high blood pressure. “Mountain High’s Butternut Squash and Pumpkin Soup is full-flavored and healthy, for example, but only contains 6% of the DV for sodium,” Green offers.
Marinades: Bottled marinades offer convenience but often high levels of sodium as well. Home-made yoghurt-based marinades are a great alternative for those looking to lower their sodium intake without sacrificing flavor. “Yoghurt is also a natural meat tenderizer, so it’s a win-win option for folks who want less sodium,” says Green.
Other ways to reduce sodium include using canned foods labeled with “No Added Salt.” Alternately, rinsing canned vegetables and legumes such as corn, peas, and garbanzo beans before use is good practice. Seasoning with herbs and spices rather than salt also helps. Citrus juices, vinegars, and garlic are other great flavor infusers that don’t add sodium. Foregoing notoriously salty foods like olives, chips, and salted nuts is an obvious first step. But the key to being happy about such choices, says Green, is to find tasty alternatives that are healthy. “If you must have a few chips, enjoy them with a home-made yoghurt-based dip.” Store-bought dips or packaged dip mixes are loaded with sodium, but home-made dips created with yoghurt can be low-sodium. “Remember, all these tips and recipes are simple, quick, and can really help,” Green adds. Above all, she recommends, it’s critical to read nutrition labels on everything to make informed choices.
About Mountain High: Mountain High’s refreshing taste and smooth and creamy texture have always made it a great alternative to prepared foods with high sodium counts. The best-selling quart-size yoghurt in the Western United States, this premium-quality yoghurt contains only natural ingredients, including rbST-free milk. With no added salt, every one-cup serving of Mountain High contains 7% or less of the DV for sodium, plus billions of the live, active, and probiotic cultures L. acidophilus, B. bifidus, and L. casei. More information can be found at http://www. MountainHighYoghurt. com.
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