I ate the pizza (I need rehab)!

A special note of THANKS to our international readers in Germany, Niger, the UK, Mexico, Venezuela, Sweden, Iceland, Canada, United Arab Emirates, Mongolia, Peru, and Romania! Keep spreading the word!

I'll be the first to admit that I wanted to kick and scream when I saw the sodium content in just one slice of pizza. Pizza Hut's nutrition facts report that 1/8 of a pizza is between 440 (med. cheese) and 920 (lg. stuffed crust pepperoni). A frozen pizza, well...it's truly a wrap with those things. For one slice of my favorite brand of pepperoni pizza, the sodium content comes in at a whopping 910 mg. of sodium (smh...whoa is me). Still, I just wasn't ready to give up the taste of the ooey gooey goodness of melted mozzarella and pepperoni on a buttery crust. Instead of cheating, I researched ways to make my guilty pleasure fit into my new eating plan.

While on a Target field trip, I found a low-sodium pizza crust under their Archer Farms brand. My eyes buldged, almost out of their sockets when I saw 1/3 of the crust was only 85 mg. of sodium. The crust I selected is the fire roasted thin crust. It comes in a resealable package, so I could cut what I needed without being wasteful. In the basket the package plopped!

I waited a week before making and consuming my sinful pleasure (oxymoron alert). I knew I would have to make the pizza on a day where I had a moderate breakfast (cereal and an apple = 248 mg) and water for lunch (10 mg). It was going to be game time after 4 p.m.! I left myself about 900 mg. of room in my body to account for the madness I'd get at home (It's about planning). Before you judge me, please do the math. The goal is for me to consume at or close to 1500 mg. per day.

I measured everything and even counted my pepperoni slices. Each slice is about 35 mg. of sodium (10 slices when I should have stopped at 8, but it looked weird without the other two). The pizza sauce, which I'll learn to make to cut the sodium content down even further after this post, is 250 mg. per 1/4 cup. The cheese is 200 mg. of sodium per 1/4 cup. I was too excited to think. I grabbed my water, served my husband his traditional slices, and served myself two slices of my special treat.

Instead of looking like a lost puppy at the dinner table as I watch my husband eat just about anything without adverse effects, I couldn't wait to sit adjecent to him and indulge in our favorite cheesy delight. We said grace, I popped open my bottled water, and I ATE THE PIZZA! It was soooooo good! Put me in the corner for consuming those little temptations, but I have to get a hall pass for resisting the temptation of the all you can eat Chinese buffet that was served at my office meeting the week prior (I really wanted that egg roll).

After a good, "AAAAH! That was yummy" exclamation, I did some reflecting for the next time I indulge (Oh! There is a next time. I will just be more responsible so I don't starve at lunch time).

Modifications for future pizza making:

1. Make my own sauce. I can get rid of 249 mg. of salt doing so
http://www.lowsodiumcooking.com/free/PizzaSauce.htm (Join me in thanking Angel Fears for this lovely site).

2. Limit my pepperoni slices to 8 for the entire pizza (from 350 to 280)

Hold the salt savings: 315 mg. of sodium and I can eat a moderate lunch (a salad and fruit).

So, campaign folks, I took a calculated plunge for the first time since January 8, 2013. I reflected on my practices, and now I'm off to the next journey to support my health and encourage you to do the same. The moral of the story: If you're going to salt it up, hold it in another area. Plan your salt intake to 1. minimize the guilt and 2. justify the guilty pleasure (smile).

Until next time, let's continue to hold each other and ourselves accountable.

-Y

Chef Sara's Table

Let's welcome Chef Sara Simmons to the Hold the Salt campaign (Clap! Clap! Clap!). This Detroit native is honest in her commentary on her salt experience. She also provides us with ways we can limit our salt intake while enjoying good food. Here we go...!

I am admittedly a salt addict. I’m not quite as bad as Chef Anne Burrell who puts a handful of salt into any given meal, but I love salt so much that I want to actually feel the crunch of it under my teeth. True, I eat it like it’s a crust topping. However, I have adopted some eating/cooking practices that can help you curb big sodium pitfalls:

1. Explore other ethnic cuisines: I've found that American fare is notoriously overly dependent on salt to coax out flavors, so I enjoy eating ethnic foods that utilize a variety of flavors and seasonings. One great example is Indian. Any given dish will have at least 10 spices, and the food is often braised and stewed to really concentrate the flavors. They also tend to use a balance of acid (sour cream, citrus) and sweet fruits like raisins and currants so that your palate is full. Another BIG flavor coaxer is Ethiopian food. Are you seeing a theme? Braised foods, cooking in their own juices for hours, will enhance the flavors of the ingredients. You just have to have a little “Big Mama” patience.

2. Use kosher salt instead of table. I’ve read that it is lower in sodium, and because the granules are bigger, you get more bang for your buck.

3. Introduce foods into your meals that you hadn’t considered before….like sweet potatoes in your stews. Veggie up your meals; truth be told, most meats are seasoned to taste like vegetables anyway (ketchup, anyone?). I was inspired by Indian food to incorporate fruits into my savory dishes; now my 3 year old thinks that all rice dishes, stews or soups are supposed to have raisins in them!

4. Don’t even donate those canned vegetables—they are cooked TO DEATH and way too salty. Buy frozen vegetables instead and steam them until they are just tender.

5. Avoid store bought salad dressings: They have not only a lot of sodium, but an obscene amount of sugar as well. If you have one-part acid (vinegar, citrus) and two-parts olive oil, you have a delicious salad dressing. I invite folks to play with variations (adding herbs, honey, Dijon mustard) to figure out what your personal favorite is—mine is balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

6. For that matter, don’t buy store bought sauces of any kind: That includes pasta sauces. All you need to make a great spaghetti sauce is crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, garlic and olive oil. And it costs about the same too.

7. Don’t kid yourself: Processed foods have a bunch of sodium—no getting around it. And the faster the food, the higher the amount of sodium in it (why do you think those kids at Chipotle hustle your little carton of burrito down that line so fast! Guilt, I tell ya!). So if you’re serious about reducing your sodium intake, you must call on the will-power gods and divorce yourself from all eateries with the two-window-on-the-side option. But also, if you are an“everything in moderation” type, forgive yourself for making a visit once in a blue moon. Or at least, once in a full moon.

8. Remember, we need a bit of salt. There’s a reason why the Spice Trade was so lucrative—salt triggers flavor. And not just in your food, but in life. In Matthew 5:13, Jesus offers to his disciples: “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?”

Thanks, Chef Sara for sharing your culinary wisdom with us. In the meantime, eat well, live better, and feel better.

-Yo!onda D. Body (c)