Deli Done Right

March 16th, 2011 is a very important anniversary for me, 18 years ago on this day I had heart surgery. I was told by my cardiologist that the average person who has this surgery, has it a second time within five years. Not wanting to be a part of that statistic I have devoted a lot of hours to learning about the cause and prevention of heart disease.

According to the Mayo Clinic although a small amount of sodium is essential, too much can lead to heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and congestive heart failure. Most of the dietary sodium found in your diet comes from eating processed foods like deli meats. I love a good turkey sandwich from the deli but the not the healthrisk associated with eating one. That is why I was excited when I read in Nutrition Action Health Letter that Dietz & Watson now offer a salt free turkey breast.

The average serving of deli turkey contains 400 to 700 miligrams of sodium for a 2oz. serving. Dietz & Watson No Salt Added Breast of Turkey has just 50mg. of naturally occurring sodium. And it is made without nitrites, which are compounds that may raise cancer risk slightly. The American Cancer Society states that “countries in which people eat a lot of salt-cured, smoked and nitrite-cured foods have a high rate of cancer of the stomach”.

The American Heart Association recommends no more than 2300 mg. of sodium in a day. that is equal to a teaspoon. For those of you  who may have heart health issues they recommend you limit your sodium intake to 1500mg.

Category: Nutrition