Salt is wonderful stuff. I now know very well why animals are often enticed by hunters with salt licks…only to be shot as they indulge in this both vital and delicious mineral.
Cutting way back on salt is one tough challenge, but here’s the rub: Weight and salt consumption are inextricably connected. Salt makes food taste better. The better it tastes, the more likely you’ll eat more of it. Sort of like the old Hygrade hot dog ads: “More people eat them because they’re fresher….they’re fresher because more people eat them”. Not everyone mind you. There are those perfect intuitive eaters who know when to start and when to stop. But if you’ve struggled with weight for a long time, you’re probably not one of them. I’m sure not.
But watching only the salt for the last 7 days has netted me a 7 lb. weight drop! Weird huh? Sure, lots of water you’ll say and it’s very true. But there it is. I’m definitely eating a lot less, am less hungry, and have seriously reduced a host of salty (but delicious) high-energy foods (salami, cheeses, crackers, Chinese food, etc.).
Anyway, travel becomes a huge challenge when you’re trying to lower your salt intake. Just returning from a couple of days in Toronto last night, I must admit that the stuff is packed into everything you’re served. For breakfast yesterday I ordered an egg-white vegetable omelet. To my dismay, it showed up loaded with cheddar cheese! Did I ask for cheddar cheese? No. But obviously, adding it is part of the unspoken taste “protocol”. At lunchtime, my “grilled vegetarian sandwich” showed up slathered in mayonnaise and loaded with Swiss – both absolutely full of salt.
On a positive note, I must say that into my second week, my taste-buds are starting to adapt and to re-sensitize themselves to the lower salt level: Stuff that tasted like shit last week, tastes a lot better now. Or maybe I’m just hungrier.
