Renee White never gave her sodium intake much thought until she began to feel sluggishness and continual bloating. She was conscientious about eating clean as a fitness coach, but she decided to try cutting less on salt when a nutritionist advised it. She felt a significant difference in her general energy levels as well as in her digestion after a few weeks.
“The first thing I became aware of was how much hidden sodium my regular meals included,” Renee says. Even things I considered to be healthy—store-bought soups, salad dressings, and bread—were heavy in salt. She progressively replaced high-sodium foods with fresh, homemade substitutes rather than cutting everything at once.
She keeps to basic, wholesome foods for breakfast like Greek yoghurt with honey and chia seeds or muesli with fresh fruit and almonds. “I used to grab protein bars, but I was shocked at how much sodium they contained,” she notes. “Now, I want natural energy from entire foods.”
Usually lunch consists of lean protein like grilled chicken or tofu, roasted veggies, and large grain bowls including brown rice. Using olive oil, lemon juice, and herbs—flavorful but free of the extra sodium in packaged dressings—she creates her own. She smiles and says, “Lemon and vinegar became my greatest buddies. “They give a meal great brightness without calling for salt.”
Dinners are about ease and balance. Renee likes homemade veggie stir-fries, baked fish with steamed asparagus, lentil soups made with fresh garlic and spices instead of salt. She says, “It took a little adjustment at first,” but she finds she doesn’t even miss the salt when she consumes real, unprocessed food.
One of the main advantages of lowering salt intake? Less stomach trouble and improved water intake. Renee says she used to feel fluffy all the time, particularly after dining out. “Today I wake up light and rested.
She exhorts individuals to consider sodium intake even if their blood pressure is not excessive. She adds, “you don’t have to give up flavour.” You just have to be imaginative.
This change for Renee was about feeling her best, not about constraint. ” Food is fuel,” she explains. “And everything else falls in place when I nourish my body the correct way.”
