sodium overload

I have had cravings for the oddest processed foods for about two weeks. I don't know why. If I didn't know better I'd swear I was pregnant.

Monday when I had off, I just had to have La Choy Chicken Chow Mein. I haven't had that in 40 years. I was shocked that they still made it.

I walked down to Ahart's to get it, and there was, to my surprise, a small LaChoy section. I found it immediately, even with the modern packaging. Then I flipped it over to look at the calories. Only 100 per serving, so the whole can was 300. Then I glanced at the sodium. I nearly fell on the floor. 63%! My craving went away.

didn't eat breakfast

I didn’t eat breakfast this morning. Driving to work the light bulb went on. About 9 my belly was yelling at me.

I surveyed my choices on college hill. The only campus restaurant open is Gilbert’s, and they only have bagels and the like. Really didn’t want to start my day with a carb high. Another choice would be the Cosmic Cup. A off-campus coffee shot. Same problem. Most of the restaurants don’t open till 11. That left the Wawa.

I should have went with my gut and just bought yogurt. But I rarely listen to my gut, especially when it’s hungry.

They have breakfast bowls—scrambled eggs with or without meat. None of the choices had veggies. I’m under no illusion that they are cracking eggs in the back. It comes out of a carton.

I got back to the office and opened the bag. It was enormous. It was in a 6 inch bowl and full.  I have enough for at least one more day. I ate less than half. I looked up the calories, ect on line. It weighed 179 grams and the egg version was 330 calories, and sausage was 500. The sodium was thru the roof.

Scarier than the calories and the sodium was the ingredient list—long and scary. Oh, and Bonnie. Don’t eat this. It lists modified cornstarch—who knew a bowl of eggs would not be gluten free!

Moral of the story. Eat breakfast before you leave the house!

(I also forgot my water bottle. So I got extra exercise walking up and down three flights to the cooler.)

terrible food day

I struggle with food. It's no longer a pleasure but a series of options, hopefully choosing ones that won't kill me in the long run. Sugar is my nemeses. Carbs follow close behind. If I'm not careful I could become pre-diabetic. I don't want that to happen.

I was doing well eating, and then fell off the wagon, so to speak. I've been struggling the last three weeks to get back on, but I can never get my footing.

Friday, I crashed. It was the worse food day in months.

In my area we have a convenience store called Wawa. They, like every other store have breakfast options. I ignore them. They are near the checkout, under a heat lamp and totally unappealing. Right now they are having a sale, 2/$3. It's everywhere—radio, tv, billboards, newspaper....  So Friday I went to Wawa. I didn't have breakfast. I had just finished walking with ML the 2.25 miles. I was waiting at the register and they brought trays of fresh, hot-from-the-oven sandwiches out. I was seduced by the smell and one appeared in my hand. Sausage, eggs, cheese on a CROISSANT! I think I grabbed the most toxic one on the shelf.

I got to the car, opened it and bit.. OMG was it delicious. Normally after I eat out I go home and look on the website to see how I did. But I knew that I didn't do well. Everything was fat. I finished the sandwich and went to throw away the box and the nutrition facts were on the bottom—500 calories. 320 from fat alone, and the real choker, over 900 mg of salt (40%).

That was bad but I could have recovered from it if I ate the rest of the day at home and had plenty of veggies and fruit. No, it was a travel day.

I took Pat shopping and it got to be lunch time and I asked where she wanted to go. Don Pablos. A Tex-Mex place. Apparently w/o a single vegetarian option or vegetable other than corn. We ended up slitting a two cheese enchilada platter. It came with rice and a corn cake. Pat asked for guacamole.  More carbs, more fat. More bad choices.

But then I went for an hour walk with Betsy at a quick pace.

I decided not to eat dinner. Didn't get anything out. Sharon, however, didn't eat all day and was hungry. We ended up getting Chinese food. Sharon paid. I resisted for 2 minutes.

Horrible, horrible day. I knew all the choices I was making were wrong and did it anyway.

76%!

My sister Sharon cleans at the senior high rise. Her clients get food boxes to fill their pantry and what they can't or won't eat they send home with her. Most of it goes to the foodbank.

Yesterday I was getting the foodbank bag together. The postal carriers are having their food collection Saturday. As I was packing the bag I noticed these cup a soups. I used to eat a lot of these back in the dark ages when I started working. Just add hot water from the water cooler, stir, steep and eat at your desk. Then I discovered take-out.

 So we were talking about the "old days" like old people do and I decided to flip it over to see the salt content. I'm not normally speechless, But I was ... 76%! But it is "enriched with vitamins." I guess that makes it okay. The girl on the package looks about 14. The type on the package is geared to teens, especially the La Moderna across the bottom.  I toyed with the idea off tossing them because I didn't want to give the foodbank crap. But then my mama voice started haunting me. You don't waste food. It's better than having nothing. It's still in the bag.

This week I pulled my crap together enough to order the t-shirts for Bonnie's Boobies and Every Two Feet. Proceeds from sales will go to my Avon fundraiser. We'll have 48 Bonnie's Boobies to sell from Child medium to 3XXL. (Sizes for everybooby ... itty bitty titties to jumbo titties). I still have yet to post an Every To Feet walk. Shirts are made in the USA and printed in beautiful downtown Tatamy.

I also dropped the ball on the fundraiser. I thought I emailed the church to request a date. I didn't. No wonder they didn't respond.

Oh wait. This is a walking blog. I've walked this week also. I keep it around three miles. Twice today. Once June comes I start either up the difficulty or the mileage. Since the Avon is only 40 miles, training won't be as hard or as time consuming.

Maybe I'll even get to weed my garden. Cool.

sodium?

Yesterday at the Doc-In_A-Box, the doc asked me if I used salt. I said no.

My dad had heart disease back in the early 70s, maybe late 60s. My mother never used salt or cooked with salt except in pasta water. That's how I grew up and it's pretty much how I live today. I have a table salt shaker and fill it maybe once a year.

But last night after my binge I got to thinking. Some foods are salty. Like ham. Or potato chips. But is there that much hidden salt out there? Perhaps. It might be the key to my BP issue.

Today I was at the nail salon and they were going to Panera for breakfast sandwiches. I said sure. I got a power sandwich. I had no idea what was in it. It was multigrain bread with all kinds of nuts and seeds in it, an egg, and ham. I said to Beth, oh this is going to be high in calories and in salt. When I got home I looked it up.

The calories weren't awful. About 360. That's in line for one meal. But the salt was over 800 mg. When I looked at the chart I thought the ham was the culprit. It wasn't it was the bread!

Earlier in the week I noticed that the can of black beans was 18%! I'm going back to soaking beans. The convenience isn't worth it. I'm going to see if maybe I can freeze them.

So for the next week I'm reading the sodium content on labels. I'm going write it all down. Add it up. Could hidden salt be the simple solution to my big problem?

Hunting hidden salt will be more fun than taking my BP twice a day.