High blood pressure, hypertension and a list of other health related issues can be attributed to too much salt in your diet. Many Americans are becoming more food shopping savvy and looking at the sodium content on labels in order to improve their health.
Food companies such as Kraft and Campbell’s are yielding to consumer’s concerns and working to reduce the sodium levels in their foods. Kraft foods announced this week that they will reduce an average of 10-percent of salt in their food over the next few years. For example, currently a 2.05-ounce, single-serving Easy Mac Cup, for example, has 700 milligrams of sodium. This is about 30 percent of the recommended average daily intake. Kraft plans to cut this by 17 percent. Campbell’s Soup has already been offering low-sodium options for consumers. This is good news as too much salt can lead to excessive water retention and bloating. Many of their products are also consumed mainly by children, so providing less salt intake is particularly important in the nation’s quest to create healthier food choices for kids. Here are some my original recipes remaking Italian family favorites. I like to use Trader Joe’s Low-Sodium Chicken Broth, which contains just 70mg of sodium per serving. Their Organic Marinara Spaghetti Sauce also only has 25mg of sodium per serving.
-EASY ESCARAOLE SOUP
• 1 Package of frozen spinach thawed
• 1 Can of Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• (2) 6 oz. cooked chicken breast, diced
• 8 oz. of Lean Ground Beef
• 1 tsp. of parmesan cheese
Form lean ground beef into tiny meatballs and cook thoroughly in olive oil in large skillet. Meanwhile in medium sized pot, boil spinach in chicken broth. Add in cooked chicken breast, cheese and cooked meatballs. Let simmer about 10 minutes. Makes 3 servings.
EGGPLANT PARMESAN
One Eggplant
1 cup of Almond Meal (usually found in nut aisle at grocery or health food store)
3 Eggs
10oz. Package of Lean Ground Beef
16oz. Jar Low Sodium Spaghetti Sauce
1 Thickly Sliced Portobella Mushroom
8oz. Package of Mozzarella Cheese
2 tbs. of Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. of garlic powder
Olive Oil
Brown ground beef in olive oil in large skillet and set aside
Mix together almond meal, Parmesan cheese and garlic powder
Slice eggplant widthwise; dip each piece in egg than in almond meal mixture
Layer eggplant on bottom, place cooked ground beef as next layer, cover with low sodium tomato sauce, layer eggplant again, sauce again
Top with portobella mushroom slices and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese
Cover casserole with parchment paper, then tin foil.
Bake covered for 50 minutes. Take off foil and paper and bake for another 10 minutes.
Bake in oven at 350 degrees for about an hour
Makes 8 servings
Joanne Sgro is a Television Fitness Expert, Certified Personal Trainer and Sport Nutritionist. She is Certified in Pilates, Pre-natal/Post-Partum, Yoga and Senior Fitness. She specializes in Weight Loss, Post-Rehab and Post Cancer Training. Joanne's fitness plans and recipes are available globally on her website www.fitnessanswer.com. She resides in the Phoenix, AZ area with her fiancé, where she runs her personal training business, Fitness Answer, LLC.