Salt paranoia?

Tell you something: I am paranoia with salt (Perhaps no one in this forum is as serious as me :wink: )


Symptoms:

Irrationality and delusion:

I always check the sodium content of a packaged food (e.g. cereal, crackers, spread) in supermarket if I want DS to eat this. This means if the sodium level exceeds 100mg per 100Kcal of energy, I will not buy it (the less the better - I got this guideline from the local consumer council; your may check if your government suggests another. Gill Rapley suggests an easier set in her book: high-salt: >= 600mg Na per 100g of food; low-salt: <120mg Na per 100g of food.)

Salt level is the primary reason I bought a bread machine to homemake bread.

And it's the reason why I am hesitated to buy cheese and hummus spread sold on the market.

I am concerned about salt because the sodium levels of most adult food are too unhealthy high, but perhaps we have been used to it. Eating out always means too much salt is consumed unwittingly (1 level teaspoon = ~ 2400mg of sodium = ~ suggested max daily intake for adults = 6 times baby (0-12m) max daily intake = 3 times toddler (1-3) max daily intake) I don't want from the very beginning to make DS develop a "heavy" taste which will affect him lifelong.


Treatment:

You know, such delusions will kill me! Here are the ways I save myself from developing further into schizophrenia:

1. When eating at home, I try to make the food salt-free or as low as possible (or add salt only after taking out the portions for DS) (you can use spices or herbs etc. to replace salt)

2. I try to limit the frequency of eating out (I know that it's inescapble, but if we mostly eat at home I will reassure myself it doesn't matter too much for occassional eating-outs (+pray!)

3. Even with 2, I usually bring my own food for DS when eating out: like an apple or rice cakes without added salt, so in case the food on the menu is really not acceptable (I have to trust my tongue), DS also has something to eat.


Results:

After BLWing for 5 months I guess I am more relaxed now - Not because I have relaxed my standards but because I think I am more experienced in (used to) to select "better" food for all of us (I have never brought a notepad though). So I hope your worry doesn't deter you from enjoying BLW.