Tag: sodium

Daily Food Diary – Day 96 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

It is 96 Days since I started my Daily Food Diary, making mindful eating a  part of my daily  Health and Fitness Lifestyle.

This month, I am tracking, and working to minimize,  the sodium and processed sugar I consume, while continuing to note my calorie count.

At the bottom of today’s diary entry, it is obvious that yesterday was a major fail looking at my calorie and sodium numbers. 

But, this diary isn’t  about how the numbers play out each day.  It is about finding issues with my diet  and making adjustments to improve it.

Last night for supper, I had a few  Lay’s Lightly Salted Chips.  So…  (1) Dan is going out of his way to look for lower  sodium alternates for us.  AND ...  (2)  They weren’t bad.  The crunch was there! That was a win.

The Harvest hot dogs we had contained a shocking amount of sodium.  That was a fail. But, this morning I did a bit of research and found that if we switch back to Maple Leaf Top Dogs – regular or low salt – we can still enjoy the occasional hotdog without stroking out from the sodium content.  That’s a win.

There wasn’t really a win in the calorie column, but it is still good to  get a dose of reality once in a while.  Pasta and processed meats – not a winning combination.

Quite honestly, the Bran Muffin wasn’t much of a win either.  I don’t know if it was substituting high protein yogurt for the buttermilk or if it was because I kind of scorched the poor things, but they  have  the consistency and flavour of burnt golf balls.  Numbers be danged – for MY  birthday in July we are having a Co-op Salted Caramel Cake. 

Best Cake Ever!

96 days into my 365 Day Food Diary and I am still finding issues with my diet and working to  correct them.  That’s a win in my book.  As long as I keep learning and adjusting, it is worth doing for the full year.

Food Diary – Day 96

Breakfast:

(1) c Coffee (2) (4.7 mg)

(4) slices bacon (173) (739 mg)

(2) scrambled eggs (231) (168.7 mg)  (3.1 g)

(2) Potato Patties (240) (420mg)

Snacks:

(40) oz water

(1) Bran muffin (148) (264 mg) (14 g)

(2) tsp butter (69) (63.3 mg)

Supper:

(2) hotdogs (320) (1100 mg)

(1 1/2) c macaroni & cheese (320) (453.3 mg) (2 g)

(1) side salad with French dressing (176) (134 mg) (2.6 g)

(20) Lay’s lightly salted chips (112) (40 mg) (.4)

Total net calories: 1791

Calorie Goal: 1269 – 1791 = 522 over 😳

Total Sodium: 3386.9 mg

Sodium goal: 1500 to 2300 mg 😳

Total Processed Sugar: 19 grams

Processed sugar goal: < 25 grams 👍

That’s it for today.  Take care and have a great day! 🤗💞

Daily Food Diary – Day 91 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

It is 91 Days since I began my Daily Food Diary.  That is a full 13 weeks! 🙌  As I had hoped, I have become more mindful of what I consume on a daily basis and I have made a few adjustments along the way.

This month, I have decided to become more mindful of my sodium (a major component in table salt, MSG, and baking soda) and processed sugar consumption.

Processed sugar and excessive sodium consumption is not (typically) good for anyone.    For someone like me, with multiple chronic lung conditions,  too much of either is particularly bad.

A major issue with lung conditions, such as asthma, COPD, bronchiectasis, or bronchiolitis is MUCUS – the quantity of it and the viscosity of it.  Diet affects both.

Some foods, like dairy products, increase the production of mucus.  Other components of our diet dehydrate and thicken said  mucus.   Such mucus dehydrating items include caffeine, alcohol, carbonated drinks, sodium, and sugar.   Drinking an adequate amount of water helps to counter these issues but only to a point.

Fortunately, caffeine, alcohol, and carbonated drinks have never been an issue for me.  I enjoy my carbonated water – but I can live without it.  Sodium and  processed sugar are  more of a challenge.   Thus my April focus.

Yesterday, I kicked the month off with one of our fairly frequent,  favourite suppers – just to see what I am starting with. The sugar content wasn’t bad – the sodium was off the charts. 🙄

I did search out a healthier snack to go with my afternoon tea.  I can see switching  these crackers for my all too typical potato chips.

Kirkland Crackers from Costco
The chips in our pantry range from 240 to 360 mg of sodium per serving. (And +/- 260 calories)

Food Diary – Day 91

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2) (4.7 mg)

(2) eggs (160)   (440 mg)

(1) tsp olive oil (79)

(2) sl back bacon (35) (500 mg) (1 gr)

(5) PC asparagus (16) (10.5 mg)

(1/4) c green onions (10)

Snacks:

(1) Green tea

(14) Multi Grain Crackers  (140) (110 mg)

(36) oz water

Supper:

(3) Riblets  (36) (116 mg)

(4) spring rolls (180) (440 mg) (3 gr)

(9) Tempura shrimp (350) (460 mg) 

(2) PC buttermilk chicken breast (250) (430 mg)

(4) Gyoza (170) (400) (2gr)

(1) tbsp seafood sauce (12) (110 mg) (2 gr)

(1) tbsp Dilly Dip (80) (110 mg) (.5 gr)

(1) tbsp Gyoza sauce (15)  (365 mg) (2 gr)

(1) tbsp Plum sauce (18) (15) (4)

Total Net Calories: 1372

Daily Goal: 1269 calories

Total Sodium:  3511.2 mg 😳

Daily goal: 1500 to 2300 mg

Total Sugar:  14.5 grams

Daily goal:  25 grams

That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! ❤️☺️