Sodium-- Good or Bad?!

We all know that too much sodium is not good for us… But does this mean we shouldn’t eat salt? Let’s break it down. When we eat elevated sodium, largely found in processed foods, we can increase our blood pressure and if we have heart health challenges, then it can put us at greater risk for heart disease and stroke. 

The other side of the sodium coin is electrolytes– many of us are greatly lacking electrolytes– this can translate to dehydration, which we often associate with the hot summer months, but often, we are dehydrated year round. Electrolytes are essential for the health of our body. A healthy source of electrolytes can be found in sea salt.

So where does this leave us? If we have a heart related diagnosis, we should be particularly careful of limited sodium, which can be done by limiting processed foods.

In general, a great way to support our electrolyte intake and limit sodium is to moderate how much salt we use and also make the switch to sea salt which hosts a variety of electrolytes.

Check out this delicious lavender lemonade recipe to help quench summer thirst!

Lavender Lemonade Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 3 Tablespoons honey
• 3 sprigs lavender or dried lavender (1 sprig = 1/2 teaspoon)
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
  Lemon slices + lavender for garnish

Instructions:

1. Combine honey, water and lavender in a saucepan. Bring it to a boil and then let it simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow the mixture to steep for an additional  10 minutes.
2. Fill a 2-quart pitcher with ice and pour honey/lavender syrup over the ice. Add the lemon juice and fill the remainder of the pitcher with water.  Be sure to Stir well.
3. Taste test for desired sweetness and tartness. 
4. Garnish with lemon slices and a few sprigs of lavender.
5. Enjoy!