Hello Again

It's been a while.  We had a bit of a scare in our family.  Everything is okay, but because of it, we are making some lifestyle changes.  It seems life in your 50's is all about coming to grips with the fact that our bodies are betraying us, little by litte.  If we are to soldier on to a good, and healthy, old age, we can't continue in our old habits.  No more workaholic hours, cokes, coffee, french fries, and doughnuts.  No more evenings just watching TV. 

Things we all hear everyday, but it hits a little closer when someone you love ends up in a hospital with scary symptoms. 

Part of our lifestyle change is a low sodium diet.  This is harder than it sounds.  Sodium is EVERYWHERE.  I planned out our meals for the week, and I basically bought natural foods -- unprocessed frozen vegetables and fresh vegetables, lots of fruit, oatmeal, low-fat cheese, lite yogurt, fat-free milk, whole grain bread, chicken, hamburger, and fish.  I found myself spending an hour in the store just looking at the sodium content on labels.  The vending machine is a definite no-no because the sodium in that stuff is outrageous. 

A plus about eating a low-sodium diet is that it pretty much ensures that you are eating healthy stuff. 

I made some low-sodium chili with the low-sodium McCormick chili seasoning (I only used half a packet to cut down even more, and used no salt added tomatoes, corn, and beans -- it wasn't bad ya'll.  I also brought out some diet cookbooks and found a Weight Watcher's recipe for chicken pot pie, which we'll be having tonight.  I'll let you know how that turns out.

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