To quote Ur-spo.
Here is what caused my horror, not Urspo.
When we eat a sausage and biscuit at Hardee's, I notice they are incredibly salty tasting. I have eaten these occasionally over the years and do not remember them as being so sodium laden. So, I decided to see how much sodium is actually present in the delicious morning meal. Imagine my shock when I saw the figures for each patty.
1320 mg sodium
42 g carbohydrates
!!!!!!!!!
The Mayo Clinic recommends 2325 mg each day as the upper limit of sodium. So, a person consumes more than half the recommended sodium in one tiny meal.
The make matters worse there are 42 grams of carbohydrates in each sausage and biscuit. Mayo Clinic site recommends 200 to 225 carbs per day.
I see every bite he eats and I can assure he eats more carbs than 225 each day. I am not confessing to anything.
As a result of this shocking information, I decided to cook breakfast to avoid more carbs. The last time we went out in time for breakfast, I cooked Johnsonville Sausage patties. He ate two with a piece of bread and complained the sausage had little taste. I scrambled three eggs and ate two sausage patties, thinking the sausage was overly tasty! I think all his years of smoking and eating too much sodium has affected his taste.
Now, I need to figure out how to make his sausage more tasty. I will only eat one patty, if even that. I am not really worried about eggs since three has less than one carb all together. Each Johnsonville patty has 0.5 g of carbs.
Additionally, I had about ten ounces of milk...10 grams of carbohydrates. He had a slice of bread, about 15 carbs. So, we both had a better breakfast than our usual Hardee's breakfast, more nutritious, less sodium, and less deleterious to our health.
From this day forward I will keep a list of foods we eat and carbs therein. Yes, calories count. Carbs are what is making him drive crazy when his blood sugar drops.
There is no need to inform me when I eat something bad for me!
Have you ever found out one thing about the food you eat that has been a revelation and changed your way of eating?
oh the horror, indeed !
ReplyDeleteThere are some unfortunate studies that show putting the ingredients and nutrition on things to get people to abjure bad foods doesn't work.
Urspo,
DeleteWell, these bits of information work for turning me right off some foods.
I religiously counted calories for about six months and I can't say it revolutionised my eating, I did start to understand how little things add up. It also made me aware that one or two serves of something very calorie dense can be more than my recommended intake for an entire day.
ReplyDeleteGood for you for finding better ways. Your body will thank you
kylie,
DeleteIsn't it amazing the things you can learn? We should be informed eaters.
I had a similar experience with Taco Bell quesadillas. I couldn't believe how many calories were in one. I don't count calories per se, but I do watch what I eat & realised that making my own is much better than store bought. Besides, homemade tastes far better too :)
ReplyDeleteI use the Johnsonville sausage links and always cook it with onions and colored peppers. I just add the veggies as the sausage is cooking. The red peppers especially add so much flavor. Not sure if Tommy would be agreeable, but that might help.
Ms. Goose,
DeleteI will try adding something, not sure what. I have never had a quesadilla, so not familiar with taste.
I think we are all in for a shock when/if we start reading the labels, to be honest!
ReplyDeleteWow! Way too much salt! DH is on meds for high blood pressure and I carefully watch the sodium of what we eat and we seldom eat out anywhere. He will even eat (without adding salt) salt free canned soup. I think the less salt person eats the less they want or...like they lose their taste for high salt things
ReplyDeleteAnn,
DeleteThe first meal I cooked for Tommy, he salted the plate white. It really hurt my feelings. He assured me he did that every time he eats. His doctor had put him on high bp med "just in case," he said. I can eat any of the cans of salt-free foods. He does, too, because I don't tell him what he is eating, although we don't use soup much.
My husband has a horrible habit of salting his bacon before cooking it in the oven. I don't even eat it. I love bacon but that is just too much salt! Both he and his mom over salt almost everything. I had to request that if she is making a meal and we are invited could we all just salt our own instead of during the cooking. I would be okay if it was just a bit but again they both have a heavy hand with the salt. Take care.
ReplyDeleteYikes! I make my dh an egg sandwich similar to an egg mcmuffin every day for breakfast.
ReplyDeleteOne,
DeleteHe eats before I get up, so I could have the fixings ready for him. He really complained about the taste of this sausage, so maybe he will become accustomed to it or I can buy a different sausage.
Because I cook almost all things frm scratch, when we go out things are so salty. I just don't use much salt and expect people to salt their own food. Try adding a little salt to the sausage patties and then reduce as you go along.
ReplyDeleteKim,
DeleteI put about a tsp of salt in slaw which lasts the two of us for three or more meals. Same for hamburger, but pepper helps that for taste. Or, I used a shaker of flavoring from grocery, all with no sodium or just a bit. He says he doesn't like green beans with no sodium, but he eats them and does not complain. He has smoked for forty years, so I am reteaching his taste buds...if any are left.
Oh, no, that should be 1/4 tsp of salt in slaw!
Delete