Salt and Fat in our diets during hard times

Salt and Fat in our diets during hard times

       During good times, I believe both salt and fat are downgraded in the more sedentary type practices. I think I understand why, also. Often both get abused in our intake and cooking during good times.  Hence we are usually advised by both our doctors and our societies to slow down our consumption, or even regulate it as best we can. Often it has to do with high blood pressure or just being overweight,  also.

            Yet if times should get harder, like we work more in the physical labor side of things, like gardening a lot, or cutting and splitting wood, then salt consumption should increase. My references are three fold:  my Marine training, my marathon running, and my advice from a couple of doctors. Even during Marine training, we had to take salt pills twice a day just to keep up with all our sweating of salt.  Our collars where often white with salt. The goal I believe is something like 2.5 grams of sodium a day (plus some potassium)...maybe less during good times (as some say). So I suggest just to keep that in mind. After all, all of us do need some sodium  to live. And salt always has sodium in it. Now potassium has to come from elsewhere, too.

            By the way, keeping hydrated (like with water or some sport's type drink) does help a lot, also. One usual symptom of being dehydrated is cramps, and then it usually takes water and hours to recover. There is no quick fix that I know of (other than an intravenous sodium drip). For me it usually takes around 4 hours for the cramps to go away.  Getting cramps when doing unusual chain saw work in warm weather is a good example. Marathon running is my example. How much water is about right? Often it is peeing enough, and the pee being clear enough to make you satisfied.

            The same idea of ingestion goes for fat consumption during hard times.  What we are made of requires some fat in our diets, plus some fat often adds flavor to our food, too. Now while I don't have a recommended number I trust, I do know we need some fat in our diet to increase our healthiness and resistance to disease, even to help our healing during any hard times situation. And fat does have a relatively short shelf life, usually around 6 months or less, though Crisco type fats tend to last over a year in unopened containers. Once opened, I am not sure what the shelf life is reduced to, but I am confident it is reduced.

            So regulate salt and fat consumption as best you can during good times if you are sedentary; and consider extra consumption during any hard times situation, especially if one is dong more energetic type work or exercise. If not sure how much, then consider the idea of moderation in all things, and adjust from there.

            Of course one has to get some salt and fat, also. But that is another situation and story.

            And, as always, if you have the time and opportunity, go get your own doctor's opinion about what to do about sodium and potassium in your own diet. But in lieu to this opportunity, consider these stories, too.

            And don't start any  change quickly, like starting new physical labor as an older and usually more sedentary  person. One obvious example is shoveling snow. To get sick or even worse, like having a heart attack and living, is a burden on all. Even dying can be considered a burden, too.  So Plan C is to build up physical work gradually, and in the meantime max out on the years of experience one also has often built up. The idea is called "mission first", and the mission is to help our Family survive as best we can.

            And part of that mission is our salt and fat consumption.