Midweek Reflections on Salt and Losing Weight

'Idal (Justice), 12 Kamál (Perfection), 172 BE - Wednesday, August 12, 2015 about 2:04 pm Pacific Daylight Time

I've been eating too much salt lately. When I went to the doctor the other day I was told my blood pressure was borderline. This is the first time I've been told this. Until now my blood pressure has been good. Since I don't want to deal with high blood pressure this late in my life, I'll have to start watching my salt intake closer and lose weight.

Cutting down on my salt intake is much easier then losing weight. When I use canned vegetables I can drain the liquid and then run water over the vegetables to wash off some of the salt. To lose the weight I have to increase my exercise and cut down on the amount of food I eat. I also have to stop snacking. This means I cannot have jelly on my rice cakes more then once a day. It also means cutting down on the sweets.

I think the best way to start losing weight is to begin praying about it. By praying about my weight I can put the situation in God's hands and then work from there. I may have to start a food journal for a closer look at my food intake. I also have to get the scales out of the bedroom, clean them off, and place them where I can weigh myself without going into another room looking for the scales. All though walking into another room to find them might help my exercise program.

I am glad that I drink my coffee without adding cream or sugar. At least I don't have to give up coffee. I will have to watch my juice intake because I drink bottle fruit juice and most of those have sugar in them. Perhaps cut the juice down to once or twice a day with breakfast and lunch. Then there is the issue of late night snacks. I don't snack very much at night, but when I do I tend to eat foods that have a lot of sugar, salt, or calories. I know how much I weighed at my doctor's office on Monday, so I will use that as my starting point.

I’m following a family tradition

Jamál (Beauty), 13 Jamál (Beauty), 166 BE – Sunday, May 10, 2009 about 1:58 PM Pacific Time

I'm following a family tradition. I'm using the same brand of salt to rinse my mouth out as my grandmother did when she had all her teeth pulled. On Thursday, I had the rest of my teeth pulled and my false plate put in and the doctor told me to rinse my mouth out with salt water to heal the gums.

I found we were out of salt so I went to the store and bought another box. It's setting on the vanity in my bathroom waiting for me to use it again today. When I brought the salt into the house, my mother said that's what my grandmother did when she had all her teeth extracted. I'm even using the same brand of salt my grandmother use.

I bought a box of Morton's Salt with the umbrella girl on it. My grandmother used that brand of salt to season her food and to rinse out her mouth when the dentist pulled her teeth. It's nice to know I'm keeping a family tradition alive. In this age of transition, traditions, especially family traditions need to be remember and documented because our descendants will want to know the family traditions handed down to us by our parents and grandparents.