Ask the Doctor: Mold-Free Foods; Low-Salt Alternatives
Q: I’m allergic to mold. Which foods should I avoid and which should I eat?
A: If you’ve been diagnosed with a foodborne mold allergy—a form of fungi—then work with your health-care provider to develop a healthier dietary plan. You also may want to test eliminating specific foods, to see if your system is more reactive to some than others.
Foods you could try eliminating to see if you feel better include cheeses made from mold, such as Roquefort, blue, Gorgonzola, and Stilton, fungi such as mushrooms, and pickled foods.
Yeast, a fungus, is found in baked goods, processed foods, and beer and alcohol. If your doctor put yeast on the list of items you should avoid, limit baked goods such as breads, cakes, muffins, cookies, and donuts, and consume cooked grains, such as oats, quinoa, brown rice, and wraps. All wraps are usually made without yeast and are a healthy alternative for sandwiches.
Mold, which uses oxygen in the air to grow, is most common on meat, poultry, grains (especially bread), and nuts. But it also can grow in yogurt, nut butters, jams, jellies, and anything in a jar that has been opened, as well as on fresh fruits and vegetables. Mold also binds easily to sugars, so limiting your intake of sugary foods could help.
Always inspect all fresh and packaged foods for mold before you cook with or consume them. The USDA publishes a chart of foods you can cut away the mold from and consume, and those you should completely discard (https://bit.ly/2mggYh1).
Q: Are low-sodium and sea-salt alternatives healthier than regular salt?
A: Actually, we get more than enough sodium from our foods, so we shouldn’t add any salt to our meals.
Our bodies need sodium chloride, the main ingredient in salt. It helps with proper kidney, intestinal, and nervous system function, as well as maintaining blood pressure. Also, the iodine in salt helps with thyroid hormone development, which aids in metabolism, bone development, and more.
The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans says adults on a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet should limit sodium intake to 2,300 milligrams (mg). If you have hypertension (high blood pressure), limit sodium intake to 1,500 mg a day. Most adult women consume an average of 2,980 mg of sodium daily, according to the USDA.
The healthiest meal is the one you make at home. Processed foods, take-out meals, and in particular, restaurant meals, can be very high in sodium.
The “Salty Six” foods highest in sodium, according to the American Heart Association, include bread/rolls, pizza, sandwiches, cold cuts/cured meats, soups, and burritos/tacos. So avoid these as much as possible, and consider them a treat rather than an everyday occurrence.
Alternative spices (such as pepper, thyme, basil, garlic, and turmeric) are full of flavor and make great salt substitutes. To experiment with delicious mixed spices, see the article starting on page 4 of this newsletter.
—Orli R. Etingin, MD, Editor-in-Chief
The post Ask the Doctor: Mold-Free Foods; Low-Salt Alternatives appeared first on University Health News.
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