Truck drivers are always loaded with work, deliveries and deadlines to meet every day. In this hassle, truckers forget to maintain their health, carry excessive stress and less time to sleep. In the list of stresses, Hypertension is one among them, which leads to high blood pressure.
Today, we are going to speak about the little ingredient we always forget about, Sodium.
Sodium, the villain of human blood has always maintained a negative reputation throughout the years for the role. Yes, there are some good deeds about this chemical, which is good for health and is a necessity for human body to operate properly, but most American get about 2x more than they need. Around 66% of truckers suffer high blood pressure, caused due to excessive consumption of sodium.
Sodium 101:
Sodium is actually good for truckers or any other human if correct amount is consumed. Our body uses it to control blood pressure and blood volume, to transmit nerve impulses, and to influence the contraction and relaxation of muscles. When too much of this chemical is consumed on daily basis, it starts accumulating it in the blood, increasing blood volumes and makes the palm size organ- the heart pump blood forcefully, leading to blood pressure. Most of the truckers suffer from high blood pressure, does not gel well with human body and the profession they are in.
Sodium vs. Salt:
The terms "sodium" and "salt" meaning are often interchanged, but there is a small difference between both. Sodium is actually a chemical, it is a chemical element and that is why, excessive consumption leads to terrific results. Salt in other hand, (The context here is speaking about the "Table Salt") which contains, 40% sodium + 60% chloride. You will be able to find it practically everywhere, small bits in one dish and really, really, really large amount in another. Again, it depends on what you are eating.
Effects of Excessive Sodium:
When excess of sodium is found in a human's body, kidney cannot remove it all and thus, the ingredient makes its place within. This remaining sodium acts up weirdly and causes problem like high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, high risk of stomach cancer and osteoporosis.
Where is Sodium found?
Small traces of sodium are found in everything we eat, so truckers, it is really impossible to avoid entirely. Most of it, makes way to human's body is through the processed foods and restaurants meals, adding up table salt and additives that obviously contains sodium. Dishes like pizza, deli meat; bacon, cheese, soup, and fast food meals contain the chemical in abundance, and some of the worst offenders. Preserved food contains a large amount as it is required for preservation purpose and flavoring.
Here is a list of trucker's favorite fast food. Check out the amount of sodium included in each of the dishes.
McDonald's Quarter Pounder With Cheese - 1100 mgTaco Bell Bean Burrito - 922 mgWendy's Baconator - 2200 mgWendy's Junior Bacon Cheeseburger - 930 mgBurger King Whopper With Cheese - 1410 mgSubway 6? Spicy Italian - 1520 mgThis is why, truckers should avoid fast foods and go with cooked meals as staying healthy is important. Temptations can also be killed.
Intake of Salt, recommended:
For every normal adult including truck drivers, the sodium intake should not be more than 2,400 mg a day. One teaspoon of salt contains 2,400 mg of salt. Truckers who are suffering from high blood pressure, aged 51+ or suffering from diabetes and chronic kidney disease should surely cut down the consumption of sodium to 1,500 mg per day. Sounds difficult but these steps should be taken if truckers love their profession.
How to lower the intake of Sodium?
A normal human should not consume more than 1500 mg of sodium per day. Here are some methods of cutting down the chemical with substitutes.
Go with flavors, herbs and spices instead of salt shaker. Truckers can maintain a separate rack for garlic, oregano, basil, pepper, thyme and sesame which are far better than salt in flavoring your mean than providing them with excessive salt.
Look out for fresh and frozen veggies and fruits over canned. Canned fruits contain most of the sodium as they come under the category of processed food and it helps in keeping the preservation maintained till the expiry date. However, nothing like fresh fruits right truckers?
Truckers can take initiative and try to control their intake of sodium. Consumption of high amount of this particular chemical leads to hypertension, which is also not so favorable. Truckers need to maintain cool as they are dealing with another tax other than just simply delivering things.
Filing taxes on time is another heavy task on their heads. So remain cool and file your form 2290 return with tax2290.com. We are here to help you in filing your taxes and get your schedule-1 copy in minutes. Time is moving out, file before the due date. Tax2290.com wishes every trucker a happy, healthy and safe trucking!
Flora Anderson, an e-tax professional at http://www.tax2290.com/ a product of Think Trade Inc., A BBB accredited, IRS authorized E-file service provider for all kinds of Excise taxes like Form 2290, Form 720, Form 8849 etc, my articles will reflect trucker friendly ideologies, methods and steps to e-file your forms with ease. For any queries, you can reach @ 866-245-3918 or email us for instance response.