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Spices and seasonings are essential to making food even more enjoyable than it already is. When you are trying to be conscious of your health or maintain a good weight, seasonings become even more important to making sure healthy foods still taste great. Most seasonings are safe to use because they come from natural herbs and spices. But there are a few to be wary of – because they might add some unwanted ingredients into your meals.
Chili powder is often one of the worst seasonings you can add to food. This is surprising to many people, because chili itself is actually pretty good for you. But when you buy the spice in a seasoning mix, it isn't actually as healthy as you might think.
Chili powder seasoning often contains a high amount of sodium. Taking in too much sodium disturbs your balance of fluid and electrolytes, and may raise your risk of high blood pressure and heart disease over time. The CDC recommends that you should limit your sodium intake to 2,300 milligrams per day.
A mild chili seasoning mix has 400 miligrams of sodium per serving. While this might seem like too much when compared to your daily intake. keep in mind that just about every type of food you eat has some level of sodium, so it is smart to cut down on it wherever you can.
Chili powder is one of the few places where you can afford to lose some sodium. If you buy a plan jar of chili powder instead of a chili seasoning mix, you reduce your sodium intake exponentially.