Health and fitness briefs, Nov. 13

The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association recently released a list of the “Salty Six” — common foods that contain a lot of unexpected salt.

• Bread and rolls. Most bread doesn't taste salty, a news release notes, but a single slice can contain as much as 230 mg of sodium. If you have two sandwiches in a day, the bread alone uses up most of your 1,500 mg daily allowance.

• Cold cuts and cured meats. Eating sandwiches made with deli turkey seems healthy, doesn't it? Problem is, deli meats contain a whopping amount of salt.

• Pizza. Doesn't take a nutritionist to figure out that pizza isn't the healthiest meal in the world. “But pizza's plenty salty, too,” the release states. “One slice can contain up to 760 mg of sodium, so two can send you over the daily recommendation.”

• Poultry. White meat is supposed to be good for you, but prepackaged chicken often contains significant salt levels. “Just 3 ounces of frozen and breaded nuggets,” the release states, “can add nearly 600 mg of sodium.”

• Soup. Sodium levels on many soups are through the roof. “One cup of canned chicken noodle soup can have up to 940 mg of sodium,” the release notes. “And remember that soup cans typically contain more than one serving.”

• Sandwiches. We now know that bread is salty. So are cold cuts, grilled cheese and hamburgers. Put 'em all together, add some ketchup and mustard, and you've got all your day's salt crammed into a single sandwich.

Thanksgiving can be a trying holiday under the best of conditions. After such a contentious presidential election, it may be even more difficult to smile through dinner conversations with people who don't share you opinions — especially if they're your spouse's family.

Deanna Brand knows all about coping with in-laws. She's the author of “Reluctantly Related: Secrets to Getting Along With Your Mother-in-Law or Daughter-in-Law.”

In a news release, Brand offers these tips for surviving turkey day:

Be a team player. Participate in conversations. Ask questions. Compliment your in-laws. Offer help. Try to engage them in discussions about what they think.

Try not to take things personally. Hanging out with people you don't know well can be stressful. Being well-mannered assures that you're not the problem.

Laugh. If you can step outside your immediate emotional reactions, you'll be able to see the comedy in the situation. Worst case scenario: You'll have a funny (or appalling) story to share with your friends.

COMPILED BY: KEN RAYMOND