Most of you read this column the way I listen to local sports-talk shows: with more than a passing interest but far less than fanatical devotion.

My emotions on Mondays in the fall, for instance, are not affected at all by the fortunes of the Philadelphia Eagles on Sundays. I do, however, find the melodramatic day-after game discussions - and more of the same again on Tuesdays and Wednesdays - interesting.In part because of this, I decided a long time ago that establishing recurring themes in this column increases its impact.I'm a firm believer, for instance, in nutrient partitioning. In short, it's the theory that the ratio of high-quality protein and complex carbs to simple carbs and fat in your diet determines weight loss, weight gain, or weight maintenance. That's because the ratio of these consumed macronutrients dictates whether your body secretes insulin and increases the likelihood of storing energy as fat or secretes glucagon and burns stored fat.The term nutrient partitioning isn't bandied about much in the mainstream, so if I want you to understand it and ultimately embrace it, I need to refer to it frequently. So I do.Unrelated to that, I wrote last week that "You need to realize that it's not a single thing - a new workout routine at the health club, a conscious commitment to get more sleep, an elimination of that one junk food that you always seem to overeat - but the comprehensive sum of all things that determines how you feel and function each day." At that time, I had no grand plan to use the phrase "comprehensive sum" as a recurring theme, like nutrient partitioning.But this week, I started reading all the research I had printed out recently and realized much of it proved last week's column.A recurring theme just fell into my lap.For years, excessive salt consumption - generally considered more than 2,300 milligrams per day for those up to the age of 50 and 1,500 mg for those older than that - has been linked to increased blood pressure, which raises the risk of stroke, heart disease, and heart attacks. But a study conducted at Deakin University in Australia indicates another equally important reason to limit your ingestion of processed foods and restaurant meals, the two ways most Americans receive more than 75 percent of their 3,300 mg of daily sodium.If you are sensitive to the taste of fat, an excess of sodium increases your odds of eating too much.The study of 48 subjects first determined their sensitivity to fat and then featured four lunchtime meals that always consisted of elbow macaroni and sauce. But each day the sauce contained a different amount of sodium and fat.Overall, the subjects consumed 11 percent less food when the sauce was low in sodium but high in fat. When the sauce was both high in salt and fat, however, the subjects consumed, according to Professor Russell Keast, one of the researchers interviewed for a Medical News Today article, "significantly more food and energy" - despite the fact that those who first showed no sensitivity to fat ate virtually the same amount regardless of the sauces' salt content.These findings lead Keast and his colleagues to postulate that salt ingestion might interfere with many individuals' ability to recognize when enough food is enough and cause them to overeat. Keast expresses a long-term concern about this, saying, "When salt is added . . . people end up eating more food. This can cause you to eat more fatty foods over time, your body adapts or becomes less sensitive to fat, leading you to eat more to get the same feelings of fullness."More than one conspiracy theorist has cited this phenomenon as the reason why so much fast food and processed food contains unnecessary sodium. But if you limit your sodium ingestion by gaining a greater awareness of how easy it is to over consume it - Did you know that a typical sandwich made with two slices of wheat bread, one ounce of American cheese, two slices of Lebanon bologna, and two tablespoons of mayonnaise contains more than 1500 mg of sodium? - you may discover you're losing weight without trying.Another study found an increased awareness of eating helped adolescents eat healthier foods and exercise more frequently.Researchers recruited 40, mostly overweight, ninth-graders in Georgia. While some served as the control group, others took a 12-week workshop on mindfulness intervention designed to increase overall awareness.Prior to, most subjects had bad eating habits, such as rushing through meals, being distracted by other activities while eating, and binge-eating.Yet three months after the study, those who took the course to increase awareness consumed a healthier diet, one lower in fat and total calories than the control group. As a result , while the average weight of the control group increased slightly during the testing time, the average of those receiving the training decreased slightly.Additionally, those who underwent the 12-week awareness program were found to be moderately exercising 1.4 more days per week than the control group afterwards.