The Salt Hiding in Your Diet

[DainBramaged]

Nearly 90% of adults consume more salt than U.S. dietary guidelines recommend. Now, federal officials are considering making those guidelines even tougher to follow.

Eating too much sodium, a key component of salt, can contribute to high blood pressure, a major risk for most people as they age because it can lead to heart disease and other health problems. But cutting sodium from the diet is difficult, mainly because people often don't know it's there. More than three-quarters of the sodium people consume comes from processed and restaurant foods. And much of the sodium we eat is in foods that don't necessarily taste salty, like packaged bread and chicken dishes.

Salt is the latest front in the battle to get Americans to eat a healthier diet. Previous efforts have focused on cutting down on sugar, to fight obesity, and reducing fat, for a healthier heart. After four decades of unsuccessfully nudging Americans to cut salt in their diets only to see them eat more of it, government officials are intensifying their efforts.

An advisory committee working on new U.S. Dietary Guidelines, due to be released later this year by the federal government, recently recommended that all adults restrict their intake of sodium to no more than 1,500 milligrams a day, equivalent to about two-thirds of a teaspoon of table salt, down from a current limit of 2,300 mgs for some people. For many, that wouldn't represent a change. The dietary guidelines, which are updated every five years, currently suggest a limit of 1,500 mgs for people with hypertension, anyone over 40 years old and African-Americans, who are at greater risk for high blood pressure—a group that represents about 70% of all adults.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704905004575405173133646604.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

[BrklynLiberal]

1. Very important info. thanks.

i remember back in the says when I used to buy french fries from a fast food chain...I had to specifically request that they NOT salt them..otherwise they would literally drown them in salt as a matter of course. To me, they were inedible with all that salt.

[DainBramaged]

4. When I have gone into MickeyD's or Burgular King in the past

I could not believe how much 'shake' wound up on the fires, and it wasn't because the kids didn't know, it was encouraged.


I wonder if it was ONLY salt in those shakers????????

[BrklynLiberal]

7. I noticed the same thing....and now I have the same question...

[AnArmyVeteran]

2. Salt substitute (potassium based) is just as good as salt (sodium)

I stopped eating extra salt a long time ago. I don't have a problem with high blood pressure. The last time I had my BP check two weeks ago it was 102/64. My reason for reducing salt intake is I just didn't want to eat that much salt. Because I don't cook with any salt when I go to restaurants sometimes I can't even eat their food because it tastes like I'm eating salt right out of the box. Restaurants use way too much salt in their meals. There are very few restaurants I can go to that doesn't lace all their foods with tons of salt. When I'm in a restaurant and watch other people the first thing they do is grab the salt shakers and start dumping salt on their meals, even before they tasted it. It's just a habit.

I just started using the salt substitute because I like it on corn on the cob. But I don't use salt when cooking any meals. After you go without salt you don't need it any longer.

[AnArmyVeteran]

3. I forgot, thanks for the article!

[zipplewrath]

5. You get it from more than the salt shaker

People put soy sauce on not realizing they're basically putting salt on their food. Alot of both canned and prepared foods have added salt in them. Foods like "Rice a Roni" have salt/sodium in them. It can actually be hard to avoid. Just one of many reasons for doing as much of your own cooking, from raw ingredients, as you can find time and energy for. By the way, check you're butter, some butter is salted.

[tridim]

11. Salted butter tastes gross to me now that I only buy unsalted.

Unsalted butter is inherently fresher and tatstier. Salt is added to extend shelf life, and therefore unsalted butter must be shipped in a fresher state. Take advantage of it!

[unblock]

13. i always wondered why they did that!

i mean, who decided that WHATEVER i use the butter for, i'm gonna want extra salt with that?

i switched to unsalted butter many years ago; i missed the salt taste for maybe a week or two, and ever since then, salted butter just tastes wierd.

[zipplewrath]

14. Won't screw up cake recipies either

Most cake and dough recipies will specify unsalted butter, cause it screws things up.

[DainBramaged]

6. I just read labels now, if salt is in the first five ingrediants

it doesn't get my money. I used to worry about MSG, and for YEARS it was near the top, now it is virtually nonexistent. They should do the same with salt.


But the corporate scum will find some other chemical to burden us with.

[AnArmyVeteran]

9. Every soup I see in stores is loaded with salt, so I don't buy it.

Food companies shouldn't put any salt in their foods. How hard is it for the consumer to sprinkle salt on their meals? Good grief, salt is cheap and easy to put on food. No food should contain any added salt. Maybe these companies are partners with huge health care companies who profit by treating patients who are victims of deadly foods.

You're right about MSG. My brother was allergic to it. Companies will do anything to make their foods to 'appear' to be tastier by adding anything they can get away with. They spend millions trying to trick peoples' pallets. If they could get away with it companies would put heroin in their food. In a non-regulated conservative world you would see exactly that.

There are a lot of tricks companies use to deceive and screw the consumer. If you buy frozen chicken pieces they are coated with 18% water. So you are paying a lot more for the chicken than you think you are. Almost 20% of your money is being stolen by corrupt companies like Tyson. I'm willing to bet they already have plans to raise the water content to 25 or 30 percent, screwing the consumer even more. I guess eventually they will stop growing chickens entirely and just fill their packages with chicken-flavored water. :)

Canned goods use to all be 16 ounces, but they have slowly been dwindling down in size. Eventually, you are going to get a five pound package of chicken with 4 3/4 pounds of water and 1/4 pound of chicken. And cans of foods will be reduced to 2 ounces and only filled half way. Cereal boxes are already almost half empty. Of course, the company says the boxes aren't filled 'due to settling during shipment'. What a racket they have going. Our prisons are filled with more ethical and honest people than corporate leaders.

And conservatives want corrupt corporations to control everything without any government oversight. Look at what they do WITH government oversight.

[SoCalDem]

8. This is why it's so important to use REAL foods & to cook for yourself

When my boys were babies, I made their own baby food from what I cooked for us..I just started cooking without seasonings & used my food processor to prep their meals. We got used to having salt & pepper on the table & everyone seasons their own.

We got used to not having it IN our food.

Around here a container of salt lasts us YEARS.. The last one I finished had a price tag of 39 cents on it:rofl:

We have never missed it:)

[tridim]

10. I know it's not this simple, but drinking more water is a good safeguard.

We need both sodium and water to live, and most people I know don't drink nearly enough plain water to sustain their salt intakes.

[Thav]

12. I have concerned myself about salt over fat/sugar forever

Unfortunately for the consumer, salt is excellent at enhancing flavor and preserving food. And it's cheap. Food that people wouldn't be able to eat because it doesn't taste good gets loaded with salt and suddenly it's palatable.

It's really a crime how much salt is in stuff. Subway is a big fan of salt. Ever look at their sodium content? The lowest sandwich is 900mg. The average is 1600mg. Eat there lunch and dinner, and you can get 3200mg without realizing it. Sure your fat and calories are down, but yikes.

If it's prepared, it has salt in it. I try to get less than 1500mg a day of salt, so I try to avoid processed foods. Even prepared spices often have a lot of salt. If there's a mix of spices in your jar, you can almost bet there's salt in there.

Your body does need sodium, so a little salt doesn't hurt. Emphasis on little.

[tinymontgomery]

15. We don't use salt

in my house, wife took it away when we got married,but I do like them on my fries, nothing else, just my fries. I think their to bland with out it. I do a lot of cardio so I don't think it's to bad.

[Hatchling]

16. Most canned foods are out.

I recently had an arterial stent and trying to find foods with no salt is nearly impossible!