Big Benefits Are Seen From Eating Less Salt

[babylonsister]

Big Benefits Are Seen From Eating Less Salt

By PAM BELLUCK
Published: January 20, 2010


In a report that may bolster public policy efforts to get Americans to reduce the amount of salt in their diets, scientists writing in The New England Journal of Medicine conclude that lowering the amount of salt people eat by even a small amount could reduce cases of heart disease, stroke and heart attacks as much as reductions in smoking, obesity and cholesterol levels.

If everyone consumed half a teaspoon less salt per day, there would be between 54,000 and 99,000 fewer heart attacks each year and between 44,000 and 92,000 fewer deaths, according to the study, which was conducted by scientists at University of California San Francisco, Stanford University Medical Center and Columbia University Medical Center.

The report comes as health authorities at federal, state and municipal levels are considering policies that would have the effect of pressuring food companies to reduce salt in processed foods, which are considered to be the source of much of the salt Americans eat.

Last week, New York City announced an initiative to urge food manufacturers and restaurant chains to reduce salt in their products nationwide by 25 percent over the next five years. California, according to an author of the study, Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, an associate professor of medicine and epidemiology at University of California, San Francisco, is considering setting salt limits on food the state purchase for schools, prisons and other public institutions.

A panel appointed by the Institute of Medicine, the widely respected independent research arm of the National Academies of Science, is close to issuing a report that will make recommendations about reducing salt intake, including actions government and manufacturers can take.

more...

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/21/health/nutrition/21salt.html?em

[RC]

1. Start by reducing the Salt in our foods by 50% or more.

The 75% that is left is still way too much. There is no reason why any of our packaged foods need to contain enough salt to taste salty. Add your own if you must.
Oh, and don't let then have 5 years. Give them one year.

[old mark]

2. We seldom use prepared foods at home, generally eat simple

home cooked meals, but there is salt in EVERYTHING edible, it seems, and it's a good idea to read the labels on every food item you buy. That is very educational.

mark

[elocs]

5. The trouble is the salt level in some processed foods out there.

I religiously read food labels for sodium levels and the amounts on some foods are incredible. There are soups where a single serving could give you 50% or more of your sodium RDA.

[old mark]

7. Soup is one of the worst, along with tomato sauces and canned veggies.

Funny, many canned veggies have high nutritional value and would be great except for the salt content - many people rinse them before use to remove some of the salt.

mark

[elocs]

9. Boxed mac & cheese is another high one, particularly Kraft which is really high.

I buy this stuff called "Wacky Mac" (different shapes of pasta) and it has only 15% sodium level and 2g of fat. It tastes just as good as Kraft to me.

[samplegirl]

3. There should of been stringent laws on this

long before now. I never use the salt shaker! Good to see that even the soups are offering lower sodium. We have all been overdosed on salt for years.

[aquart]

4. Why me, God???

[Nay]

6. So why are they talking to us? Talk to the fast food joints and the food

manufacturers--that's where the huge doses of salt come from in our food supply. Anyone who wants salty food can add salt; it's not like salt is some exotic ingredient no one has in the pantry.

[izquierdista]

8. It's part of corporatization

We are returning to the days of ancient Rome, where the large standing army was paid in salt.

[samplegirl]

10. It has no taste without

tons of salt.

[niyad]

15. you could become acquainted with the whole world of herbs and spices.

[kayakjohnny]

11. I rinse all my canned nuts and nacho chips in a colander, then dry them out quickly

to get rid of all that salt. Then I put back a slight amount.

Sometimes I use those reusable coffee filters.

I refuse to eat all that sodium.

[HuckleB]

12. More places are offering no salt and half salt nuts.

Trader Joe's is the one comes to mind, first.

But thanks for the idea!

Cheers!

[kayakjohnny]

13. You are welcome

:hi:

[niyad]

14. haven't used salt since I was 12. don't eat convenience foods, prepared foods or fast food.

been way ahead of the curve for years. of course, having what amounts to a salt allergy helps.

[Quantess]

16. Too bad I like salt so much.

Some foods don't taste right without salt.