Health Dangers of Salt

Health practitioners have been telling us for years that excessive salt is not good for us – it causes hypertension (or high blood pressure) which in turn increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.  According to researchers, reducing salt is one of the least expensive ways to help people live longer and cut down on medical costs.

New Scientist has an excellent article on the health dangers of salt.  Well worth the read.

Part of the article that I found very interesting:

Earlier this month the US Institute of Medicine recommended government intervention to reduce salt intake. However, the food industry is fighting a bitter rearguard action against any such move. The salt industry’s annual turnover is several billion dollars and it has no plans to downsize. Thus, in advance of the new US guidelines, articles have appeared in The New York Times and elsewhere claiming that the evidence for reducing salt is not clear-cut.

This controversy is fake. The evidence for salt reduction is clear and consistent. Most of the “contradictory research” comes from a very small number of scientists, most of whom are linked to the salt industry. However, it takes skill to spot misinformation and subterfuge. And so the confusion is successfully promulgated.

It is a familiar story. The tobacco industry spent decades denying that smoking caused fatal diseases. Their very successful strategies included accusations of scientific conspiracies, selective use of scientific evidence, and paying scientists to produce evidence to contradict the public health experts and confuse the public. In general, the food industry is more ethical, but it is far from squeaky clean.

Here are some additional resources for you:

• Government of Canada – http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/iyh-vsv/food-aliment/sodium-eng.php - Sodium is a nutrient found in table salt and many other foods. While the body needs some sodium to function, too much may lead to high blood pressure, a major risk factor for stroke, heart disease and kidney disease. Most Canadians consume more sodium than may be good for their health.  A diet high in sodium is associated with an increased risk of high blood pressure. High blood pressure is a major risk factor for stroke, heart disease and kidney disease.
• New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene  http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/cardio/cardio-salt-initiative.shtml - Americans consume roughly twice the recommended limit of salt each day – causing widespread high blood pressure and placing millions at risk of heart attack and stroke.

There are dozens of reputable sources of information on the internet about the dangers of salt intake.

So how do you go about reducing the amount of salt you eat?  Unfortunately as with most products purchased at grocery stores – you can’t.  Salt is added as part of the manufacturing process.  However you can certainly read labels to select those products with the least amount of sale, in addition you can choose to reduce and possibly eliminate the amount of salt used at home when preparing food from scratch.

Here are eight tips to help you:

1. Buy fresh, plain frozen, or canned “with no salt added” vegetables.
2. Use fresh poultry, fish, and lean meat, rather than canned or processed types. 
3. Use herbs, spices, and salt-free seasoning blends in cooking and at the table.
4. Cook rice, pasta, and hot cereals without salt. Cut back on instant or flavored rice, pasta, and cereal mixes, which usually have added salt.
5. Choose “convenience” foods that are lower in sodium. Cut back on frozen dinners, pizza, packaged mixes, canned soups or broths, and salad dressings — these often have a lot of sodium.
6. Rinse canned foods, such as tuna, to remove some sodium.
7. When available, buy low- or reduced-sodium, or no-salt-added versions of foods.
8. Choose ready-to-eat breakfast cereals that are lower in sodium. 

When you are grocery shopping, look for these words on packages:

1. sodium free
2. very low sodium
3. low sodium
4. reduced (or less) sodium
5. light in sodium
6. unsalted

Now I know that using salt “brightens” up the food, and brings out its flavor, but if you try you can find great substitutes for salt. Make foods tasty without using salt. Try these flavorings, spices, and herbs:

For Meat, Poultry, and Fish

For Vegetables:

And finally, here are some definitions to help you understand common sodium labels.

• sodium-free: less than 5 milligrams of sodium per serving
• very low sodium: no more than 35 milligrams of sodium per serving
• low sodium: no more than 140 milligrams of sodium per serving
• reduced sodium: at least 25 percent less sodium than a comparable product
• lite/light in sodium (including lightly salted products): at least 50 percent less sodium than a comparable product

As their names imply, salt-free products meet standard criteria for being sodium-free and no-salt-added/unsalted products have no salt added during processing.

Here is to your health!

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Fat Free, Light, Reduced Sodium – What Does It Mean?

Food labels can be very confusing – fat free, light, reduced sodium.  What can you believe?

If any of these words are used on a product, the product must meet their standard definitions.  A word of warning: the words “right,” “smart” and “natural” are not regulated and therefore have no guaranteed meaning.

• Reduced or Less Fat. At least 25% less fat per serving than the “regular” full-fat food cited on the label.
• Low Fat. No more than 3 grams of fat per serving.
• Fat Free. Less than 1/2 gram of fat per serving.
• Light or Lite. At least 50% less fat or 1/3 fewer calories per serving than the “regular” full-fat food cited on the label.
• Reduced or Less Sodium. At least 25% less sodium per serving than the “regular” full-sodium food cited on the label
• Free. This means the food contains no fat or insignificant amounts of fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, sugar, or calories per serving.
• Low Saturated Fat. The food contains one gram or less of saturated fat per serving.
• Low Sodium. This means that the foot contains l40 milligrams or less of sodium per serving.
• Low Cholesterol. This means that the food contains 20 milligrams or less of cholesterol and two grams or less of saturated fat per serving.
• Low Calorie. This means that the food contains 40 calories or less per serving.
• Reduced. This means the food contains at least 25 percent less of a nutrient (such as fat, cholesterol, or sodium) or calories than the regular product.
• Light. This means the food contains one-third fewer calories or half the fat of the regular product, or the sodium content of a low-calorie, low-fat food and that these have been reduced by at least 50 percent.
• Healthy. This means the food must be low in fat and saturated fat and contains limited amounts of cholesterol and sodium. In addition, single-item foods (like bread) must provide at least l0 percent of one or more of the following nutrients: vitamins A or “C, iron, calcium, protein, or fiber. Even stricter guidelines apply for frozen-dinners and meal-type products, like macaroni and cheese.
• Good Source. This means that the food provides l0 to l9 percent of the Daily Value for a particular nutrient per serving.
• High. This means the food provides 20 percent or more of te Daily Value for a particular nutrient per serving.

Here is to your health!

Mohamed

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