Is Salt in Your Diet Really That Bad for You?
It’s said that 90 percent of Americans consume too much sodium, which is a leading cause of high blood pressure and can lead to heart disease and stroke.
If throwing away our saltshakers would take care of the problem, it would be an easy fix. But most of the sodium in our diets comes from processed and prepared foods.
Sodium is added to almost all processed foods for a variety of reasons, including controlling microbial growth, which causes food to spoil. Sodium is also used for flavor, texture, leavening and fermentation.
A number of foods that taste salty add significantly to our sodium intake, such as pizza, sandwiches, deli meats, pasta dishes, snacks, breads and rolls. Other foods including cake mixes, bagels, cereals and ketchup don’t taste salty, but are high in sodium.
Are Salt and Sodium the Same?
We use the words “salt” and “sodium” interchangeably, but they are different. The salt we sprinkle on a meal is a crystal compound that’s 60 percent chloride and 40 percent sodium. Sodium is a mineral found in salt. About 95 percent of the sodium in our diets comes in the form of salt.
Sodium can occur naturally in foods, including celery, beets and milk. As a food ingredient, sodium – whether from salt or other sodium-containing ingredients – has many uses, such as a thickening agent, flavor enhancer or preservative.
Is It Really Bad for You?
On average, Americans consume 3,400 milligrams (mg) of sodium daily, which is nearly 50 percent more than the 2,300 mg limit recommended by federal guidelines. The problem starts early, as most children and adolescents eat more than is recommended.
When sodium intake increases, blood pressure does too, and high blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke – two leading causes of death in the U.S. In some studies, researchers have estimated that lowering U.S. sodium intake by about 40 percent over the next decade could save 500,000 lives.
The U.S. food industry has responded with no-sodium versions of certain products aimed at health-conscious consumers. As for flavor, most people don’t notice a 10 to 15 percent reduction in sodium. Manufacturers compensate with blends of herbs and spices.
Steps You Can Take
When it comes to reducing sodium and the subsequent health risks, there are steps we can take immediately at the supermarket:
- Buy fresh vegetables or frozen versions without sauce. When buying canned vegetables, look for versions with no salt added.
- Use fresh poultry, fish, pork and lean meat, rather than canned or processed meats. Check the packaging to see if saline or a salt solution has been added.
- Look for low sodium, lower sodium, reduced sodium or no salt added versions of products.
- Limit your use of sauces, mixes and “instant” products, including flavored rice and ready-made pasta.
- Compare the Nutrition Facts labels on food packages for Percent Daily Value or amount of sodium in milligrams.
To reduce your sodium when you are eating at a restaurant:
- Check online for nutritional information before you go if you are eating at a chain restaurant or fast-food outlet. Some independent restaurants also post this on their websites.
- Ask the server for information about the amount of sodium in a dish. Some menus include this information.
- Ask that no salt be added to your food.
- Sauces and dressings can be hidden sodium sources. Ask for these toppings on the side and use them sparingly.
There is always a lot of debate about this subject. If I don’t get enough salt (which is more than the suggested limit) I get severe leg cramps.
From Time magazine, “A new study published in the American Journal of Hypertension analyzed data from 8,670 French adults and found that salt consumption wasn’t associated with systolic blood pressure in either men or women after controlling for factors like age.
Why not? One explanation, the authors write, is that the link we all assume between salt and blood pressure is “overstated” and “more complex than once believed.” It should be noted, however, that even though the study found no statistically significant association between blood pressure and sodium in the diet, those patients who were hypertensive consumed significantly more salt than those without hypertension—suggesting, as other research has, that salt affects people differently.”
I would love to see some real clinical proof regarding salt and blood pressure. The study referenced above is one, but I don’t know what the parameters of the protocol were so it is impossible to value or devalue the results. And please remember, just because the government sets a limit, it certainly doesn’t mean it is legitimate. Follow the money and power behind the agenda.
To much of anything is bad for you. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Let get real for a minute shall we? Salt is good for you as long as YOU know how much you are eating. The problem is – YOU DON’T. Why? Because you are eating process foods, be it in a box, can, or jar. There are so many preservatives and taste enhancers in some cases you really don’t know if it is real food that you are eating or some form of sawdust. Don’t laugh. Ten years ago a well know potato chip manufacturer created potato chips made of cellulose, wood, to see if people will eat it. It was on the market for six months. When the people found out about it the product was quickly removed and nothing more was said about the chips. (Isn’t that right people in Indianapolis?)
My point is this – you never really know what is in your food and how much there is, ingredients, in your food because you were not there to supervise the quantities used and quality of the items used in your food.
This is why it is so important for you to learn to cook from scratch. Not only will your food taste better, with practice, but you and your family will appreciate all your hard work that went into the meal. (Want to know a secret? It takes just as much time to cook from scratch as it does if you cooked from a box. The only difference is that you can taste the difference. Why because you control the ingredients that go into your food.)
So getting back to salt. By controlling the amount that you put in you know how much you and your family is really using. Use too much you ruin your meal. Try going a month without using any salt. You will then start tasting it in foods like eggs and meats that have salt in it naturally.
What most people don’t realize is that cooking is a skill in organic chemistry. You are mixing basic chemicals together in which you end up eating. Why does baking soda make flour rise? why does cornstarch react with water to make gravy? The list goes on. Most cooks couldn’t break it down and tell you why things happen the way they happen. They can only tell you that if you want a specific result then you have to do it this way or not at all.
Anybody that really knows how to cook is truly respected whether they cook in a restaurant or at home. So remember – – – KISS THE COOK & TELL HER HOW MUCH YOU APPRECIATE HER.
I use salt very sparingly if at all, no sugar and no
sauces on my food. Not only does salt contribute
to high blood pressure, it also ages you prematurely. I watch my grandkids put globs of
sauce on their food when we go out. Sadly they
don’t listen to their parents or me. There are times when I believe some of the ingredients in
fast food is an addictive which is why many people crave it so often.
You will have to stop eating in today’s Products Salt and sugars in everything for flavor and seasoning .
I recommend not adding sugar or salt.
Salt is the most effective, readily available, and economical highway deicer in use today and accounts for 8% of all salt productio. In paper making salt is used to manufacture caustic soda and chlorine. Caustic soda is used to process wood fibres and chlorine is used to bleach the pulp. Most people probably think of salt as simply a white granular food seasoning. In fact, only 6% of all salt manufactured goes into food. Apparently we use salt in more than 14,000 different ways from the making of products as varied as plastic, paper, glass, polyester, rubber and fertilisers to household bleach, soaps, detergents and dyes.
Everyone uses salt, directly or indirectly.
Good point. No need to add salt to a food item that probably already has too much salt in it.