Salted Away

[Guest guest]

Salted Away JoAnn Guest May 30, 2005 09:20 PDT

 

By Sally Squires

 

Tuesday, March 8, 2005; Page HE01

 

While weight-conscious consumers often obsess about fat and

carbohydrates, a lawsuit newly filed by the Center for Science in the

Public Interest (CSPI) puts another popular ingredient in the spotlight:

salt.

 

CSPI is suing the Food and Drug Administration to put more muscle into

salt regulation. The lawsuit would change the status of salt from

generally recognized as safe (GRAS) to an official food ingredient that

would subject it to much stiffer regulation by the FDA. In issuing a

report last week on the health dangers of salt, the consumer advocacy

group noted that salt consumption has slowly risen over the past 30

years and, by its estimate, accounts for nearly 150,000 premature deaths

annually in the United States. Most of those deaths are linked to

complications of high blood pressure, or hypertension.

 

 

" Americans spend more than $15 billion each year on drugs to treat

hypertension, yet the government spends almost nothing to reduce salt

consumption, " said CSPI executive director Michael F. Jacobson, author

of the report.

 

The latest national nutritional surveys suggest that Americans consume

about a third more than the 2,300 milligrams per day limit advised by

the federal government's 2005 Dietary Guidelines for adults up to age

45. (Those older than 45, as well as African Americans and people who

have already been diagnosed with elevated blood pressure, are advised to

consume no more than 1,500 milligrams of sodium daily. That's the amount

found in about a cup and a half of many canned soups.)

 

And, no, removing the salt shaker from the dining table likely won't be

enough. An expert committee that helped develop the revised guidelines

reported in August that as much as 80 percent of sodium intake comes

from processed and restaurant foods.

 

Even so, the food industry points to major improvements and the growing

number of reduced-sodium and no-salt-added products. " Over the past 40

years, there has been a dramatic reduction in the use of sodium in

processed foods, " said Robert Earl, senior director of nutrition policy

at the National Food Processors Association, an industry group. " Various

new techniques in canning and freezing have reduced the amount of sodium

needed " to extend shelf life of foods.

 

But those reduced-sodium products must appeal to consumers, which " is

not a simple task, " as Earl notes.

 

" There's a tradeoff here, " concedes James O. Hill, director of the

Clinical Nutrition Research Unit at the University of Colorado Health

Sciences Center in Denver, noting that salt is important for taste. " I

know where CSPI is coming from. . . . But salt is used for a reason, and

it plays a role in allowing consumers to like products. So I'm a big fan

of getting the food industry to gradually reduce sodium over time so

that the consumer doesn't notice it. "

 

In the meantime, here's what you can do to reduce your sodium intake:

 

Don't bother doing the milligram math. The answers are already in plain

sight on nutrition food labels. Pay attention to percent daily value of

sodium. " The rule of thumb is to choose foods that have less than 5

percent of the daily value for sodium " per serving, said Eva Obarzanek,

a research nutritionist at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

(NHLBI) .

 

Eat more fruit and vegetables . Studies suggest that these

potassium-rich foods can help counter the effects of high sodium intake.

 

DASH . No, not the 40-yard kind, but the Dietary Approaches to Stop

Hypertension, an eating plan that has been proven to lower blood

pressure as much as some medications. DASH is low in total fat,

saturated fat and cholesterol, and rich in fruit, vegetables and low-fat

dairy products. Get a free copy at

www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/dash/ or from the NHLBI Health

Information Center, P.O. Box 30105, Bethesda, MD 20824-0105, or by

calling 301-592-8573.

 

Cut back on sodium gradually. Since the taste for salt develops over

time, " it's not a good idea to go cold turkey, " said Alice Lichtenstein,

professor of nutrition at Tufts University and chairwoman of the

American Heart Association's Nutrition Committee. " Introduce a few

lower-sodium products, substitute herbs for salt and just begin

ratcheting down. That's what really works. "

 

Choose reduced-sodium or no-salt-added foods. Harvard University's Meir

Stampfer, a professor of nutrition and epidemiology, snacks on unsalted

peanuts and skips sodium-loaded pretzels and chips. Lichtenstein uses

low-sodium chicken broth to whip up homemade soups in minutes for her

family. Or just swap " natural " peanut butter with no added salt for

more-processed brands, which have 6 percent of the daily value per two

tablespoons.

 

Beware of hidden sodium. Besides restaurant fare and canned food,

leading sources of sodium include many of the items that the new

guidelines suggest should be consumed in greater quantities: whole-grain

bread, crackers and ready-to-eat cereals, and dairy foods, especially

cheese.

 

Other high sodium sources: frozen food with sauces; macaroni and cheese

with flavor or seasoning packets; salad dressings; condiments, snack

foods, luncheon meats, hot dogs and processed tomato products, from

juice and ketchup to salsa and sauce. Smart low-sodium choices include:

oatmeal, plain shredded wheat, whole-wheat matzoh, brown rice as well as

nonfat milk and yogurt. Use vinegar and oil instead of prepared salad

dressings. Rinse canned beans and other vegetables to reduce sodium.

Choose herbs and spices for flavoring instead of . . . well, you know.

•

 

Share Your Tips or ask questions about healthy nutrition and activity

when Sally Squires hosts the Lean Plate Club online chat, from 1 p.m. to

2 p.m. today, on washingtonpost.com. Can't join live? E-mail

leanpla-. To learn more, and to our

free e-newsletter, visitwww.washingtonpost.com/leanplateclub.

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/03/25/AR2005032503794.\

html

 

 

 

Moderator's Note: Although this article has the most important information, the

best choice of all is omitted...Celtic Sea Salt! It is an excellent alternative

for refined salt and sodium. Of course you will not find this in restaurant fare

or processed foods. Although it is by far the most healthy variety, it too

should be used in moderation..Then, there is also Alfred Vogel's salt substitute

Herbamare/Trocomare, available only in your health food stores. With all the

healthy choices out there, the average consumer shouldn't feel at all deprived.

 

Blessings, JoAnn

 

 

 

 

AIM Barleygreen

" Wisdom of the Past, Food of the Future "

 

http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets.html