Salt

[Guest guest]

Finally.....some regulation about all the salt put into virtually

everything. I notice that I can't even buy what looks like innocent poultry

anymore without salt injections. You have to read the labels on everything

folks - even if you think that there shouldn't be added salt.

Salted Away

By Sally Squires

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 F. son, 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 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 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.•