Guest guest Posted February 16, 2006 Report Share Posted February 16, 2006 I thought this newsletter would interest some SBD'ers - - you can subscribe to it free - - I have just excerpted the salt section, but left the subscription info at the bottom. jane ------- Forwarded message follows ------- Date sent: Thu, 16 Feb 2006 02:11:59 -0500 Subject: See Salt Bottom Line's Daily Health News ---------------------------------------------------------------------- February 16, 2006 * See Salt -- Hidden Salt in Everyday Foods ---------------------------------------------------------------------- SEE SALT If there's one thing virtually all nutritionists and doctors agree on, it is that many Americans eat way too much salt. Doctors worry about salt because of its link to high blood pressure, a risk factor for heart attacks and strokes. And it's common knowledge that reducing salt intake helps lower blood pressure for some. In widely reported research on the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension), many of those on lower-sodium diets reduced their blood pressure significantly. Yet, reducing or limiting your salt can be difficult in a world of salt-laden processed foods. FINDING THE HIDDEN SALT Unfortunately, you can't tell how much sodium is in a product simply by tasting it, because salt content can be high in foods that don't taste salty at all, such as bread, cereal, canned tuna and cheese. There are wide variations in the salt content in different brands of similar products. For instance, a small order of french fries at Burger King has almost three times the sodium as the same order at Mc's -- 410 mg versus 140 mg per serving. Generally speaking, the more processed the food, the higher the sodium. Precooked, ready-to-eat packaged foods are some of the worst offenders. Examples... FOOD SODIUM (mg) Macaroni and cheese, 1 cup... 1,061 mg Canned chili with beans, 1 cup... 1,007 mg Corned beef brisket, 3 oz... 856 mg Canned sauerkraut, 1 cup... 1,560 mg Chicken bouillon, one 4-g cube... 743 mg Biscuit, 3 inches... 586 mg Canned peas, 1 cup... 428 mg Raisin bran, 1 cup... 362 mg Canned green beans, 1 cup... 354 mg Cheese pizza, one slice... 282 mg Apple pie, 1/6 of a 9-inch pie... 311 mg Pumpkin pie, 1/6 of an 8-inch pie... 307 mg American cheese, one slice... 422 mg Blueberry muffin... 255 mg Source: USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference (Release 18, October 2005). WHY IS IT THERE? Food manufacturers are removing trans fats from their foods -- why don't they reduce salt as well, since it's so excessive in some places? Sodium extends the shelf life of packaged food and hides bitter tastes that are common in others, so food manufacturers are reluctant to remove it. It also helps keep processed meat firm and gives ham and hot dogs their pinkish color. Sometimes low-carb and low-fat foods need more sodium to make them taste better as well. HOW MUCH SALT SHOULD YOU EAT? According to McDougall, MD, author of The McDougall Program: 12 Days to Dynamic Health (Plume) and founder and medical director of the nationally renowned McDougall Program in Santa , California, the target number for daily sodium intake is 2,000 mg for relatively sedentary people. Athletes and regular gym-rats need more. A trick the McDougall Clinic uses is to leave the salt shakers on the table. " You want to put salt where you can taste it easiest, which is on the surface of the food, " explained Dr. McDougall. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0452266394/blpnet ARE YOU SALT SENSITIVE? According to Mark C. Houston, MD, director of the Hypertension Institute at St. Hospital in Nashville, up to 60% of those with elevated blood pressure are salt sensitive -- their blood pressure rises when they consume more salt and falls when they take in less. Most likely to be salt sensitive: African-Americans, the elderly and the obese. " In fact, most non-salt-sensitive people can probably tolerate 5,000 mg daily on an ongoing basis, " Dr. McDougall told me. However, in parts of the US, it's not unusual to see daily consumption in the 10,000 mg to 20,000 mg range. " In the northern region of Japan, the traditional diet is about 15,000 mg a day, " Dr. McDougall told me. " The Japanese eat a low-fat, relatively high vegetable diet, but their stroke incidence is very high. There is a stress phenomena created by this level of sodium intake. " WHAT TO DO According to all the experts, health benefits can be gained by eating fewer high-sodium processed foods and increasing your intake of high-potassium fruits and vegetables. Humans evolved on a diet high in potassium and low in sodium. According to Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, author of five books, including The Fat Flush Plan (McGraw-Hill), almost all unprocessed natural foods contain more potassium than sodium. " Our ancestors consumed about 10 times more potassium than sodium, " she says. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0071383832/blpnet " When we put people on plant-based diets, they automatically increase their potassium and fiber, " Dr. McDougall told me. " I think some of the attention on sodium is misdirected -- we should be telling people instead to simply eat a diet based on plant foods and to cut out the processed stuff. " " If people would prepare their own foods more often, " Dr. McDougall said, " they'd know what goes into them. " The more food you eat that doesn't come packaged with a bar code, the less you need to worry about how much sodium you're putting in your food. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- You can easily subscribe at this link... http://www.bottomlinesecrets.com/e2/e2_signup.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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