i've been telling anybody who will listen about this for decades. and the
nation wonders why obeisity, heart disease, kidney failure and diabetes are
statistically up?  (sometimes, i wonder if the food industry and
pharmaceutical industry are in cahoots about all the added salt and sugars.
and then i think, i'm just being paranoid.)   food processors add the salt
and sugars to supposedly give more flavor--the more you like the taste, the
more you'll eat and buy.  it's getting harder to find meats that haven't
been injected with salt or sugars and even some frozen vegetables now have
added salt or sugars, too (canned veggies have always been high in sodium).
reading labels makes grocery shopping take so much longer.  from having
worked in the industry, i know that  grocery retailers have always worked on
the premise that the longer you stay in their store, the more you'll spend!

i better stop now.  i'm getting started, again.  sigh . . .

kate

           Pinch the salt
           Even if you've forsaken the shaker,
           you're probably consuming too much sodium
           By R.J. Ignelzi
           STAFF WRITER
           September 12, 2006

           Over the last few years, we've been so busy counting carbs,
fretting
           over fat and pumping up protein, that we've overlooked an
important
           dietary concern: salt.
           It's not that salt is a bad thing. It's necessary in the human
diet
           to help balance body fluids and for efficient muscle and nerve
           function. The problem is, it's just not needed in the amounts
           Americans consume it.

           The U.S. Dietary Guidelines of 2005 recommend that healthy
adults
           consume no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium (when combined
with
           chloride, it forms salt), about one teaspoon of salt a day. And,
for
           some people, including those over 50, African-Americans, and
people
           who already have high blood pressure and are sensitive to
sodium,
           the recommended daily intake is a measly 1,500 milligrams or
less.
           Most of us go way overboard and eat between 4,000 and 5,000
           milligrams of sodium every day, at least twice the recommended
           amount.
           Feeling virtuous because you don't sprinkle salt on your popcorn
or
           potatoes? Shake off that smug grin. Chances are you're getting
more
           than your share of sodium if you dine in restaurants or eat any
kind
           of processed, frozen or fast-foods. That's where more than 80
           percent of the sodium in our diet comes from.
           Had a slice of pizza lately? Chances are it had more than 900
           milligrams of sodium in one big pepperoni slice. Watching your
           weight with the help of low-calorie frozen dinners? Lean Cuisine
and
           Healthy Choice products may trim the fat, but they splurge on
           sodium, often containing 600 to 900 milligrams of sodium per
entree.

           A fast-food cheeseburger and fries can put you into sodium
overload
           with about 2,000 milligrams of sodium, almost an entire day's
worth
           in one meal. Even breakfast has gotten sodium-saturated, with a
bowl
           of Cheerios racking up 200 milligrams of salt.

           The problem with too much sodium is that for some people, it can
           lead to high blood pressure, which increases the risk of stroke,
           kidney disease and heart problems.
           "For sodium-sensitive people, the more salt they take in, the
more
           the kidneys compensate and retain water. This increases blood
           volume, which requires the heart to work harder, and
consequently
           raises blood pressure," says Christine Zoumas, a registered
           dietitian and researcher at the University of California San
Diego.
           About 10 percent to 25 percent of the U.S. population is sodium
           sensitive, and approximately 60 percent of people with
hypertension
           are sodium sensitive.
           "Not everyone responds to a low-sodium diet. Reducing salt
doesn't
           necessarily guarantee reduced blood pressure for everyone," says
Dr.
           Joseph Scherger, physician and professor of family and
preventive
           medicine at the University of California San Diego.
           However, he still tries to get even his young, healthy patients
to
           halt the salt habit.
           "It will get them in trouble as they get older. As we age, our
heart
           weakens, and a weakened heart can't tolerate high salt volume.
It
           will begin to fail," he says, noting that about 40 percent of
people
           over 40 have high blood pressure.
           While tossing out the table-salt shaker can help slightly, it's
the
           food in grocery stores, fast-food outlets and restaurants that
we
           need to be wary of. However, determining how much sodium is in a
           food isn't as simple as just tasting it. High-sodium foods don't
           necessarily taste salty.
           "Breakfast cereals and some wheat breads have a lot of sodium,
but
           you'd never know it unless you read the label," says Joan Rupp,
a
           registered dietitian and instructor at San Diego State
University's
           Department of Exercise and Nutrition Science.
           Be a diligent label reader, she suggests. Look for the words
"salt,"
           "sodium," or any derivative of the word, such as "monosodium
           gluconate."
           "It all means salt," Rupp says.
           Adding to the confusion is the wide variation in sodium content
in
           similar foods by different manufacturers or fast-food chains.
Just
           as with fat and carbohydrate content, it all depends on the
           individual recipe. Check out the difference in the amount of
sodium
           in McDonald's and Burger King French fries
           Reducing salt in processed food isn't an easy trick for
           manufacturers. Salt does more than make food taste good. It's a
           preservative and gives food a longer shelf life. It's also a
flavor
           enhancer, especially needed by many of the low-carb and low-fat
           foods to combat blandness.
           The American Medical Association recently asked food processors
and
           restaurants to voluntarily reduce by half the sodium in their
foods
           over the next 10 years. The group also urged the Food and Drug
           Association to label high-sodium foods. Currently, the FDA
           classifies salt as "generally recognized as safe" and prefers a
           voluntary approach to reductions.
           The good news is that if you cut back on salt, you'll get used
to
           it. Even "salt addicts" find that they eventually adjust and
come to
           enjoy a whole new world of natural, wholesome flavors.
           "We develop a taste for sodium over time. But, you can retrain
your
           taste buds and unlearn the taste for sodium," Rupp says.
           She recommends a gradual reduction plan, starting by taking away
the
           salt shaker from the table, then eliminating it from cooking,
then
           cutting back on processed foods.
           "Pretty soon those (high-sodium processed) foods you used to eat
           will just taste way too salty to you," she says.

... A belly button is for salt when you eat celery in bed...