Danger in a Shaker

For most women my age, high blood pressure is one of those conditions that we have to look forward to but don’t have to worry about “just yet.” This risky attitude justifies the layer of salt that dusts my vegetables – who cares, it won’t make me fat. I have experienced the United States’ love/ hate relationship with fats and carbohydrates firsthand, but the media does not address another, less visible epidemic so regularly. Research indicates that Americans now spend billions of healthcare dollars annually on conditions linked to excessive salt consumption. Moreover, the government estimates that reducing salt intake nationwide could save 150,000 lives a year.

The Department of Agriculture cracked down on salt consumption (sort of) when it reissued its nutritional report on June 15th. The most significant adjustment from the 2005 version was the pool of new evidence regarding the dangers of obesity, but the report included new data about the hazards of sodium and revamped the old report’s recommendations in this area. Guzzling salt will not make you gain weight, but sodium can raise your blood pressure, especially if your body is already low on potassium. As a result, too much salt can lead to conditions that range from kidney disease to stroke to heart disease. Americans eat an average of 3,400 milligrams of salt every day, but the new guidelines reduced the maximum daily amount that a person should consume from 2,300 to 1,500 milligrams.

In 2005, the nutritional report only applied the low recommendation number (1,500 mg) to African Americans, any person middle-aged or older, and any person with high blood pressure. 70% of the United States population now falls into one of these three categories and the newest report recognized just how many people a lower level of consumption would benefit. The modest recommendation presents a challenge to millions of Americans who have developed a taste for salty foods, especially since the saltiest foods are usually prepared before the consumer lays her hands on them.

Processed foods have already come under fire for their negative impacts on health and the environment, but the government report specifically advises people to cut down on these salt-laden products. After all, a combination of processed and restaurant food now account for 80% of the average American’s salt intake. The Institute of Medicine has encouraged the government to begin regulating the amount of sodium that processing companies may add to any product, but capitalist food giants like Cargill are not responding well to this push. As “the leading supplier of sea salt from the Pacific Ocean… for over 10 years,” Cargill is trying to alleviate the impact that the government’s harrowing health warning has on the public by advocating salt’s necessity and ‘value’ to a society that, frankly, depends on it.

Processed food conglomerates recognize that a small amount of salt goes a long way to salvage a product’s flavor, especially when that product needs a long shelf life and/ or some zing to mask the poor quality of its ingredients. A single can of Progresso Lentil soup contains 1,620 mg of sodium, 108% of the sodium that anyone should eat in one day, according to the new standards. If people enjoy this product now, it probably won’t sell when the company reduces its most flavorful component (read: salt) by half. Moreover, while low-carb or low-fat diets help consumers shed extra pounds – in just weeks! – Low sodium meals offer health benefits that might remain imperceptible for years. These significant benefits sound obscure and unmarketable compared to their obesity-battling counterparts.

Luckily, we still have the power to make healthy choices if we educate ourselves about the options. One order of Chicken Selects ® Premium Breast Strips might sound more healthful than other items on the McDonald’s menu, but this order contains 1,680 mg of sodium, more than the recommended daily amount for anyone. Reading labels will enable you to choose foods with reasonable quantities of sodium, and cooking or preparing food at home will allow you to control everything that enters your body. Salt makes food taste interesting, but so do herbs, pepper, cheese, mustard, and citrus juice. Experiment with flavor instead of allowing your diet to depend on the financial pressures of some distant processed food corporation. Developing healthy habits now will save you time, pain, and a whole lot of healthcare costs in the long run, regardless of your age. Prevention is still more pleasant than treatment, not to mention disease.
 

Resources:

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-dietary-guidelines-... (Zajac)

2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/DietaryGuidelines/2010/DGAC/Report...

The Hard Sell on Salt by Micahel Moss.