5 Major effects of High Blood Pressure: Kreative Vistas 3D medical animation
Of all the problems that the Western diet has caused... sodium over-consumption seems to be the most critical and perplexing. What is so perplexing about it is that scientists and nutritionists have been vacillating on "it's healthy" and "avoid it" for many decades now. Who really knows what to believe or who to trust?
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/lowering-your-salt-intake.html
Just look at this article out of the "...-For-Dummies" series and notice the error correction the first commentor made. Good thing there's doctors out there reading this stuff and willing to speak up. To their credit, at least the webmaster/editors of the Dummies site has left this comment up for us to read, they could have easily removed it and quietly tried to correct the error... or leave it as is. But even doctors and universities are confused about this subject. Just look at this video from UC Davis:
UC Davis News
As it turns out... our own use of salt while preparing food from scratch, using fresh ingredients is not the culprit to our high sodium intake. Most of the sodium we consume is in the form of processed foods, condiments and sauces, and fast foods (which happens to include those fast food soda drinks, too).
If you could just reduce the amount of quick drive-thru lunches and only shop for foods in the perimeter of the grocery store, buying only low sodium condiments, then we could cut out up to 75% of our sodium intake easily.
That is a significant piece of information to arm yourself with the next time you feel guilty picking up the salt shaker. Maybe your guilt is better placed when you go down to the break room vending machine for the 2nd or 3rd bag of chips or cookies, or drive into McDonald's or Arby's for a "quick" lunch.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/05/15/america.salt.addiction/index.html
The FDA is set to help ween us off our sodium addiction, since it really wasn't our doing in the first place... it was the food industry that did this to us. Many of the major processed food companies like Heinz and Kraft are working with the new FDA guidelines to reduce the amount of sodium in their products slowly. Any one who has gone cold turkey off sodium can tell you that it is not an easy task.
Here are some great tips from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, an agency under the National Institute of Health that is directly responsible for disseminating information to help people avoid diseases like diabetes and heart disease.
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/hbp/prevent/sodium/sodium.htm
Ask Amy - Lower Sodium Intake
Food flavor enhancers like vinegar and lemon juice can also help us reduce our need for salt to make something bland taste better. All three: salt, vinegar and ascorbic acid (aka vitamin C), are natural preservatives that help reduce spoilage and add flavor. Our modern food industry has over-used salt in this capacity, but we can correct this imbalance by adding more of the other two.
A few more useful links to more information about how you can change your eating habits to lower your sodium intake without suffering in the absence of taste or enjoyable foods.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/04/26/health/main6434928.shtml
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=870
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sodium/NU00284
and finally.... something I think is worth thinking about before you eat another fast food meal, a major culprit in many of our nutritional imbalances that lead to disease and higher healthcare costs... not just increased sodium intake. Listen and try to follow Michael Pollan's Five Food Rules in this video:
Salt and sodium are important requirements of the human diet, don't neglect them wholesale, instead keep your intake in moderation and enjoy them as just one of many options in your arsenal of food flavor enhancers. Your health and enjoyment of food is bound to improve.
Namaste
Chef Archer
...
Of all the problems that the Western diet has caused... sodium over-consumption seems to be the most critical and perplexing. What is so perplexing about it is that scientists and nutritionists have been vacillating on "it's healthy" and "avoid it" for many decades now. Who really knows what to believe or who to trust?
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/lowering-your-salt-intake.html
Just look at this article out of the "...-For-Dummies" series and notice the error correction the first commentor made. Good thing there's doctors out there reading this stuff and willing to speak up. To their credit, at least the webmaster/editors of the Dummies site has left this comment up for us to read, they could have easily removed it and quietly tried to correct the error... or leave it as is. But even doctors and universities are confused about this subject. Just look at this video from UC Davis:
UC Davis News
...
A study by UC Davis questions the scientific logic of the effort to limit our salt intake. This comes to light despite public health guidelines that push for lower sodium consumption. For more read http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=9265
The truth is, nobody is going to have any definitive answers for any of us, but we can arm ourselves with some good rules of thumb and eating habits that reduce our sodium intake and hopefully help us avoid the health issues associated with high sodium intake. Fortunately, some companies are starting to listen and help us consumers make better choices when we go grocery shopping.As it turns out... our own use of salt while preparing food from scratch, using fresh ingredients is not the culprit to our high sodium intake. Most of the sodium we consume is in the form of processed foods, condiments and sauces, and fast foods (which happens to include those fast food soda drinks, too).
If you could just reduce the amount of quick drive-thru lunches and only shop for foods in the perimeter of the grocery store, buying only low sodium condiments, then we could cut out up to 75% of our sodium intake easily.
That is a significant piece of information to arm yourself with the next time you feel guilty picking up the salt shaker. Maybe your guilt is better placed when you go down to the break room vending machine for the 2nd or 3rd bag of chips or cookies, or drive into McDonald's or Arby's for a "quick" lunch.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/05/15/america.salt.addiction/index.html
The FDA is set to help ween us off our sodium addiction, since it really wasn't our doing in the first place... it was the food industry that did this to us. Many of the major processed food companies like Heinz and Kraft are working with the new FDA guidelines to reduce the amount of sodium in their products slowly. Any one who has gone cold turkey off sodium can tell you that it is not an easy task.
More than three-quarters of our sodium intake comes from processed foods, while only about 6 percent comes from the saltshakers on our dinner tables, by some estimates.
For this reason, much of the sodium reduction needs to take place at the environmental level, not through individual initiative, says Alice Lichtenstein, DSc, a professor of nutrition science and policy at Tufts University, in Boston, and a spokesperson for the American Heart Association.
Here are some great tips from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, an agency under the National Institute of Health that is directly responsible for disseminating information to help people avoid diseases like diabetes and heart disease.
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/hbp/prevent/sodium/sodium.htm
Tips for Reducing Sodium in Your Diet
As the very perky woman in the video below suggests, one of the better way to help reduce your salt usage at home, is by using other seasonings. My favorite is fresh minced garlic, I use a lot of it. No fear of vampires here. It is also fortunate that I am not a close-talker, or in the habit of whispering secrets in somebody's ear.
Buy fresh, plain frozen, or canned "with no salt added" vegetables. Use fresh poultry, fish, and lean meat, rather than canned or processed types. Use herbs, spices, and salt-free seasoning blends in cooking and at the table. Cook rice, pasta, and hot cereals without salt. Cut back on instant or flavored rice, pasta, and cereal mixes, which usually have added salt. Choose "convenience" foods that are lower in sodium. Cut back on frozen dinners, pizza, packaged mixes, canned soups or broths, and salad dressings — these often have a lot of sodium. Rinse canned foods, such as tuna, to remove some sodium. When available, buy low- or reduced-sodium, or no-salt-added versions of foods. Choose ready-to-eat breakfast cereals that are lower in sodium.
Ask Amy - Lower Sodium Intake
...
Food flavor enhancers like vinegar and lemon juice can also help us reduce our need for salt to make something bland taste better. All three: salt, vinegar and ascorbic acid (aka vitamin C), are natural preservatives that help reduce spoilage and add flavor. Our modern food industry has over-used salt in this capacity, but we can correct this imbalance by adding more of the other two.
A few more useful links to more information about how you can change your eating habits to lower your sodium intake without suffering in the absence of taste or enjoyable foods.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/04/26/health/main6434928.shtml
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=870
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sodium/NU00284
and finally.... something I think is worth thinking about before you eat another fast food meal, a major culprit in many of our nutritional imbalances that lead to disease and higher healthcare costs... not just increased sodium intake. Listen and try to follow Michael Pollan's Five Food Rules in this video:
...
Salt and sodium are important requirements of the human diet, don't neglect them wholesale, instead keep your intake in moderation and enjoy them as just one of many options in your arsenal of food flavor enhancers. Your health and enjoyment of food is bound to improve.
Namaste
Chef Archer
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