The Institute of Medicine says just 1,500 mg of sodium a day, a little less for older adults, is enough to regulate the body's fluid balance. The recommended daily intake (RDI) of salt is 2,300 mg, yet the average American consumes between 3,300 and 4,000 mg of sodium a day. So some say it's time for the government to get involved with what we're consuming.
Public health specialists are pressuring the Food and Drug Administration to require food makers to cut the sodium, calling such government intervention, "Crucial for fighting heart disease." What's more? The American Medical Association says cutting half the sodium in processed and restaurant foods within 10 years could wind up saving 150,000 lives annually.
This whole ordeal sort of reminds me of the whole trans fat drama and whether or not it was OK for the government to tell food makers to cut the trans fat — and so the saga continues, just with another heart stopping vice.
By Malene Birger
Velvet
Marc by Marc Jacobs
Awesome! I say it's about damn time.
1this is really ridiculous. if people want to cur their sodium intake, they can do it on their own. nobody needs the government to act like someone's mom and decide what people should and should not eat.
2do we live in the Soviet Union?
3I don't think it's right/legal to control the nutritional value of foods on a large scale like this.
On a personal level though, I love salt and I admit I eat too much of the stuff. If someone regulated it for me, I would definitely benefit.
Can the government have nutritionists/personal trainers covered in our health insurance plans instead?
4I love salt, too...I'd rather have something salty than something sweet any day. I would love it if the government would make restaurants and places cut salt...then I wouldn't have to worry about it!
5hmm, this IS a slippery slope, i do believe. i know what a danger sodium is in too high doses, but seriously - do i need someone to regulate it for me? i hope not!
6I'm on this fence about this one, too, y'all.
7Want to buy: personal freedom!
I understand its a good step, but where do we then draw the line? People need to be responsible for themselves.
8As someone who tries to cut back on salt, it would be nice to see reduced sodium/sodium-free alternatives on the shelf for the nights when I just can't cook dinner. (Which is a lot, considering I work a 40 hour job AND go to class at night.)
In fact, the Japanese steakhouse we went to this weekend offered a "no sauce" option, meaning the soy sauce was cut out. I appreciated it and the food didn't lose any flavor at all!
As far as regulating it, well, I don't know about that. Then again, worse comes to worse, the sodium lovers can always salt their own food, right? I think if the health trends are saying something about the way people it, maybe it's time to step in --- or, at the very least, start pushing alternatives. I don't want to alienate salt addicts but I want to be able to enjoy lower sodium foods too.
9Thank God!
10I'm a big fan of "TV dinners" as lunch at work. My favourite is President's Choice Cashew Chicken, which is about 450 calories and low fat for a very full meal with tons of vegetables and meat, and not too much sauce (a lot of these meals are almost like soup). It's definitely preferable to a burger or pizza.
The only problem? It has something like 45% of the RDI of salt. WHY? Other than that it's perfectly healthy! It even tastes too salty!
Make it with less salt... half as much, a quarter as much, or less... and if people really find it not salty enough they can add some.
11yay! I rarely eat salt anyway
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