Salt may be headed for trans fat fate

by Jacki Donaldson (Subscribe to Jacki Donaldson's posts)
Oct 16th 2007 8:00AM

My six-year-old had a friend over after school the other day, and I eagerly served up a variety of fruit for snack time. It went pretty well. My own two guys ate watermelon, apple slices, and strawberries. And although our visitor's first reaction was, "I don't like vegetables," we were able to coax him into consuming a little fresh fruit.

Our guest chose watermelon. And he had a special request: "Can I have some salt?" he asked. Joey jumped right up and grabbed the salt container we rarely use in our house. Our new friend was happy.

So, what's the deal with salt? Is it OK to indulge a little? Or is it becoming a no-no to sprinkle our foods with tiny, salty white granules? According to a recent study, we'd be wise to adopt a low-sodium diet. It could cut the risk of heart disease by as much as 25 percent.

The number of reduced-salt options on grocery store shelves has more than doubled in the past four years. Experts believe "low sodium" may become the next health buzz phrase, second only to "trans fat free." By low sodium, we're talking 2,300 milligrams per day -- equivalent to the amount in a teaspoon of table salt. If you can go as low as 1,500 mg daily, that's ever better. Sadly, though, most Americans consume about 3,375 mg of sodium per day. It's no wonder -- processed foods account for 80 percent of sodium in American diets. And we do love our processed foods in this country.

The bottom line is this: Reducing your sodium intake offers big health payoffs later. So try to avoid the processed goodies and stick with whole, unprocessed foods. Cook from scratch whenever possible. And use just a dash of salt as needed. Eventually, as you eat less and less salt, your taste buds will adjust. One day, you may not even realize it's missing from your diet. That's the goal, anyway.

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Comments (3)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Gary 10-16-2007 @ 10:46AM

I'd much rather see the end of HFCS.

top weight loss site 10-16-2007 @ 8:24PM

This was absolutely a treat. Their are two things I try to consume mostly and that is natural and fresh foods. All of the easy and prepared foods we get at the store usually contain high amounts of sodium with all the storing and preparing. So many people only have time for these types of meals and that is very sad as they have to eat twice the amount of as I do and that leads to weight gain. As much as possible stick to eating fresh and natural foods.

Jared Wash
http://www.top-weightloss-site.com

Chicory 10-24-2007 @ 7:22PM

Just don't put your healthy active children on a low sodium or fat free diet.

My heavy unhealthy friend and her husband thought their new diet would be good for the whole family. A few weeks later their 10 year old son was passing out.... Turns out there was not enough sodium for an active boy.

We eat healthy and all my children are slim. We have to make sure they get the calories they need from healthy fats and carbs and some sugary deserts even though my husband and I have to watch our weight.

With so many fat lazy kids out there getting attention, someone has to be watching out for the active ones with high metabolisms.

Moderation is the key.

Too big of a reaction about a little salt on a child's watermelon will do more harm then good. Serving fruit with a little real whipped cream as a treat might help this child see fruit in a new light. Offer veggies like carrot stick and snap peas with dip as finger food and rave how much better they are then chips... You have a chance to be a positive influence on the way this visiting child sees natural food.