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Salt of the Earth
I recently read a New York Times article, that according to the Rand Corporation, the US could save $18 billion dollars per year in health care costs if Americans would cut their current amount of salt intake (about 3400 mg) to the recommended 2300 mg. They estimate that there would be 11 million fewer cases of hypertension. Hypertension costs about $55 billion a year to treat. Of course, there are other contributing factors to hypertension as well, including obesity, sedentary lifestyle, and a diet too low in potassium-rich vegetables and fruit. Untreated or poorly-managed, hypertension leads to heart disease, kidney failure, and strokes. Human beings are basically bags of salt water, so the "Salt of the Earth" will always be an important part of our diet, but too much of a good thing results in a lot of bad things.
Historically, salt has had a significant impact on human history. Wars have been fought over it. Salt has been actively traded as a commodity, and has been used for money. Salt has been traded ounce per ounce with gold. Roman soldiers were often partially paid with salt. The word "salary" has its derivation from salarium (salt). Gandhi lead a non-violent protest in India to assert people's right to make salt from the sea without being taxed.
Most of the salt that we consume is not coming from the shaker, but rather in processed foods. People, especially Americans, love (and expect) the taste of salt, so it is added to most dishes and most prepared foods. Just like growing up eating chili peppers, salt is an acquired taste. You can "un-acquire" it, however.
Growing up, we always had a big salt shaker on the table, even though my mother actively salted the food during cooking. There was a significant amount of salt in processed baby food. Why? Mothers would taste the food, usually for proper temperature, before feeding the baby. If it was unsalted, it would taste terrible to the mother, who would not buy this baby food again. Babies are not born with a taste for salt. As a matter of fact, they have a very undiscriminating palate and will eat many things that we find objectionable. My kids were caught eating dried flies in the window sills, cat food, leaves, lint, dirt, and one of our kids even happily ate a dog turd! He is a successful engineer now, so it didn't seem to hurt him.
My old boss and mentor once mentioned that a person who salts their food before tasting it first is a sign that he/she is untrustworthy. When I get tempted to reach for the shaker, I always think about this. I really should trust the chef not to under-salt the food. A lot of consumer pressure got rid of a lot of salt poured over those fast-food fries.
A kid's diet is high in salt, from the more obvious potato chips, peanuts, beef jerky, and French fries to the hidden salt in ketchup and pickles. If you read the labels, you will see the word "sodium" in many forms, including preservatives and sweeteners. Sodium chloride, of course, is plain 'ol table salt.
There are literally thousands of uses for salt, not just for improving the taste of foods. My mother and grandmother used salt as some sort of cleanser. My mother brushed her teeth with salt, until she got dentures, and then used salt to clean the dentures. Salt and vinegar can be used to polish brass. We gargle with salt water when we have a sore throat, and we spray salt water into our congested noses when we have a cold. In Pennsylvania, we used tons of salt on our icy roads. You can pay big bucks at a spa for a salt rub and massage. I never had one of those, but I can imagine how it would feel if you had some open scratches on your skin.
I personally love the taste of salt, except when it is dripping down my face in the form of perspiration. When I am feverishly working outside, I tend to sweat like a sprinkler. It drips on my glasses, obscures my vision, and burns my eyes. I tend to get some painful leg cramps on those days, most likely due to electrolyte imbalances. Since I am one of those millions of Americans with hypertension, I do my best not to use the salt shaker. I must admit that this can be difficult. Old habits are very hard to break.
I recommend saline nose drops to just every patient with an upper respiratory infection, especially children. Since the FDA took away all of those cold medications for kids, saline is all that we have left to recommend. Since tears are saline, and tears drip into the nose through the naso-lacrimal duct, then spraying salt water in the nose is really just augmenting tears. When you watch a sad movie, you start to sniff as your nose runs. This is really not snot, but merely your tears (mixed with a little snot, of course). Most home and work environments are dry, so saline sprays can work for all ages. Or, you can just arrange to randomly cry.
Here are some simple steps to help break the salt habit:
Related Topics:
Historically, salt has had a significant impact on human history. Wars have been fought over it. Salt has been actively traded as a commodity, and has been used for money. Salt has been traded ounce per ounce with gold. Roman soldiers were often partially paid with salt. The word "salary" has its derivation from salarium (salt). Gandhi lead a non-violent protest in India to assert people's right to make salt from the sea without being taxed.
Most of the salt that we consume is not coming from the shaker, but rather in processed foods. People, especially Americans, love (and expect) the taste of salt, so it is added to most dishes and most prepared foods. Just like growing up eating chili peppers, salt is an acquired taste. You can "un-acquire" it, however.
Growing up, we always had a big salt shaker on the table, even though my mother actively salted the food during cooking. There was a significant amount of salt in processed baby food. Why? Mothers would taste the food, usually for proper temperature, before feeding the baby. If it was unsalted, it would taste terrible to the mother, who would not buy this baby food again. Babies are not born with a taste for salt. As a matter of fact, they have a very undiscriminating palate and will eat many things that we find objectionable. My kids were caught eating dried flies in the window sills, cat food, leaves, lint, dirt, and one of our kids even happily ate a dog turd! He is a successful engineer now, so it didn't seem to hurt him.
My old boss and mentor once mentioned that a person who salts their food before tasting it first is a sign that he/she is untrustworthy. When I get tempted to reach for the shaker, I always think about this. I really should trust the chef not to under-salt the food. A lot of consumer pressure got rid of a lot of salt poured over those fast-food fries.
A kid's diet is high in salt, from the more obvious potato chips, peanuts, beef jerky, and French fries to the hidden salt in ketchup and pickles. If you read the labels, you will see the word "sodium" in many forms, including preservatives and sweeteners. Sodium chloride, of course, is plain 'ol table salt.
There are literally thousands of uses for salt, not just for improving the taste of foods. My mother and grandmother used salt as some sort of cleanser. My mother brushed her teeth with salt, until she got dentures, and then used salt to clean the dentures. Salt and vinegar can be used to polish brass. We gargle with salt water when we have a sore throat, and we spray salt water into our congested noses when we have a cold. In Pennsylvania, we used tons of salt on our icy roads. You can pay big bucks at a spa for a salt rub and massage. I never had one of those, but I can imagine how it would feel if you had some open scratches on your skin.
I personally love the taste of salt, except when it is dripping down my face in the form of perspiration. When I am feverishly working outside, I tend to sweat like a sprinkler. It drips on my glasses, obscures my vision, and burns my eyes. I tend to get some painful leg cramps on those days, most likely due to electrolyte imbalances. Since I am one of those millions of Americans with hypertension, I do my best not to use the salt shaker. I must admit that this can be difficult. Old habits are very hard to break.
I recommend saline nose drops to just every patient with an upper respiratory infection, especially children. Since the FDA took away all of those cold medications for kids, saline is all that we have left to recommend. Since tears are saline, and tears drip into the nose through the naso-lacrimal duct, then spraying salt water in the nose is really just augmenting tears. When you watch a sad movie, you start to sniff as your nose runs. This is really not snot, but merely your tears (mixed with a little snot, of course). Most home and work environments are dry, so saline sprays can work for all ages. Or, you can just arrange to randomly cry.
Here are some simple steps to help break the salt habit:
- Get rid of the salt shaker, on the table and near the cooking areas. You can still have salt, but don't make it so easy to grab.
- Use less and less salt in your cooking, even if the recipe calls for it. Gradually, you may be able to reduce your family's salt habit.
- If your food seems tasteless, then substitute other spices, like onion or garlic powder, chili flakes, or whatever your tastes dictate. Experiment with non-sodium based spices. There are even commercially-available, sodium-free spices to use.
- Pay particular attention to processed meats, like ham or bologna, and canned vegetables. Ketchup and pickles are particularly high sources of sodium, so read those labels. Don't buy high-sodium snacks, like potato
- Drink lots of water. One teaspoonful of salt will hold one quart of water in the body. By drinking water, you can actually flush out some of your excess sodium through your kidneys. Don't over-drink water, however, since too much water can leech excess sodium and other essential electrolytes as well. About six to eight, 8-ounce glasses of water is about right for most people. (Remember that a typical water glass is considerably more than 8 ounces).
Related Topics:
- Ear, Nose & Throat Message Board with Rod Moser, PA, PhD
- Living Better Newsletter - Wellness news to keep you healthy and strong!
Labels: health and wellness, high blood pressure, hypertension, salt, sodium
