Give it up, Americans -- just go ahead and cut back on the salt
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Salt. Cigarettes. Salt. Cigarettes. Don’t see a connection? You will. In fact, you might as well start reducing your salt consumption now. Not only would it improve your health, you’re just going to be nagged incessantly until you do.
On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention joined the you’re-consuming-too-much-sodium chorus, releasing an analysis of salt-consumption data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
This is the high point: ‘Overall, 9.6% of all adults met their applicable recommended limit.’
Everyone else got too much.
The report comes on the heels of other recent statistics, warnings and admonitions about our salt consumption:
USDA’s new dietary guidelines restrict salt, sugar and saturated fats
Food companies sign up for war on salt
Less salt, fewer health issues, studies say
Federal panel sounds alarm on national hypertension ‘emergency’
And those are just from the last few months.
Don’t want to be hasty? Rather wait for more alarming data? Hope all those doctors and public health officials will change their minds?
Fine.
But when you ask for the salt shaker at a restaurant -- and you’re sent outside to the patio or, maybe, the street corner to season your food -- don’t say we didn’t warn you.
-- Tami Dennis