Comments on: We might be forced to eat less salt http://foodpluspolitics.com/2007/11/20/we-might-be-forced-to-eat-less-salt/ A lot of chatter about food ( plus a little about politics ) Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:25:36 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: ellaella http://foodpluspolitics.com/2007/11/20/we-might-be-forced-to-eat-less-salt/#comment-726 ellaella Tue, 20 Nov 2007 21:09:26 +0000 http://foodpluspolitics.com/2007/11/20/we-might-be-forced-to-eat-less-salt/#comment-726 @<strong>rhbee</strong> - Hi! Sorry I sent you on a look-see in the pantry. (nah, maybe I'm not) In reverse order, it's not the government trying to alarm us. It's a respected advocacy group and the AMA trying to get the government to act. I am not an alarmist and would not have interrupted a very busy day to post this if I didn't feel strongly about its import. Beef - According to Nutrition Data, a site also on my Useful Links page, beef does have sodium in varying amounts depending on the cut and its state. Here's a link to the very long list for beef: http://www.nutritiondata.com/foods-beef000000000000000000000.html You're absolutely right about sodium in canned veggies and soups. Ramen noodle soup in packets is appalling - that seasoning pack is almost pure salt. Someday look at the ingredients on a container of lemon pepper. Some companies, not just those who make ramen soups, very quietly changed their labeling a few years back to make it appear there is less sodium. They did that by changing (reducing) the serving sizes so they could list more servings per same package or can. Who divvies up that small package of ramen soup? When a can of soup has 2.5 servings, who gets the .5? This is such an easily-dealt-with situation and my greatest annoyance is the number of children developing a palate for salt from an early age. [/soap box] @rhbee - Hi! Sorry I sent you on a look-see in the pantry. (nah, maybe I’m not) In reverse order, it’s not the government trying to alarm us. It’s a respected advocacy group and the AMA trying to get the government to act. I am not an alarmist and would not have interrupted a very busy day to post this if I didn’t feel strongly about its import.

Beef - According to Nutrition Data, a site also on my Useful Links page, beef does have sodium in varying amounts depending on the cut and its state. Here’s a link to the very long list for beef:

http://www.nutritiondata.com/foods-beef000000000000000000000.html

You’re absolutely right about sodium in canned veggies and soups. Ramen noodle soup in packets is appalling - that seasoning pack is almost pure salt. Someday look at the ingredients on a container of lemon pepper.

Some companies, not just those who make ramen soups, very quietly changed their labeling a few years back to make it appear there is less sodium. They did that by changing (reducing) the serving sizes so they could list more servings per same package or can. Who divvies up that small package of ramen soup? When a can of soup has 2.5 servings, who gets the .5?

This is such an easily-dealt-with situation and my greatest annoyance is the number of children developing a palate for salt from an early age.

[/soap box]

]]> By: ellaella http://foodpluspolitics.com/2007/11/20/we-might-be-forced-to-eat-less-salt/#comment-725 ellaella Tue, 20 Nov 2007 20:54:14 +0000 http://foodpluspolitics.com/2007/11/20/we-might-be-forced-to-eat-less-salt/#comment-725 @<strong>Will Rhodes</strong> - Not only is there too much of it, it's often in places we'd never think of. For example, who'd guess a croissant has almost 3x the sodium of a piece of whole wheat bread? That info is from a piece at WebMD I've had on my Useful Links page since day one of this blog. It's called Beware the Salt Shockers and it's here if you're interested: http://www.webmd.com/content/Article/120/113890.htm?pagenumber=1 @Will Rhodes - Not only is there too much of it, it’s often in places we’d never think of. For example, who’d guess a croissant has almost 3x the sodium of a piece of whole wheat bread? That info is from a piece at WebMD I’ve had on my Useful Links page since day one of this blog. It’s called Beware the Salt Shockers and it’s here if you’re interested:

http://www.webmd.com/content/Article/120/113890.htm?pagenumber=1

]]> By: Will Rhodes http://foodpluspolitics.com/2007/11/20/we-might-be-forced-to-eat-less-salt/#comment-724 Will Rhodes Tue, 20 Nov 2007 20:47:54 +0000 http://foodpluspolitics.com/2007/11/20/we-might-be-forced-to-eat-less-salt/#comment-724 I think that salt should be almost eradicated from today's food - there is way too much in it. Crisps (chips) in Canada are smothered in the stuff! :( I think that salt should be almost eradicated from today’s food - there is way too much in it.

Crisps (chips) in Canada are smothered in the stuff! :(

]]> By: rhbee http://foodpluspolitics.com/2007/11/20/we-might-be-forced-to-eat-less-salt/#comment-723 rhbee Tue, 20 Nov 2007 20:35:36 +0000 http://foodpluspolitics.com/2007/11/20/we-might-be-forced-to-eat-less-salt/#comment-723 So I'm sitting here eating the hamburger pattie I just fried up, in its own juices, for lunch and thinking does meat have salt naturally? I know I sprinkled salt, pepper and a dash of garlic salt on it but I don't know how to find out how much sodium that might be? Meanwhile, I have been thinking about sodium again since your post about soup the other day and I went through our cabinet and looked at the content on all the stuff we eat at home. (We rarely eat fast food and mostly order a meal we can share when we eat out.) And it seems that most of the canned veggies and soup are high on the sodium end. Still we usually split a can of soup and normally eat small portions so it doesn't really feel dangerous to me. Are you sure this isn't another one of the strategies that the govt. seems to use to get us to be in a continuous state of fear about something or other? So I’m sitting here eating the hamburger pattie I just fried up, in its own juices, for lunch and thinking does meat have salt naturally? I know I sprinkled salt, pepper and a dash of garlic salt on it but I don’t know how to find out how much sodium that might be? Meanwhile, I have been thinking about sodium again since your post about soup the other day and I went through our cabinet and looked at the content on all the stuff we eat at home. (We rarely eat fast food and mostly order a meal we can share when we eat out.) And it seems that most of the canned veggies and soup are high on the sodium end. Still we usually split a can of soup and normally eat small portions so it doesn’t really feel dangerous to me. Are you sure this isn’t another one of the strategies that the govt. seems to use to get us to be in a continuous state of fear about something or other?

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