So why can't people judge for themselves the trade-offs in life?
Salt now. Is ice cream next?
U.S. regulators are planning a push to gradually cut the amount of salt Americans consume, saying less sodium would reduce deaths from hypertension and heart disease, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday.
The effort would eventually lead to the first legal limits on the amount of salt allowed in processed foods, the newspaper reported. The plan is to be launched this year but officials have not set salt limits.
The government plans to work with the food industry and health experts to reduce sodium gradually over a period of years to ratchet down sodium consumption, the newspaper said, citing U.S. Food and Drug Administration sources.
U.S. researchers said in a recent study that working with the food industry to cut salt intake by nearly 10 percent could prevent hundreds of thousands of heart attacks and strokes over several decades and save the U.S. government $32 billion in healthcare costs. . . . .
Labels: Regulation
posted by John Lott at 3:21 PM
4 Comments:
Query: what is to be done about what is a near-certain "unintended consequence," i.e. a dramatic increase in thyroid problems in areas not near a large body of salt water? Table salt is iodised as a way of cutting back on thyroid health problems, and has worked for decades.
Perhaps prepared foods do not use this salt, but some other type?
Obama proposes using potassium chloride instead of salt in 3... 2... 1...
Salt is both unnecessary and a proven poison. As we get older salt destroys our kidneys. Much more is involved because those restaurants, delicatessens and food processors automatically dump gratuitous amounts of salt in our food without telling us so we can’t avoid it. There are alternatives.
I wish it was as simple as pushing the salt shaker away but it’s not. We are incapable of protecting ourselves from this danger.
Educated consumers need to pressure the great chefs of this world to season their way around the poison. When I cook for myself I’ve been able to accomplish this with no problem. They can figure out a way to do that. Once out salt intake is greatly reduced we automatically lose our taste for things like potato chips that will taste like pure salt.
We may not need laws but we do need to educate everyone. We will all live longer and have less pain and more quality of life with far less salt.
Dear Crimefile:
Thanks for the note. If you don't like salt, don't use it. Convince others not to use it. That is fine with me. Given that a substantial portion of our body contains salt, I have a hard time believing salt is "poisson," but that is your choice. I just object to the government telling people what they can and can't do.
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