| White Poison: New Push
on Dangers of Excessive Refined Salt Here are three more reasons
to avoid processed foods: refined salt, refined salt and did I mention refined
salt? According to the American Medical Association, 150,000 lives could
be saved annually if people cut their salt intake in half. But thanks to restaurant
fare and processed food manufacturers' overkill on salt additives in their products,
Americans are consuming quadruple the amount of the recommended salt intake. http://301url.com/TheSilentKiller In
light of this, and in the spirit of the mid-term elections, the AMA is on a campaign
trail of their own. The difference being that their campaigning focuses on the
restaurants and processed foods voting bloc. And with any luck, the AMA hopes
their health policy will be compelling enough for food companies to voluntarily
reduce the amount of sodium in their dishes and store bought items by 50 percent
over the next decade. The AMA's reasoning behind the campaign is over a
proven health hazard: diets high in sodium lead to high blood pressure,
a precursor to the leading cause of preventable death in America, heart disease.
But despite this, Americans are eating at restaurants now more than ever and on-the-go
foods are as popular as ever. Some food companies have tried to lower the
amount of sodium in their foods, labeling them as "low sodium" so as to inform
consumers of their proactive approach. But even the lower sodium foods have high
amounts of sodium. Many of the leading soups on the market today, trumpeting claims
of "low sodium" on their labels, contain the requisite amount of sodium needed
in a day (i.e. ¼ teaspoon). And that's just the beginning. Consider that
the amount of sodium in a serving of Cheerios has more sodium than a serving of
Ruffles Potato Chips. Or that a McDonalds Quarter Pounder with cheese has nearly
half a teaspoon of salt. Thankfully, high blood pressure readings are a
good indicator that our diets are too rich in sodium. But because blood pressure
readings tend to rise with age, some people may attribute their high blood pressure
to that factor alone and become more at risk for a heart attack by failing to
curb their habits (a 1997 study out of Scotland discovered that women with high
sodium diets were twice as likely to suffer a heart attack than their low-sodium
counterparts). http://301url.com/TheSilentKiller The
obvious solution to this is cutting back on eating out at restaurants and consuming
more foods that need preparation, such as lean meats and vegetables. The AMA is
going after restaurants and processed food companies because they believe most
Americans aren't willing to change their diets. And based on the growing number
of people opting for dining out and ready-to-eat meals, they're right. But because
food industries are in the business of making money and cutting back on salt may
lead to decreased sales, don't count on the food industry complying with the AMA's
requests any time soon. Meanwhile, don't mistake sodium as an entirely bad
thing. We need to consume sodium for blood clotting, proper heart function, muscle
contraction and fluid balance. It's the excessive amounts of refined salt that
are killing us. I want you to keep in mind that all sodium IS NOT the same.
Table salt is highly refined where as unrefined sea salt is naturally occurring
and contains essential minerals including calcium and magnesium. The problem here
is that the food industry isn't using naturally occurring unrefined sea salt...
They're using artificially created table salt which can cause serious health problems,
especially when consumed in excessive amounts. Folks I hope you're getting the
big picture here! http://301url.com/TheSilentKiller Perhaps
the food industry will comply and start cutting back on sodium, but I'll take
that optimistic view with a grain of salt! Frank Mangano is a natural health
expert and best selling author who teaches you how to dramatically improve your
health naturally, without expensive and potentially dangerous prescription drugs.
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