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Bread, Pizza, Everything Else You Eat Has Too Much Salt, Says CDC
By
Garth Johnston
Published Feb 8, 2012
Modified Feb 8, 2012
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By
Garth Johnston
Published Feb 8, 2012
Modified Feb 8, 2012
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Salt, a tasty killer? The CDC's VitalSigns today has a new report this month that warns Americans that 90% of us are eating too much sodium in our diet—and the number one source of that sodium, as they say on the 10 o'clock news shows, might surprise you. That's because the answer is bread. Yup, the lowly loaf you bought last night is currently sitting in your kitchen, plotting your demise.
To be fair, too much sodium is arguably a serious problem. It increases your risk for high blood pressure, which in turn can lead to heart disease and stroke. As the CDC points out, "More than 800,000 people die each year from heart disease, stroke and other vascular diseases, costing the nation $273 billion health care dollars in 2010."
So what's to be done? Well, like most health advice these days, your best bet is to cut out or cut down on processed foods (that includes that chicken that was juiced up on sodium). It is probably worth noting that, according to the CDC, "more than 40% of sodium comes from the following batch of foods: Breads and rolls, cold cuts and cured meats such as deli or packaged ham, or turkey, pizza, fresh and processed poultry, soups, sandwiches such as cheeseburgers, cheese, pasta dishes, meat- mixed dishes such as meat loaf with tomato sauce, and snacks such as chips, pretzels, and popcorn." (note that "pasta dishes" doesn't include Mac 'N Cheese, as they list that dish as its own category. Really). Which, sadly, sounds pretty much like they looked at our regular diet and just wrote it down.
According to studies the average American eats about 3,300 mg of sodium a day, which is way above the recommended 2,300 mg a day. And if you are above 51, black, or have high-blood pressure, diabetes or chronic kidney disease you shouldn't be eating even that much. Those people are recommended to consume just 1,500 mg a day. For some tips on how to cut some sodium out of your life (which, considering how omnipresent it is, can be quite tricky!) you can head over here.
Of course, not everyone agrees on the sodium problem. Recent reports have found that a low-salt diet might not help prevent heart disease. So for now the health nazis are going to have to rip the bread from our hands if they want it so bad—at which point we promise to make them a delicious panzanella salad!
Tagged
bread
cdc
everything you eat is bad for you
heart disease
SALT
sodium
stroke
vital signs
Garth Johnston
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