In an aggressive comeback by food manufacturers on the subject of the use of salt, the many and varied benefits of salt have been extolled.
There is no doubt that excess salt in processed foods has had a detrimental effect on the nation’s health and fitness and nutritionists are telling us we should be cutting down, but food company Cargill is telling us we should be making sure we have “plenty of salt in your kitchen at all times.’’
Salt is life enhancing and we should be sprinkling it on foods such as “chocolate cookies, fresh fruit, ice cream, and even coffee,” according to the company video Salt 101.
This is a blatant attempt by companies to protect their self interests at a time when hypertension is a killer disease triggered by too much salt in our diets.
An estimated 150,000 lives a year could be saved if salt consumption was sufficiently slashed and the administration has been at pains to tell the food industry to reduce salt content in their products. The truth is that manufacturers have a cheap and effective taste and texture enhancer in salt.
Salt is necessary for us to survive but to actually tell the people they should be eating more salt is not just irresponsible, it is misleading, dishonest and just plain self serving. Researchers however warned against mercury contained in fish that can pose a danger to the nervous system.
