The Salt Of The Earth is killing you

This is in the news today;

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3059765/Ministers-shame-killer-salt-Government-sabotage-drive-cut-intake-cost-6-000-lives-say-doctors.html

"The amount of salt in everyday food products was reduced by up to 40 per cent over five years. This is thought to have prevented 9,000 deaths due to strokes and heart disease a year, resulting in healthcare savings of about £1.5 billion in the UK.

The ultimate aim of the salt targets – set by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) – was to reduce intake to 6g per day among the adult population."

This is because eating salt kills you. Which is a fact. Sort of. Oh, wait a minute here's Dr Kendrick again with his very annoying brain getting in the way of perfectly good 'facts'.

I see the above as a turf war between pharmaceutical companies (less salt - take the pills) and food retailers (more salt eat the crisps).

http://drmalcolmkendrick.org/2014/05/13/salt-is-good-for-you/

Best

Dillinger

I've just been struggling to think of a "fact", promoted by authority to aid my well being and longevity, which I still support and follow.  
Since giving up the recommended "healthy" diet, nearly a couple of years ago, I rarely eat fruit, eat red meat on a regular basis (used to be a fish and veg person), have more than one egg a week, use salt if I fancy it and always have a pot of cream and some butter to hand.
I've always drunk more alcohol than Nanny says is good for me and don't give a flying fart about my cholesterol levels.  Am I dead?  No, I'm in my 60's, well, active, happy and don't look too bad either.
So, what do I do, to keep Nanny happy?  Well, I don't smoke, in the unlikely circumstances that I were to have sex with a stranger, I would insist on "protection", I clean my teeth regularly and eat lots of leafy green vegetables.  
I suppose the point I am trying to make is, how much do you trust Nanny these days?  What advice do you take seriously and follow to the best of your ability?
Sally

Exactly Sally,

The following facts are all linked;

Eat less than 6g of salt (NaCl) a day.
A BMI of over 30 means you are obese.
Eat 5 pieces of fruit and vegetables a day.
Maintain your total cholesterol at less than 5.2
Men should not drink more than 3-4 'units' of alcohol a day and women not more than 2-3.
Eat at least 150 grams of carbohydrate a day.
The average man should not eat more than 30 grams of saturated fat a day and the average woman no more than 20 grams.

They are linked in that they are all made up; there is no science behind any of them - they are just numbers plucked out of the air.

So, in the spirit of the above here's another one; everyone should aim to give between £2 and £3 (cash) a day to Dillinger.

Thank you.

Best

Dillinger

Dillinger wrote:"The amount of salt in everyday food products was reduced by up to 40 per cent over five years. This is thought to have prevented 9,000 deaths due to strokes and heart disease a year, resulting in healthcare savings of about £1.5 billion in the UK.

Or would  it prevent any deaths  

More scientists doubt salt is as bad for you as the government says


http://www.washingtonpost.com/

Must admit, salt gets a very bad rap but I hear it may not be as bad as some make out. Any thoughts ?

I used to buy into the whole "Salt is very bad for you" dogma that was spouted-even swapping it for the "Lo sodium" products,upshot was I developed crippling cramps in my calf muscles and didn't know why until I read that I probably didn't have enough sodium in my diet,went back to using regular and sea salt again in my cooking and seasoning and in a short while my symptoms went away...Now,with not enough salt in my diet causing me muscle problems and the heart being the most important muscle in the body...Hmmm...Is cutting right back on it as heart healthy as they say after all?

How was it ever linked with high BP then and is this flawed ?

When growing up my mum always added a little salt to vegetables when cooking ... I tend not to do this with any of my boiled vegetables choosing to put the required amount on after cooking! Would Gordon Ramsey approve?

But I always add salt / seasoning / herbs etc to a casserole, meat dish, fish dish etc and taste to make sure the mix is ok.

But I think we do need salt it does add to the taste and our bodies need it, there have been articles against salt but many interesting articles for the benefits of salt and I've linked to some here:

More scientists doubt salt is as bad for you as the government says

http://thelowcarbdiabetic.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/more-scientists-doubt-salt-is-as-bad.html

Sugar is worse than salt for pushing up blood pressure, new research has found

http://thelowcarbdiabetic.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/sugar-is-worse-than-salt-for-pushing-up.html

Are We Overdoing Salt Restrictions?

http://thelowcarbdiabetic.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/are-we-overdoing-salt-restrictions.html

Don’t Fear Salt !

http://thelowcarbdiabetic.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/dont-fear-salt.html

Hope you find them interesting.

All the best Jan

Thanks for the links Jan. Growing up we were always told to avoid salt as my dad had high BP etc but recently, I've started using the sea salt granules.

Hi - yes I use the sea salt granules too ... don't know if any others do?

I can also recommend 'Maldon' Salt - its a place we love to visit and the salt which has been made there for many years is just great !

All the best Jan.

Like Paul (see above) I too have suffered from crippling cramps due to, what I believe to be low salt intake.  
For several years, on mid-summer, self-catering (therefore low-salt) holidays in high temperatures, after a couple of days or so, I used to get terrible cramps in my lower back and upper legs, whenever I wanted to be still, i.e. in bed or a leisurely meal.  Relaxation and sleep were impossible without constant paracetamol.  Then, one night we ate at little taverna, where everything had been prepared in house and you ate what you were given.  The owner apologised that the bean pate was a bit too salty, but we ate it all.  About an hour later, I began to feel my muscles relax, is was a most wonderful feeling.  What I needed was salt!
I'm now seeking a research grant to send me to a Greek island for July and August to put this hypothesis to the test.  All contributions welcome.
Sally

Nice idea Sally lol ! A test of 1 won't really be conclusive so I will also volunteer my services ( purely for experimental purposes of course ) !

Sign me up too! LOL I love a good n=1 experiment plus the extra sun will allow me to carry out a 2nd n=1 experiment regarding vitamin D

Jan1 wrote:Hi - yes I use the sea salt granules too ... don't know if any others do?

I can also recommend 'Maldon' Salt - its a place we love to visit and the salt which has been made there for many years is just great !

All the best Jan.

I use this at the moment http://www.tesco.com/groceries/Product/Details/?id=253723108

Never been to Maldon but if I'm in Essex at any point in the future I'll have to visit as it does look like a nice historic place to visit.

Cheers

Paul