Do you think salt is evil?

[kingdom hoop]

Salt, much like carbon monoxide, is one of those silent killers. Seemingly benign and adding some flavour where there was little, I think most of us hold salt in pretty high regard. Well no more. Salt, it seems, is desperately bad for you: over-consumption significantly increases the risks of heart attacks and dying from cardiovascular disease. But then, haven't we known that for a while?

Yesterday's Irish Times Editorial highlighted this issue again. Rather resignedly, the Editor concluded by saying it may be time to move to a legislative solution. What? -banning salt cellars from restaurants and chippers? No, fear not - you can still enjoy the amazing salt-vinegar-chip combo. The major problem is that at least 80% of the salt you consume is from processed food; with the remainder being the salt you add yourself, whether during cooking or eating. So we need the food manufacturers to reduce the salt-content. And maybe we could help ourselves by both eating less processed food, and also putting less salt on our spuds. But perhaps overall, our perception of salt needs to change.

The consequences on our health are really staggering. The Editorial cited a study where people reduced their risk of heart disease by 30% after a reduction of a quarter in their salt intake. I don't advocate the formation of an action group who throw pepper in the face of anyone they see using salt, but I do think we need to start viewing our salt intake a bit more seriously.

[Lev Yashin]

Salt, much like carbon monoxide, is one of those silent killers. Seemingly benign and adding some flavour where there was little, I think most of us hold salt in pretty high regard. Well no more. Salt, it seems, is desperately bad for you: over-consumption significantly increases the risks of heart attacks and dying from cardiovascular disease. But then, haven't we known that for a while?

Yesterday's Irish Times Editorial highlighted this issue again. Rather resignedly, the Editor concluded by saying it may be time to move to a legislative solution. What? -banning salt cellars from restaurants and chippers? No, fear not - you can still enjoy the amazing salt-vinegar-chip combo. The major problem is that at least 80% of the salt you consume is from processed food; with the remainder being the salt you add yourself, whether during cooking or eating. So we need the food manufacturers to reduce the salt-content. And maybe we could help ourselves by both eating less processed food, and also putting less salt on our spuds. But perhaps overall, our perception of salt needs to change.

The consequences on our health are really staggering. The Editorial cited a study where people reduced their risk of heart disease by 30% after a reduction of a quarter in their salt intake. I don't advocate the formation of an action group who throw pepper in the face of anyone they see using salt, but I do think we need to start viewing our salt intake a bit more seriously.

I was in a restaurant lately in lahinch having some lunch before we went surfing, there was a group of about 12 of us so we all ordered our sandwich's and a few of us ordered chips aswell...so my chips came out and one of the lads' girlfriends start putting salt on them..I told her i never use salt and she started laughing! I said im serious and that i have never used it(not for health reasons just never bothered) and so ensued a discussion with me coming out if like a pariah...People's use of salt is scandalious I see most people put it on food without even tasting it first.

[Mr A]

I don't think it's manually added salt that is the problem really, rather the sneakily included stuff in foods.

I blame the Romans.

[thischarmingman]

I don't think it's manually added salt that is the problem really, rather the sneakily included stuff in foods.

I blame the Romans.

What have they ever done for us?

[forza rovers]

yes but not on a good chicken sandwich.

[Poor Student]

I stopped adding it to most things years ago and I don't quite know why. Once you do, you notice a lot of things already taste salty and when salt is actually added it is overwhelming in taste.

[Magicme]

I seem to need it as it helps raise my low blood pressure to almost normal levels. Its probably doing me loads of harm but without it I can black out!

[Lev Yashin]

I stopped adding it to most things years ago and I don't quite know why. Once you do, you notice a lot of things already taste salty and when salt is actually added it is overwhelming in taste.

Some soup is an example of that...already really salty and yet people add to it again...yuck!

[Scrufil]

Ban swimming in the sea too its full of salt!

[Pauro 76]

Not a fan of salt. Hate it when you're down the chippers and the guy behind the counter will ask salt or vinegar, and him already putting loads of salt on it!

[pineapple stu]

Love my salt on chips and meat.

That said, in the summer, I decided to do a calorie count exercise (as opposed to real exercise). I counted all the calories, fat, sugar, carbs and salt I ate in a day, and then tried to get it down to recommended levels. Never had a chicken fillet roll since! Interesting to see where salt in particular lurks (bread rolls and microwave foods being particularly nasty), and makes you think twice about what you're eating. Dropped 12 pounds in about six weeks too. Thinking of writing a book about it as the new dieting fad - "How to stop eating sh!t and lose weight".

[rambler14]

Salt, much like carbon monoxide, is one of those silent killers. Seemingly benign and adding some flavour where there was little, I think most of us hold salt in pretty high regard. Well no more. Salt, it seems, is desperately bad for you: over-consumption significantly increases the risks of heart attacks and dying from cardiovascular disease. But then, haven't we known that for a while?

Yesterday's Irish Times Editorial highlighted this issue again. Rather resignedly, the Editor concluded by saying it may be time to move to a legislative solution. What? -banning salt cellars from restaurants and chippers? No, fear not - you can still enjoy the amazing salt-vinegar-chip combo. The major problem is that at least 80% of the salt you consume is from processed food; with the remainder being the salt you add yourself, whether during cooking or eating. So we need the food manufacturers to reduce the salt-content. And maybe we could help ourselves by both eating less processed food, and also putting less salt on our spuds. But perhaps overall, our perception of salt needs to change.

The consequences on our health are really staggering. The Editorial cited a study where people reduced their risk of heart disease by 30% after a reduction of a quarter in their salt intake. I don't advocate the formation of an action group who throw pepper in the face of anyone they see using salt, but I do think we need to start viewing our salt intake a bit more seriously.

Salt is very mis-understood. It's pepper, now thats a b0llocks!

[Wolfie]

Salt, much like carbon monoxide, is one of those silent killers. Seemingly benign and adding some flavour where there was little, I think most of us hold salt in pretty high regard. Well no more. Salt, it seems, is desperately bad for you: over-consumption significantly increases the risks of heart attacks and dying from cardiovascular disease. But then, haven't we known that for a while?

Yesterday's Irish Times Editorial highlighted this issue again. Rather resignedly, the Editor concluded by saying it may be time to move to a legislative solution. What? -banning salt cellars from restaurants and chippers? No, fear not - you can still enjoy the amazing salt-vinegar-chip combo. The major problem is that at least 80% of the salt you consume is from processed food; with the remainder being the salt you add yourself, whether during cooking or eating. So we need the food manufacturers to reduce the salt-content. And maybe we could help ourselves by both eating less processed food, and also putting less salt on our spuds. But perhaps overall, our perception of salt needs to change.

The consequences on our health are really staggering. The Editorial cited a study where people reduced their risk of heart disease by 30% after a reduction of a quarter in their salt intake. I don't advocate the formation of an action group who throw pepper in the face of anyone they see using salt, but I do think we need to start viewing our salt intake a bit more seriously.

You have been reading the first in an upcoming series of Public Health announcements from Dr Kingdom Hoop.

Next Week: "Kettles - The silent potential Death Trap"

Following Week: "Cliff Jumping (Danger here - Its risky).

Week after Following week: "Drinking Acid - There is a downside!!"

[John83]

...People's use of salt is scandalious I see most people put it on food without even tasting it first.

This is the really stupid side of things. Some people just pour on salt out of habit, with no thought as to whether it's needed.

I rarely use it, except on chips ('fries' in fast food places are over-salted already), but I'm sure I take in more than enough anyway. I'd happily see some tighter regulation on the use of salt in processed foods.

[kingdom hoop]

Some soup is an example of that...already really salty and yet people add to it again...yuck!

Spot on Shannonman. Apparently those instant cup-a-soup things contain as much salt as two cups of seawater. Imagine you're drinking two cups of seawater next time you have one. Yuck is right!

[stann]

Goes without saying that for most things, in moderation intake is beneficial. In this case it's pretty much essential.
Of course too much of it is dangerous, but that's hardly brainiac stuff either. So is too much water. So is too much air, specially if it's between you and the ground.
I like it. Specifically on chips. On chopped tomatoes, where it absolutely STARS! And on a plain white bread chicken sandwich. My blood pressure is very good as it goes.

Evil? 'Course not. It's a simple chemical compound, give it a break! Now some organic chemicals, maybe. Specially that DNA stuff that sh*ts all over the bible!
Should we compel companies to fully reveal salt content in foodstuffs? Yep would go along with that.
Do we start banning it because some fools can't regulate their intake? No, no, no, no, no!!!!! Where will this nannification end!!! Yours etc...

[gustavo]

Not really , some of them are the salt of the earth

[kingdom hoop]

Goes without saying that for most things, in moderation intake is beneficial. In this case it's pretty much essential.
Of course too much of it is dangerous, but that's hardly brainiac stuff either.

Apologies for not sufficiently challenging your cerebral powers.

Maybe this would be better: "Everything in moderation" goes without saying..... but yet it needs to be said so much! Does that mean people don't listen to advice, don't care about their health, are just plain stupid, or none of the above? And - can you propose a way to improve public health through greater societal appreciation of health warnings? Or, alternatively, do you conclude that health warnings are futile?

[stann]

Apologies for not sufficiently challenging your cerebral powers.

Oops! Apologies are in order from me it appears, crossed lines there. I said that merely to point up that what I'd put before was obvious to all. Not that everyone should know it, but that everyone does know it.

As regards health warnings, unfortunately they pretty much are futile, but I wouldn't stop getting them out there. A handful of people will heed them, most won't.
Case in point: I gave up the smokes last year (for a woman as it happens, a radiographer, it didn't seem right! ), and I'm flying, off them 13 months now, never looked back yadda yadda cos it turns out I was never hooked on them in the first place (physiologically I mean).
But before that, and I'd consider myself not unintelligent, I was reading the health warnings on the packets for what, 20 years, without paying a blind bit of notice to what was said.
When the response to "Smoking kills" is "I know it does, I don't care", then that health warning ain't going to achieve a great deal.

One thing I might 'umbly suggest to those on high who dictate health policy is that they might get a measure of consistency in their message. It's pretty much a standing joke that health fads come and go over time (brilliantly parodied by Harry Enfield some time ago as a 1940s GP "I prescibe no exercise and plenty of sausages. Cigarette?"), so much so that I would suggest many people now favour them all with an arched eyebrow.
I mean, for feck sake, only a short while after the 5-a-day message has become a mantra, we're now seeing ads telling us how all those fruit acids are dissolving our teeth. Is it any wonder people are skeptical?

[kingdom hoop]

Oops! Apologies are in order from me it appears, crossed lines there.

Oh I wasn't having a dig at you at all, more having a general muse as to why, if things are so obvious, that we don't pay heed. No harm caused.

Is it any wonder people are skeptical?

No. Whether that doubt is conscious or just naturally occurring, I think there's probably at least two aspects to such scepticism.

One is as you mention, the mixed messages. To be fair this is mostly the scientific information itself not being consistent. But there's definitely no "One Healthy Way!" - and that certainly creates confusion, in turn leading to lack of action.

Second, there's the void between the message (assuming the information is accurate) and the recipient accepting it as accurate and beneficial.
In your excellent example, it took a woman to bring it home to you what the government have been saying for years. You're not a cranky malcontent, but definitely having someone close to you saying something means a thousand times more than when a higher authority does.

So maybe part of the problem is feeding the information to an empowered source that can influence the end-user? The question is how to instil the whole system with more of a sense of collective responsibility and ownership to make sure that happens: how can you make people feel it's in their interests to alter behaviour without overbearing "nannification"? I think proximity is key. Whether that's your bird, family, Waterford United, or yourself being the influence doesn't matter. The key is the message is conveyed from a source you trust, respect and value in such a way that you are compelled to change. Simple!


(I should add for transparency sake that I have numerous unhealthy vices. I'm just waiting for someone to DIRECTLY tell me to stop and that they're very bad for me.)