Pass (on) the Salt

It’s a fixture on breakfast, lunch, and dinner tables across the nation: the salt shaker.

It looks innocent enough, sitting there beside the pepper and inviting you to sprinkle just a little more over your meal. But the truth is, too much salt can be deadly, increasing risks for heart attack, stroke, heart failure, and kidney failure.

According to the Institute of Medicine, the average American consumes more than 3,400 milligrams of sodium each day, far more than the recommended maximum of 2,300 milligrams.

Experts from the Institute of Medicine’s Committee on Strategies to Reduce Sodium Intake think it’s time to take a stand for our oversalted nation.

Experts on the committee recommend that the FDA impose mandates on safe levels of sodium, regulating the amount of salt that food manufacturers and restaurants are allowed to add to their products.

Despite industry groups’ opposition of the idea of mandatory salt reduction, reports WebMD, supporters claim that the results could save 100,000 lives in the United States each year.

Whether or not the FDA gets involved, you might want to consider putting down the shaker yourself, and encouraging your employees to do the same for the sake of their health. After all, garden-fresh vegetables and other nutritious foods don’t need any help to taste great.

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