"sodium" news and stories

Tired of "healthy" fast food that packs close to a day's worth of sodium (or more) per serving? At least a couple of the so-called fast casual restaurant chains -- Au Bon Pain and Panera Bread -- are making efforts to get some of the sodium out of their salt-packed sandwich, salad and soup offerings.

Yes, it's definitely on our screen," said Ed Frechette, senior vice president of marketing at Boston-based Au Bon Pain. Frechette said the chain has more than a dozen soups targeted for at least a 15-percent sodium reduction by August -- and that's on top of reductions they've already made. They're using chickens that aren't injected with saltwater and trying to figure out how to get some of the salt out of their breads.

The need for action was pretty clear. A listing by the food police folks at the Center for Science in the Public Interest in their November Nutrition Action Health letter, states that there is more than 2,500 mg of sodium in Panera's signature smokehouse turkey hot Panini, more than 2,200 mg in its French Onion soup and 1,670 in its Greek salad with dressing – which is still a heck of a lot considering the recommended daily maximum is 2,300 mg and only 1,500 for older people and those with high blood pressure and other health problems.

SpaghettiOs are getting a makeover.

Campbell Soup Company announced that it's cutting the sodium in its SpaghettiOs canned pasta products by up to 35 percent in an effort to make the dishes healthier for kids.

"Offering healthier versions of our products for kids is a major priority for Campbell," Sean Connolly, president of Campbell's U.S. soups, sauces and beverages, said in a statement obtained by Slashfood.

"Changing the recipe of SpaghettiOs comes on the heels of reducing sodium in our condensed kids soups to healthy levels. It's also consistent with our commitment to advertise only sound food choices to children."

The announcement comes a week after General Mills announced it will cut the amount of sugar in its cereals marketed to kids 12 and under, including Lucky Charms and Trix.

After successfully forcing NYC restaurants to post calorie counts on menus and to stop cooking with trans fat, Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, the commissioner of New York City's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, is waging a war on salt. A recent New York Times article explains that he's going after packaged food companies and mass-produced restaurant meals. Apparently, they contribute 80 percent of the sodium in the average American diet. Over the next five years, Dr. Frieden aims to cut the level of salt intake by 25 percent.

Is salt so bad for us? Salt, in some people (not everyone) can lead to high blood pressure which is a leading factor in the incidence of heart attack and stroke. At the same time, many scientists do not believe sodium intake is directly related to high blood pressure. In the past, studies comparing hypertensive populations found that those on low-salt diets had more than four times as many heart attacks as those on normal-sodium diets.

Although the health link may not be clear, what's obvious is that excess of most ingredients cannot be healthy. And, foods at fast-food chains, like McDonald's, are outrageously high in sodium. It seems that if dealt with in a reasonable way, Dr. Frieden's goal can be quite progressive. What do you think?

A recent study found that cherry tomatoes grown in salt water can turn out tastier and heartier than ones grown normally, partially because the plants have to fight harder to fight the environmental stress and produce more compounds to help them cope. These compounds contain antioxidants like Vitamins C and E, which have healthy effects on those who consume the fruit.

The solution only contains 20% seawater. Unfortunately, not all genotypes of tomatoes react in the same way to the salt water. Some die because they cannot counteract the free radicals from the solution, so don't try to do this with larger tomatoes; it probably won't work. In the study, the water was constantly circulated and the pH controlled by a computer, so the researchers promise that the tomatoes won't taste salty.

The researchers, based at the University of Pisaone in Italy, are encouraging the growth of tomatoes in brackish water, because it will not only lead to juicier, healthier tomatoes, but will help to preserve our freshwater supplies.

No wonder people are confused about diets and health. One week coffee is bad for you, the next it's good for you. One week fat is bad for you, but then we find out it depends on what kind of fat it is. One week it's bad to have too many carbs, the next week we find out we need carbs but they have to be the "good" kind.

Now it's salt in the news again. I think salt has always been called "bad" for you, especially if you have high blood pressure or other medical problems. And now the FDA is going to hold hearings on the white stuff.

It's not really the salt you shake on your foods (something I never do anymore) it's the salt already in the packaged foods we buy. According to statistics, 75% of the salt we get comes from packaged foods and not the stuff we add ourselves.