While this special day is largely ignored, it carries an important message. We need to cut back on salt!
Heart disease is the #1 cause of death in the United States and other developed countries, and excess sodium is a leading contributor.
The USDA recommends a daily limit of 2,300 mg of sodium. (Most other countries recommend a limit of 2,000 mg.) But the average American consumes 4,500 mg of sodium per day – twice what we should be consuming. Luch of that excess sodium comes from packaged foods and restaurant meals, but a lot is added in the kitchen.
There are a very few places – such as baking bread – where salt plays an important chemical role. But except for these special cases, there is no reason to add salt when cooking or at the table. Until a couple of hundred years ago, salt was not used in cooking – it was either unavailable, or too expensive (in Persia in the 1600s, salt was literally worth its weight in gold.)
People learned how to create wonderful, flavorful food using herbs and spices. Today, we have largely forgotten how to cook due to our reliance on salt to give a quick flavor boost. That’s very sad, because we’re missing out on amazing food experiences.
I personally went “cold turkey” on added salt about two years ago. I checked everything I bought to find the lowest sodium available, and I through out the salt in my pantry. For about a month, I craved salt every day! But once I got past the addiction, I learned to appreciate the wonderful flavors of salt-free cooking.
Eliminating excess salt is critical to your health, but it’s also a great way to improve your food experience. You’ll leanr how to cook all over again, using a range of herbs and spices to add interesting and unique flavors… and you’ll love it!
This site is devoted to helping people improve their health. It’s not a cooking site (although we do offer grocery recommendation and restaurant recommendations).
For those of you who are ready to start your heart-healthy journey, check out our resources and book recommendations. You’ll also find many great cookbooks at Amazon.
