Category: no-salt

U.S. moving at a slow pace to reduce salt consumption, expert advises

We recently reached out to Neha Chatterjee, a research & development scientist specializing in formulating and developing protein-rich foods. We asked her to discuss U.S. salt consumption and salt-related health topics. Read what she has to say here. The views expressed are her own and do not necessarily reflect those of her employer Glanbia, a global nutrition company.

What is the current state of salt consumption in the U.S.? Have intake levels been rising or declining in recent years?

The short answer is Americans are still eating way too much salt, and that hasn’t really changed. The national average sits at around 3,400 mg/day, which is nearly 50% over the recommended 2,300 mg limit. Data from 2003 show that 86–89% of adults have consistently exceeded that threshold. So, despite all the awareness campaigns and label changes, the needle just hasn’t moved much at the population level. Intake has been essentially stable where it is not really rising, but not declining either.

From a food science perspective, that’s not surprising. Salt isn’t just a flavor enhancer, it plays critical functional roles in food processing, controls microbial growth, affects dough structure in baked goods, improves moisture retention in meats, and influences texture in everything from cheese to canned vegetables. Those functions are deeply embedded in how our food supply is manufactured, which is part of why reducing salt content at scale is so technically challenging.

Are Americans being encouraged to consume more or less salt amid changing dietary recommendations, and the potential health implications of these shifts?

Continue reading “U.S. moving at a slow pace to reduce salt consumption, expert advises” →
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One more danger from salt — kiss your memory goodbye

Salt causes our bodies all sorts of problems like high blood pressure and bloating but here’s a new one. Salt can contribute to memory loss, according to new research from Australia.

“Dr Samantha Gardener, a research fellow at Edith Cowan University’s McCusker Alzheimer’s Research Foundation in Australia, found that higher sodium consumption may reduce episodic memory, the type used to recall personal experiences and specific events such as where you put your keys or parked your car,” reports The Times of London.

“Looking at the sodium intake and cognitive decline of 1,208 participants over a six-year period, Gardener and her team showed that men who ate the most salt showed a faster decline in episodic recall,” the story reports.

So there’s one more reason to put down the salt shaker and read food labels before you buy packaged foods — if you can remember.

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If you must have salty snacks, pick these

Our edamame at Crave was a nice appetizer.

Salt has been a great demon in my life, routinely impacting my blood pressure and heart health. So I avoid it whenever and wherever I can. But some people insist they have to eat some salty snacks to satisfy occasional cravings.

If you’re in that group, at least opt for low-calorie, lower-salt snacks, such as those on this list from LoseIt!.

Edamame is on here, but I normally ask for that with no salt in restaurants. When you buy it pre-packaged in food stores, you normally get salt.

Another option here I like is Babybel low-fat cheese which comes in little rounds.

“Babybel’s mini cheese wheels are just 70 calories and provide 140 mg of calcium (10 percent of the Daily Value) per serving. Cheese also helps to balance blood sugar levels because it contains protein and fat,” LoseIt! reports.

I’m a little shocked to see beef jerky on the list. Whenever I sample that at Costco, I am flooded with salt.

Once you start cutting back on salt, you’ll taste it in the extreme when you do get food drenched in it.

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Britain seeks to cut salt intake but substituting may not be the best answer

Britain has been much more active that the United States in acknowledging, and trying to curb, the daily intake of salt. But this report on FoodNavigator.com notes what I see as a disturbing trend there.

Rather than eliminate sodium completely from food items, the article touches on the substitution of potassium chloride for sodium chloride by food processors.

I’ve tried so-called potassium salt. It tasted a bit different. But that’s not the major issue. The danger is that too much potassium can have its own dire consequences.

“If you have too much potassium in your body, your kidneys may not be able to remove all of it, and it can build up in your blood. Too much potassium in your blood can damage your heart, make you feel palpitations and even cause a heart attack. You can’t always tell when your potassium levels are high,” notes the Cleveland Clinic.

The Food Navigator article notes Britain has cut salt consumption and seen positive health results for its population. But my advice for individuals would be simply cut salt, don’t use a substitute that could cause you more harm than good.

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Another round of low-salt, fast-food options for the new year

Finding healthy food at a fast food outlet is a lot like grabbing gold out of the air — it’s impossible. Yet different sites keep trying to give you alternatives. I’ve written about some in the past, check this post, for example. But now there’s a new one from Cheapism.com, Low-Sodium Fast Food: 42 Menu Items to Order from Burger King to Taco Bell.

Since McDonald’s dropped its salads, there’s nothing healthy on its daytime menu.

The list shows just how hard it is to find low-sodium foods at these places (I’m sitting at a McDonald’s as I write this, ironically, after having some unhealthy free fries, a Friday give-away).

What’s listed for Chick-fil-A, for example? A yogurt, not any of its salt-laden chicken offerings.

A salad is listed at Burger King, but with no dressing because those are all high in salt and fat. Bring your own oil and vinegar like I do with portable, small bottles.

Americans are hooked on salt and fat until they start demanding alternatives, which doesn’t appear likely anytime soon. Happy New Year!

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Another look at Ezekiel bread, a low-salt option for bread eaters

American eat too much salt, there’s really no dispute about that. And bread is one of the major sources of that salt, even though few people realize it.

So when you switch to a low-salt diet, most bread is off-limits to you.

Years back, Trader Joe’s sold a salt-free whole wheat bread which I used for holiday turkey stuffing among other things. But it’s no longer available, gone even before the Pandemic wiped many low-salt products off store shelves.

Bread can be hiding more salt than you imagine, shop wisely for a low-salt variety.

So the most prominent low-salt bread that’s widely available these days is Ezekiel bread, something I found distasteful when I was first giving up salt in 2013 but have come to appreciate now.

A recent story on EatingWell.com outlines the many benefits of it but barely touches on it being low-salt.

You need to read the nutrition label to see the salt content.

I’ve given up almost all bread since I started eating low-salt after my first stent back in 2012. But when I need some, I buy Ezekiel bread, so keep it in mind when you’re craving some toast or a sandwich.

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Sugar, salt limits coming for school lunches

Somehow making school lunches healthier became a political issue in recent years. The Obama administration pushed for less salt, fat and sugar in school lunches. Then the Trump administration did the opposite. Now, with Biden in the White House, federal regulators are ready to bring out restrictions on salt and added sugar in school lunches.

Associated Press reported that the USDA “proposed new nutrition standards for school meals, including the first limits on added sugars, with a focus on sweetened foods such as cereals, yogurt, flavored milk and breakfast pastries.

“The plan announced by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack also seeks to significantly decrease sodium in the meals served to the nation’s schoolkids by 2029, while making the rules for foods made with whole grains more flexible.

The goal is to improve nutrition and align with U.S. dietary guidelines in the program that serves breakfast to more than 15 million children and lunch to nearly 30 million children every day, Vilsack said.”

Unfortunately, the first limits of added sugars wouldn’t;t go into effect until the 2025-2026 school year, after another national election that could upend these plans all over again.

Children’s health should not be a political issue, just as the country’s obesity epidemic should not be a political issue. Both need to be addressed, and soon.

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Trader Joe’s is dead to me; its low-salt products are gone

Trader Joe's high fiber cereal is my go-to breakfast choice every day, high in fiber, low in sugar and sodium.
Trader Joe’s high fiber cereal is gone, a very, very sad loss for people trying to eat healthy.

I’ve been eating Trader Joe’s High Fiber Cereal for breakfast for longer than I can remember, definitely longer than the 10 years since my first stent was put in. It was lower in sugar and salt than competitors and tastier too.

But I say was because it’s disappeared from Trader Joe shelves for the second time this year and I fear this time its gone for good. I visited three Trader Joe’s in Cook and Lake Counties, Illinois, recently and the cereal is nowhere to be found.

I also discovered that Trader Joe’s has dropped it’s no-salt-added salsa.

The two losses join a string of Trader Joe product disappearances. Here’s what I once bought regularly at Trader Joe’s:

Salt-free whole wheat bread

No-salt-added marinara sauce

No-salt added shrimp sauce

High fiber cereal

No-salt-added salsa

Trader Joe’s has decided to make it easier for Americans to continue eating more salt than is healthy for them.

I have no reason to shop there any longer so #traderjoesisdeadtome.

It’s very sad to see a food store abrogating its responsibility to offer at least some healthy offerings.

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Trader Joe’s High Fiber Cereal Remains MIA — Here Are Some Alternatives

Trader Joe’s High Fiber Cereal has been missing from TJ outlets in the Chicago area for two weeks now and I’m becoming more and more convinced it is being discontinued. Store managers have consistently told me it would be in the next day only to not have any that day. This is a food disaster for me since that cereal has been my breakfast go-to for the decade since my first stent went it. I’ve written about how it is relatively low in salt and sugar compared with other breakfast cereals.

Nutrition information for three alternatives to Trader Joe’s High Fiber Cereal, which is gone from TJ stores in my area north of Chicago.

But facing the harsh reality that it may join a long list of low-salt Trader Joe’s products that have been dropped in recent years, I decided to see what alternatives are available on supermarket shelves.

I bought boxes of General Mills Fiber One, Kellogg’s All Bran Original and Kellogg’s All Bran Buds. A friendly woman in the store suggested the Buds to me, saying they are her husband’s favorite. Maybe he enjoys the added salt and added sugars. Buds has 300 mgs of salt and 12 mgs of sugar, highest among the three. Eating a cup of them left me extremely gasey as well, not a pleasant feeling to go through the day with.

Fiber One looks a bit like TJ’s except the strings are darker and a but thicker. It has very little taste but at least the nutrition numbers are;t bad, 140 mgs of salt and no sugar. The original All bRan has the least salt per serving, although the numbers are skewed a but because it and Fiber One considers a serving as two-thirds of a cup while the infamous Buds calls half-a-cup a serving.

All of these cost more than TJs, by the way. I paid $6.99 for Fiber One, $4.99 for All Bran on sale and $4.99 for Buds on sale (each was $1.80 off their regular prices). I’m going to keep an eye out for General Mills coupons for Fiber One.

I’ll be visiting the New York City area shortly, I’m planning to check there to see if TJ has in fact stopped selling the one item that would regularly draw me to its stores.


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