Speaking of salt . . .

Epicurean Exploits - Food and Recipes
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For a time a couple of years ago, I was on a low-sodium diet. Not really strict, but I had to watch my sodium intake. Obviously that made me start reading labels for salt content and the results were shocking. Canned tomatoes and canned beans were almost off the chart as were most things already prepared which, thank God, I don’t generally eat. Fast food? OMG!

Well . . . I’ve found something that can top almost anything. It’s way past potato chips which, by comparison, are not nearly as loaded with salt as you’d think. I was at the local “bag your own 'cause our prices are so low we can’t afford to hire people to do it for you” market buying staples, which is mostly what the place is good for. There was a young guy in front of me, obviously single, and he was throwing all sorts of Cup O’ Soup and Instant Lunch packages into his cart. “Hell, for 40 cents they might be good for lunch now and then”, I thought. Then I read the labels.

The sodium levels in these things are appalling. 1200 milligrams per serving! That’s half the RDA for sodium, all in one meal. You’d be so thirsty after lunch you’d be mainlining water.

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You’ll enjoy this article, then - http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=its-time-to-end-the-war-on-salt

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Already read it after GadgetGirl’s post. It’s what prompted this. Leaving the health effects out of it, if I were to down 1200 milligrams of salt in one little Cup O’ Soup I’d be thirsty all day and probably be at risk of hyper-hydration.

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Thanks Todd. More and more I’ve heard that the problems with sodium have definitely been exaggerated. I would still be conscious of sodium if you have high blood pressure, but beyond that I wouldn’t be all that concerned.

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You’re right, it’s in everything in amazing quantities; 12 ounce can of Diet Coke, 40 mg !

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Ramon Noodles!!

http://www.ramenlicious.com/encyclopedia/ramen-noodles-nutrition.html



I used to know people who pounded down a package per setting!!

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That’s not very much. According to the USDA’s dietary guides, adults need about 1500 mg per day.

Compare to:

  • 48 mg in 12 ounces of root beer.
  • 55 mg in 12 ounces of Badoit mineral water.
  • 75 mg in 12 ounces of club soda.
  • 140 mg in 12 ounces of Gatorade.
  • 160 mg in 12 ounces of milk.
  • 210 mg in 12 ounces of ‘low sodium’ tomato juice.
  • 225 mg in 12 ounces of chocolate milk.
  • 240 mg in 12 ounces of soymilk.
  • 630 mg in 12 ounces of V8 juice.

Source for everything but Badoit: DRI Calculator for Healthcare Professionals | National Agricultural Library
Source for Badoit: http://www.finewaters.com/Bottled_Water/France/Badoit.asp

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***** 70 mg sodium in the 12 oz. can of Diet Orange Crush I just drank

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Don’t ever eat a corned beef sandwich, Bob.

3.5 ounces corned beef brisket, cooked (half a smallish sandwich?) = 1134 mg sodium.

Oh, and that biscuit recipe you posted? 3638 mg of sodium in the recipe; 1819 mg in the half batch you made and ate.

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I use very little salt since I am hypersensitive to salt. I don’t salt the pasta water. That and our altitude is why pasta takes a long time to cook. It I remember to, I add a little salt to vinaigrettes. I mostly use seasonings with a little salt and don’t add any extra.

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Do I have to draw you a picture or is it possible you can come to grips on your own with the concept that a “Cup O’ Soup” is not the same as a corned beef sandwich - or even my biscuits considering no one eats six biscuits for lunch every day?

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Shows how oblivious I am… I woulda’ guessed no salt in a soft drink. Now I’ve got to deal with the fact that I buy V-8 by the case. Thanks Robert. Please keep it to yourself if there is any salt in wine !

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Poll? Should Bob draw a picture or write 1000 words?

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I have never personally believed that too much salt in food is a problem so much as it is a SYMPTOM of bad food quality. Salt has such a strong flavor that it can cover for the bad taste provided by substandard products. I personally don’t believe it’s the sodium in pre-packaged foods that is killing people – it’s EVERYTHING ELSE in the overly salted foods that is killing people.

Think about it – if there were no such thing as salt, I don’t think very many North Americans would enjoy eating a tough starchy vegetable coated in hot mouthcoating oil but salt is the reason french fries are so popular. Half of the junk food in the world would suddenly become inedible and people might be eating a lot healthier.

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Salt makes everything better … just like bacon.

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Gee, I wonder what is worse, salt…or smoking? [wow.gif]

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Are we talking smoking as in smoking cigarettes or smoking food?

If we are talking food, I know there has been some concern that eating too much smoked foods can be linked to possible colo-rectal cancers because the smoke particles just sit there along with the rest of everything else in the stomach and intestines before it is finally pushed out.

Not being a scientist or doctor, here’s my thoughts on this. Unlike smoking cigarettes, smoke in food is not absorbed whole but along with food. Also, hot cigarette smoke goes directly into the lungs and a lot of what goes in simply remains there. My sister is a nurse and she once showed pictures of what the inside of a lifelong smoker’s lungs looked like. The thing that struck me most was how it looked almost exactly like a smoked brisket – covered in black crust, swollen, yet juicy and pink on the inside. [shock.gif] Considering lungs are supposed to look beige or light grayish, neither of those colors is good. I would rather my food look this way, not my insides, thank you very much.

Also, since the smoked food we eat eventually does pass out of our bodies presumably taking out some of the smoke that was put into the food, I’m thinking those of us who are BBQ eaters will be okay in the long run. Of course, there has yet to be a study of cancer among BBQ eaters so who knows? Still, follow the rule of everything in moderation and you should be okay.