Salt and Your Heart

Filed in archive Heart and Stroke on April 22, 2007

You've probably heard the old saying that variety is the spice of life. An old Polish proverb disagrees. It reads: Salt is the spice of life. Another Polish proverb says: Without salt the feast is spoiled.

I'll agree that salt does improve the flavor of many foods. It's been in use since the beginning of time for that purpose. A little salt might be alright, but it seems we are adding more and more salt to our meals. You'd be hard-pressed to find many articles on the grocery shelf that don't have some salt content.

The truth? All that salt isn't good for you. An article from Medical News Today has this to say:

People who significantly cut back on the amount of salt in their diet could reduce their chances of developing cardiovascular disease by a quarter, according to a report on bmj.com today.

Researchers in Boston also found a reduction in salt intake could lower the risk of death from cardiovascular disease by up to a fifth.

Why not try flavoring your food with other spices? Passionate About Food tells us that:

The taste for salt is an acquired taste - today a little, tomorrow a little more. But too much salt may contribute to heart disease, stroke or kidney disease. Most Americans eat more salt than our bodies need, so it's a good idea to monitor the amount of salt you use.