salt | Diabetic Mediterranean Diet

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September 19, 2010 · 1:34 AM

Do We Really Need to Cut Salt?

Dr. Paul Maher just finished a two-part series on dietary salt that is well worth a read, especially if you are convinced we need to cut our consumption.

Part 1

Part 2

Polititians and public health mandarins have been on the low-salt bandwagon again for the last couple years. Some researchers question whether it’s even possible to reduce salt consumption as low as they would have us.

I’ll consider the polititians’ opinions on my salt intake as soon as they produce reasonable wait times at the post office, reasonable service times at the Department of Motor Vehicles, improve public school student achievement scores to a respectable level, balance state and federal budgets, and drastically reduce corruption in their hallowed halls.

Steve Parker, M.D.

5 Comments

Filed under coronary heart disease, Stroke

Tagged as dietary salt, Paul Maher, salt

October 21, 2009 · 6:17 PM

My Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet: Day 51 + Low Sodium Diet

The Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet is naturally low in sodium

Weight: 155 lb

Transgressions: ate 2 oz nuts instead of 1

Exercise: none

Comments

An emergency at the hospital interfered with my dinner plans. I had to eat something in a hurry, so I drank two tablespoons of olive oil at home, then ate two cheese sticks and a handful of walnuts on my way to the hospital.

My nutrient analysis of Weeks 5-7 revealed an average daily sodium intake of 1,55o mg. That total doesn’t include my salt shaker usage during cooking and at the table. I’ve got to draw the line somewhere. I might use a quarter of a teaspoon daily from the salt shaker, taking my sodium up to 2,100 mg daily.

The Institute of Medicine (U.S.) recommends an upper limit of 2,300 mg sodium for the general population, in an effort to keep blood pressure under control and thereby prevent cardiovascular disease and death. A teaspoon—6 g—of table salt has 2,325 mg of sodium. Most people in the U.S. eat at least 3,000–4,000 mg sodium daily. It may be physiologically impossible to keep sodium intake under 2,300 mg/day over the long run.

–Steve