It's Time to End the War on Salt (2011) • Hacker News Board

Re: It's Time to End the War on Salt (2011)

#21

Post by reitanqild » Fri, Jan 22, 2016, 8:38 AM UTC

jimrandomh wrote: post #5

To me, the story of salt strongly highlights the difference between science (as in, the results of scientific experiments and careful reasoning), and "science", the things the general public is told science has found by journalists and policymakers. Not only was there was never a strong scientific basis for telling people to reduce their salt intake, my anecdotal observation is that it's fairly easy to wind up salt-d…

Problem is: the real scientists didn't speak out loudly.

And, the bigger problem: many of them as well as others have very good reasons for keeping shut. Few people want to be vilified by mainstream media and the PC crowd.

Re: It's Time to End the War on Salt (2011)

#22

Post by Lazare » Fri, Jan 22, 2016, 8:38 AM UTC

bcook wrote: post #18

In Neil deGrasse Tyson's StarTalk radio show he interviewed The author of "Salt: A World History"[1|2] who said (paraphrased) that statistically, it makes some sense to tell the public to not each too much salt, but on an individual basis you can either eat as much salt as you want or you have a health problem like high blood-pressure. [1] http://www.startalkradio.net/show/the-salt-of-the-earth-part... [2] http://www…

Yep. And to clarify, the health problems that may make salt restrictions helpful generally involve impaired renal function or other kidney problems. If you have chronic renal disease, you need to be damn careful about your sodium intake, because you're not going to be able to excrete it properly.

Re: It's Time to End the War on Salt (2011)

#23

Post by dnate » Fri, Jan 22, 2016, 8:45 AM UTC

What I find interesting is that this issue about sodium being unhealthy never really reached Europe (or at least Germany). While the US was advertising "low sodium" on their products we are still mostly advertising "low fat" and have some "low carb" pioneers. It seems to me that the whole "sodium is bad" scheme was a poorly supported health tip gone viral.

Re: It's Time to End the War on Salt (2011)

#24

Post by nikolay » Fri, Jan 22, 2016, 8:50 AM UTC

petke wrote: post #11

buu700 wrote: post #3

As someone who eats strictly keto (low-carb/high-fat), I actually have to make a concerted effort to get enough salt in my diet due to my naturally retaining less water than non-keto people. This includes making somewhat high-salt food choices wherever reasonable — bacon, pickles, salted butter, cooking with salt in general, etc. — as well as actually adding a salt/electrolyte solution to the water I drink throughout…

I gotta ask. I don't mean to offend. Keto diet sounds like a good way to lose weight. But does it make ones breath smell?

I'd pick better health before better breath! Keto is amazing, I'm never hungry - you not only live longer, because it's less harmful, but you save so much time and energy having to think about food and eating it! I eat 1-2 times a day, ideally, I want to eat once a day and I can, but for social reasons, I eat twice most of the time. Eating once at night has a name - Warrior Diet [0].

[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warrior_diet

Re: It's Time to End the War on Salt (2011)

#25

Post by metafunctor » Fri, Jan 22, 2016, 8:53 AM UTC

dnate wrote: post #23

What I find interesting is that this issue about sodium being unhealthy never really reached Europe (or at least Germany). While the US was advertising "low sodium" on their products we are still mostly advertising "low fat" and have some "low carb" pioneers. It seems to me that the whole "sodium is bad" scheme was a poorly supported health tip gone viral.

Reducing sodium intake has been a thing doctors recommend in Finland, at least. Ask any nurse, and they will tell you that sodium intake is definitely connected with high blood pressure and heart disease.

Also, they will tell you need to drink lots of milk to keep your bones strong. Also a piece of "science" on it's way out.

Re: It's Time to End the War on Salt (2011)

#26

Post by pkofod » Fri, Jan 22, 2016, 9:01 AM UTC

metafunctor wrote: post #25

dnate wrote: post #23

What I find interesting is that this issue about sodium being unhealthy never really reached Europe (or at least Germany). While the US was advertising "low sodium" on their products we are still mostly advertising "low fat" and have some "low carb" pioneers. It seems to me that the whole "sodium is bad" scheme was a poorly supported health tip gone viral.

Reducing sodium intake has been a thing doctors recommend in Finland, at least. Ask any nurse, and they will tell you that sodium intake is definitely connected with high blood pressure and heart disease. Also, they will tell you need to drink lots of milk to keep your bones strong. Also a piece of "science" on it's way out.

Same in Denmark, but probably mostly amongst my parents' or grandparents' generation (I'm mid 20s).

Re: It's Time to End the War on Salt (2011)

#27

Post by spacecowboy_lon » Fri, Jan 22, 2016, 9:02 AM UTC

It tallies with what my renal dietician (i have serios kidney problems) said when I asked her about switching to low salt versions of soy salt.

"its been well marketed, but what they don't tell you is the shit they replace salt with in these lo salt versions"

Re: It's Time to End the War on Salt (2011)

#28

Post by leonroy » Fri, Jan 22, 2016, 9:03 AM UTC

dnate wrote: post #23

What I find interesting is that this issue about sodium being unhealthy never really reached Europe (or at least Germany). While the US was advertising "low sodium" on their products we are still mostly advertising "low fat" and have some "low carb" pioneers. It seems to me that the whole "sodium is bad" scheme was a poorly supported health tip gone viral.

It certainly reached the UK. I recall salt manufacturers being up in arms when the government started pushing for lower salt intake a good few years ago.

A few brave scientists even appeared onscreen to say that sugar not salt was the real problem. At the time though there was less hostility to sugar so the salt restrictions went into force and I believe the sugar lobby even were able to squash a few reports condemning excessive sugar intake.

Re: It's Time to End the War on Salt (2011)

#29

Post by ableal » Fri, Jan 22, 2016, 9:06 AM UTC

thaumasiotes wrote: post #10

hmottestad wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just looked up a bag of chips: 100g: 525 cal 1.5 g salt Multiply by ~3.8: 380g: 2000 cal 5.7 g salt Your mileage may vary, but in Norway, a typical bag of chips contains more than 3.5g of salt per 2000 calories.

Looked up a nutrition label online: https://healthyeatingrocks.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/lays-... 1 oz: 150 Calories 180 mg sodium multiply by 20/3: 6.667 oz: 2000 Calories 1.2g sodium The kosher salt in my cupboard (ingredients: salt and an anti-caking agent) is 40% sodium by mass (480 mg sodium per 1.2 grams). Or, going by the atomic mass listed here ( http://www.chemicalelements.com/show/mass.html ), sodium chlo…

I've read somewhere before that the issue may be K vs. Na balance.

Take that with a grain of ... nevermind.

Re: It's Time to End the War on Salt (2011)

#30

Post by ableal » Fri, Jan 22, 2016, 9:14 AM UTC

dnate wrote: post #23

What I find interesting is that this issue about sodium being unhealthy never really reached Europe (or at least Germany). While the US was advertising "low sodium" on their products we are still mostly advertising "low fat" and have some "low carb" pioneers. It seems to me that the whole "sodium is bad" scheme was a poorly supported health tip gone viral.

In my corner (Portugal), there have been noises to legislate lower salt in bread, etc. And the health professionals are definitely on board with that, they've been advising lower salt intake for blood pressure for many years.