I Love the Wall Street Journal...

I just read an excellent article that was published in the Wall Street Journal today.  In fact, I thought it was so good that I attached a link to it at the bottom of my Blog site.  Do check it out!  The link works - yeah, my brilliant son helped me with that, too.  By looking at the photo on the left, I bet you can guess what it's about.   The article reinforces a lot of the things I have been Blogging about.  You will love what it has to say about wine - the primary focus of the article.  But it covers one topic that I haven't touched on yet: Salt. 

Too much salt can be hazardous to your health - there, I said it.  For one thing, it raises your blood pressure, especially in people who are predisposed to it.  How do you know if you are?  High blood pressure is often hereditary, so if your mom or dad are on blood pressure medication, you would be wise to watch how much salt you consume.  

Salt also causes you to lose calcium.  It is used to melt ice on wintry roads and sidewalks.  And, in a manner of speaking, it can also melt our bones.  It triggers our kidneys to send calcium into our urine, where we excrete it.  Consequently, the more salt we eat, the more calcium we lose.  

So how much is too much?  We need some salt in our diet to make up for what we lose in perspiration and such.  Try not to exceed (now they say) 1,500 mgs. a day.  It sounds like a lot, but once you start reading labels, you'll be surprised how quickly it adds up.  To give you an idea, 1/4 cup of canned tomato sauce has 280 mgs.  If you use salt, consider trying sea salt.  It may contain minerals that your body needs, such as magnesium and......yup, calcium!  That's all for now.  See you later... In the meantime, happy and healthy eating!

(Some salt facts herein were obtained from Vegetarian Times, November/December 2008)