World Salt Awareness Week

By day, I'm a public health professional.  By day, I  receive a wealth of health information.  And on this day, I received an email about World Salt Awareness Week.  My first thought - now I know there is an awareness day, week or month for everything.   However, I think that this one is definitely worthy of some attention.  Here are a few things about salt that everyone should know:

• A high salt intake is a major cause of elevated blood pressure.  Elevated blood pressure is one of the causes of cardiovascular disease that leads to heart disease and strokes. 
• Worldwide, on average, people consume 10-15 grams of salt each day.  The maximum amount that we need is about 5-6 grams each day which is about a teaspoon.  Young children need even less.
• A lot of the salt we consume comes from processed foods (packaged food, canned goods, frozen entrees, deli meats, etc) as well as from restaurants.  As a result, most people are passively consuming a lot of salt without being aware of it.
• The best way to control your salt intake is to cook your own food and pay attention to food labels.
• It is estimated that 1 in 3 Americans have elevated or high blood pressure (hypertension).  Most people don't know that they have it.  Hypertension is known as the silent killer because it has no symptoms or warning signs.  It is easily treated through lifestyle changes and/or medication.

During this week-long salt awareness week, think of ways to reduce your salt intake  - even if you don't have high blood pressure.  If you would like to know more about World Salt Awareness Week, visit http://www.worldactiononsalt.com/awareness/intro.htm.  

Happy World Salt Awareness Week 2011!!!