Salt.
It goes good on almost everything. A pinch here a shake there, and the pour
every now and then. But do we as Americans realize that the amount of salt that
we take into our bodies is much more then we actually need it to be? The amount
of salt that is in the processed foods the that we eat on a daily basis is
going to cause serious health risks not only for us now but for the generations
to come, it will also affect the health of those who follow us because if we
don’t know how to lessen the amount of salt how will the next generation? The
amount of salt in our food directly impacts our health and well being, if we do
not take steps to lessen that amount we could end up with serious illnesses.
Salt,
not the most deadly thing we as humans put in our bodies on the regular, the
amount of caffeine some people ingest is astounding. Speaking from experience,
be careful about how much caffeine you put in your body, I went to the hospital
because I had three Monster Energy® drinks and a Rockstar® energy drink, the
doctors said I was lucky that I had barfed earlier before being admitted
because of all the caffeine was making my heart beat way to fast, if I remember
correctly the doctor said I had a heart rate of 179BPM at 16 years old that was
really high, yeah that’s a mistake I will never make again. Enough about
caffeine, salt it makes everything, well almost everything, taste better but it
is a leading cause of high blood pressure in today’s young America. “The most
common form of salt we put in our bodies is Sodium Chloride, or table salt.” (http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/hbp/prevent/sodium/qfacts.htm). Think about it, when was the last time to ask
the waiter to bring you salt? Or the last time you where at a fast food spot
and didn’t put salt on your fries? Exactly it has been so long and it has
become a habit to salt everything we eat now a days. “Processed food contains
the most amount of salt.” (http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/hbp/prevent/sodium/qfacts.htm). Of all the food that we consume the
food we eat that has been processed, or prepared for us, has the most salt in
it because the salt keeps the prepared food good longer then the food would if
it wasn’t covered in salt.
Source of image: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/lifestyle/pizza-hut-agrees-to-a-big-slice-in-salt-levels/story-e6frf00i-1225907023288.
As
the picture above shows that there is a lot of salt in the fast food we eat
almost every week. “Less salt lower
blood pressure.” (http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/hbp/prevent/sodium/qfacts.htm) No words could be truer, if we cut down the
amount of salt we ingest, we would be able to start the process of losing the
title of “Fattest Nation” and begin to be a healthier nation.
Some have said that “I am eating Kosher salt,
or I’m eating sea salt” thinking that it is better then normal salt, “Kosher
salt and sea salt aren’t different, they are still “salt”.” (http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/hbp/prevent/sodium/qfacts.htm) the fact is that if it has the word
salt in it, its Salt and it isn’t healthier if it is kosher or if it is sea
salt. After I read this I immediately started to try to lessen the amount of
salt I eat each day. “Try to have less then 6g of salt a day.” (http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/hbp/prevent/sodium/qfacts.htm). This is a goal America should strive
for not only because it is healthier, but also because it is something that
will make the lives of the children better.
The fact that our own government says, “Americans
eat too much sodium, commonly consumed as salt.” (http://www.cdc.gov/features/dssodium/), should tell us that we need to cut
back our salt intake. The CDC, Center for Disease Control, has gone on record
and stated, “We all need a small amount (e.g., between about 180 mg and 500 mg
per day) of sodium to keep our bodies working properly.” (http://www.cdc.gov/features/dssodium/).
Basically it comes down to each individual citizen of our great nation to
stand up and say I don’t need to put salt on this, or hey we should try to have
at least one meal a week with no salt unnecessary salt in it, two meals like
that would be best.
If we as Americans or well as people
wish to live healthier lives we must cut back on the processed foods, and cut
way back on the amount of NaCl we put in our bodies. With all the things we are
capable of doing, cutting down the amount of salt we eat each day should be
easy but we must find the will power to actually step up and cut down the
amount of salt we eat in a day. Its not asking America to give up salt
completely its just asking to lessen the amount of salt eaten. If we can do
this we can build a healthier America, for future generations and us.
Reference Page
John
Rolfe (2010). Pizza Hut agrees to a big slice in salt
levels . [ONLINE] Available at:
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/lifestyle/pizza-hut-agrees-to-a-big-slice-in-salt-levels/story-e6frf00i-1225907023288.
[Last Accessed 12/4/2012].
Quick
Facts on Salt. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://www.cdc.gov/features/dssodium/ . [Last Accessed 12/4/2012].
The
Center For Disease Control (2/24/2011). Americans
Consume Too Much Sodium (Salt). [ONLINE] Available at:
http://www.cdc.gov/features/dssodium/. [Last Accessed 12/4/2012].
APPENDIX
Figure
1.
this is by far my best essay
ReplyDeleteGood job !! I haven't seen anyone else using such a common word and making such a creative write up...I think it is one of the best essay I have come across :)
ReplyDelete