Who Gets to Hold the Salt Shaker?

In 1963, The American Heart Association realized February held a unique opportunity to spread awareness, in a month already filled with images of hearts, by establishing this month as American Heart Month.  Salt reduction is one of the major recommendations regarding heart health that we hear over and over because of its link to hypertension, stroke and cardiovascular disease.

The average American exceeds the maximum recommended sodium intake of 2,300mg or 1 teaspoon per day. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans released on Monday (by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) urge consumers to further reduce daily sodium to 1,500 mg for children, people who currently have hypertension, and those over the age of 51.

So how will a country that has developed it’s palate for high amounts of sodium put down the saltshaker? The Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a set of recommendations last April that proposes the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) take regulatory action in gradually reducing sodium throughout the food supply. Why get the government involved? Although putting away the saltshaker will benefit you, the majority of the average American’s sodium intake comes from prepared or processed foods that do not necessarily taste salty.

Should the FDA take action? I am usually a firm believer that American consumers are responsible for their own wellness as long as the information needed is readily available. The majority of the U.S. population knows that sodium negatively impacts its health. The problem lies in the public’s time for and ability to read nutrition facts labels. If the FDA does step in and do what the IOM perceives to be the government’s part in the sodium crisis, a consumer can always pull out their saltshaker and add it back.