Salt preserves and enhances the flavor of food. It suppresses bitterness. We hold in high regard those who are the salt of the earth and worth their salt. Sodium (one part of salt) is worthy of respect. It is used by the body to keep fluids balanced. Nerves require sodium to transmit impulses and muscles need sodium to contract.
Somewhere along the way, however, we got too much of a good thing. And the consequence, according to a recent article in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, is adverse blood pressure - dangerous pressure against the walls of the arteries that leads directly to stroke, heart failure and kidney disease. Heres a quiz to see how much we really know about salt and sodium.
Salt is:
a) part sodium and part chloride?
In salt history, the Morton Umbrella girl promoted the phrase:
According to a recent study published by the Centers for Disease Control, 9 out of 10 Americans:
A high salt diet can interfere with:
The fact that canned spinach contains over twice the sodium of fresh spinach shows that:
One teaspoon of salt contains:
a) 2300 milligrams of sodium
b) less sodium than a package of onion soup mix
To keep blood pressure normal, most adults need to limit:
Americans get most (75 percent) of our sodium from:
A diet rich in potassium helps:
The proven Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension is:
b) high in calcium and potassium?
