Salt Of The Earth

Make no doubt about it. For decades doctors and health officials have told us to cut back on our salt intake, right?

Even though all manufactured (fast) food in this country and elsewhere loads lots of salt into everything they make, even foods that you would not suspect to either having or needing salt added, such as ice cream, soda pop, and candy bars. We expect our salt in chips and pretzels, and on our burgers and fries, but ice cream?

Salt is a rock, you know. A mineral. It is the only rock we eat.

Having to be on a diet for my health, not necessarily for weight loss, I make my own meals, and cook for my wife. So far, we have found that Greek menus are wonderful, but lately we have been following the South Beach diet. It is the best tasting diet I have ever been on.

I add my own salt to these meals. Lots of it.

I told my doctor about this. He almost had a heart attack over it.

But, (I told him) I don’t eat fast food, and I don’t eat processed or manufactured food, so where shall I get any salt in my diet if I don’t add it myself?

He paused in his tirade to consider this.

Then I asked him how many flavor receptors are on our taste buds on our tongues? He listed them for me: Sweet, Sour, Bitter and Salt.

So I asked him, “If one-fourth of our taste buds are receptors for salt, how is it that having any salt in our diets is wrong?”

Well, he couldn’t answer that. He finally said that he would ‘permit me’ to add salt to my meals, since that is probably all I am getting of it anyway. How generous of him.

What has your doctor told you about limiting your salt intake?

Regards,
Roger Born
“Sorry. No Refunds”