, Columnist
This Anti-Salt Narrative Needs a Shakeup
First of all: It’s not even clear that the average American consumes too much sodium.
Please pass the salt.
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When it comes to public health in the developed world, the perfect can be the enemy of the good.
The American Heart Association urges every American to reduce sodium intake to an “ideal” level of less than 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day — a goal that fewer than 1 percent of the world’s population achieves. No wonder: 1,500 milligrams represents the inescapable amount of sodium that’s embedded in the amount of food we need to avoid starving. Setting that as the “ideal” is really a zero-tolerance policy toward sodium: You can’t add salt when cooking, let alone eat anything from packages or restaurants.