In the case of salt, the FDA has vilified it until you feel guilty to sprinkle some on your food. Not all salt is equal and removing all of it from your diet can even be harmful. Because people can only make decisions based on the information they have available, the Weston A Price Foundation is fighting back.

“Now the Weston A. Price Foundation (WAPF) is trying to set the record straight, and has warned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that further plans for salt restriction pose a serious threat to human health.

FDA’s Salt Restriction Plans Could Harm Your Health

In a recently released document titled “Approaches to Reducing Sodium Consumption,”i the FDA and the Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) cite recommendations to reduce daily sodium intake to less than 2,300 mg, with a further reduction to 1,500 mg (just over one-half teaspoon) for people who are age 51 and older, African American, or who have hypertension, diabetes or chronic kidney disease (this encompasses about half of the U.S. population).

But as WAPF pointed out, the title of the document implies a determination has already been made that Americans’ sodium consumption should be reduced, a move that is contrary to scientific evidence.

Sally Fallon Morell, president of the Weston A. Price Foundation, stated:

“A study from 1991 indicates that people need about one and one-half teaspoons of salt per day. Anything less triggers a cascade of hormones to recuperate sodium from the waste stream, hormones that make people vulnerable to heart disease and kidney problems. This is proven biochemistry. Yet, FDA as well as USDA want to mandate drastically restricted sodium consumption at about one-half teaspoon per day.”

The truth of the matter is that oftentimes sensible advice gets taken to the extreme and ends up being more harmful than helpful. Health officials’ misguided advice to shun the sun comes to mind, as now we are facing epidemic levels of vitamin D deficiency (the advice should be to avoid sunburn, but regular sun exposure is healthy). Likewise, health agencies’ advice to severely restrict salt may actually cause significant health problems”

You owe it to yourself to discover the truth about salt. The next time you are in our office, ask Dr. Bellomo about his salt recommendations. You can also find more information in Dr. Mercola’s recent article This Forbidden Indulgence Could Actually Spare You a Heart Attack