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CardioBreak: FDA Eyes Move on Salt, Watchman Delayed Again

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We also posted a note at MedPage.com concerning this FDA effort. Since we've been helping thousands of others since 1997, we suggested that the FDA limiting salt (setting sodium levels for processed foods lower), is not as effective as educating the public (maybe they should do both concurrently). For one thing, when a government agency like the FDA posts a level for sodium for various products it may be perceived as approval for the amounts that are thereafter listed on FDA labels. Today the FDA allows processors to put "funny numbers" on their nutrition labels. For instance they don't have to put the "exact' amount of sodium or calories, etc. on a label. They only have to come within a few percentages, like 5% or 5 mg per serving size. So, the processors have figured this out by suggesting serving sizes that are often unreal. For instance, a jar of green olives with pimientos will display 230 mg sodium per serving. The serving size is ONE olive. How many did you eat last time you ran across olives? Ketchup serving size may be one tablespoon, which helps the processor create an image in our minds that the sodium level is just fine. Although we believe food processors should lower their sodium levels (and some have) we haven't seen any who have done it enough except for those who produce no-salt-added products. Now, how will the FDA help consumers with sandwich shops, fast food outlets, restaurants? As we have written before, we've seen Togo's and Subway, and others with sandwiches that run from about 1300 mg of sodium up to 13,000 mg. When all professional medical and health organizations are now calling for a daily total of 1300 mg to 1800 milligrams of sodium for healthy consumers, those lunch time sandwiches are literal heart stoppers.