U.S. Plans Drive to Limit Salt in Foods -- Welcome to the nanny state!

[Fear No Evil]

If doing this is so important to protect the common man.. what steps should we take to protect Barack Obama? Surely a heart attack in office woulf be horrible for our country. So we should probably limit his intake of anything unhealthy. I propose a 4oz limit on meat - no red meat, drastic cuts in sodium and fat, and of course, the complete elimination of cigarettes.

Protecting our country is even more important that protecting individuals. Practice what you preach Dear Leader!

 

[William Gaatjes]

It's going to happen. They've already started the rhetoric - "if we set mandatory limits it will save lives".

It's plenty fine to be outraged if such a stupid idea is even thought of, let alone encouraged by government agencies.

Salt is necessary at all stages of cooking for it to taste best. Any limit on salt is a limit on flavor.

Blame others that you do not know how to cook ?

 

[William Gaatjes]

Wrong. Do you really think we didn't know in the early to mid 90s that sugar was bad for you? Do you think its a recent discovery that excess sodium leads to high blood pressure?

And frankly - the "that's really bad, eliminate it from your diet" crowd is woefully ignorant. For example - both carbs and saturated fats. Despite the fact that they had their "evil" phases, both have health benefits in smaller doses. People still today think saturated fat is going to kill them, despite the fact that it was long ago discredited.

Nutritionists and diet writers need to keep making money, so they launch new "studies" and "diets" targeting one thing after the other. Simple fact is, if people learned the ultimate diet trick of "putting down the fork", they wouldn't need to worry about nearly as much of this stuff.

True, limit your fat intake but do not eliminate your fat intake.
We need fatty acids or lipids to transport molecules that would otherwise be seen as hostile by parts of our body that do not need those molecules. We also use lipids for various other processes.


Most people do not even know that sugars are stored as fat. But wait are there are not so many types of sugars ?

And their are different parts of fat storage. Humans can store fat on their organs and fat under the skin. The fat under the skin is less dangerous to ones health then the organ fat. Organ fat is suspected as part of the cause of many rich and developed country diseases. The fat under the skin even serves a purpose of storage for certain chemicals, i once read. Organ fat is just bad it seems for now. Although it might have some purpose in very moderate quantities.

A moderate intake is a good think yes, but that does not mean the medical and biological researchers have already all the answers.

 

[ayabe]

Unless you eat nothing but shit, this really shouldn't concern you. Making shitty food slightly more healthy isn't Uncle Sam stomping on your nuts.

Oh yeah you know the stuff the poors eat that makes them unhealthy thus placing the burden of providing expensive HC on "We the People!".

 

[William Gaatjes]

In other words "let's continue to allow massive amounts of sodium to be in our foods and let HBP continue to rise. Then I can simultaneously bitch about how high my health insurance is!"

You can add all the salt you want to your foods. I'm sorry that inconveniences you but I'd rather all the Amused's in this country have to add more salt to their foods than 1 out of 4 Americans have HBP.

Another point is how quickly you would change your tune if you developed HBP yourself and had to struggle with monitoring your salt intake. Often, so many people that are vehemently against something do so because "it hasn't happened to me yet."

I'm not insisting anyone conforms to my dietary needs. I'm insisting food manufacturers to steps to limit a preservative they overuse in their products which results in 25% (and growing) of the population having HBP.

A 25% reduction in sodium in foods doesn't mean that those with a genetic disposition towards higher BP can magically eat all the ham and bacon they want. It will, however, help millions avoid having HBP altogether.

A very good one. People like amused cannot or do not want to see beyond their own actions. Or what their actions will result too.

 

[William Gaatjes]

If I am gonna be paying for others health insurance ... I am for this. We also need to do away with flour, sugar, and HFCS (don't want you all getting diabeetus), we need to do away with alcohol (liver problems, addiction, car wrecks), The government needs to make everyone stop eating red meat (bad cholesterol), oh yeah... and no more whiteys going to the beach (Too much skin cancer going around).

Whats wrong with dark leather turtle skin ? ^_^

The movie "something about mary "

The phrase from Matt Dillon : "A dent in the armor..."

 

[nakedfrog]

If doing this is so important to protect the common man.. what steps should we take to protect Barack Obama? Surely a heart attack in office woulf be horrible for our country. So we should probably limit his intake of anything unhealthy. I propose a 4oz limit on meat - no red meat, drastic cuts in sodium and fat, and of course, the complete elimination of cigarettes.

Protecting our country is even more important that protecting individuals. Practice what you preach Dear Leader!

Where did he preach this? Do you think he personally sent a memo to the FDA saying something has to be done about "NACL MADNESS"?

 

[Thump553]

So the people who dump loads of salt on their foods any way are still going to die. Whom are probably the same people who use a lot of processed foods with high salt. So what is this government regulation accomplishing exactly? Unless its ultimate intent is to stop people from salting their own foods as well?

I don't see a lot of people screaming for government regulation here. And I DO see a lot of low sodium foods available. They usually suck. The private market appears to be trying to sell them, people are not buying. This seems to go against what the libs are saying here. This is a situation where the free market has responded, the people aren't buying it, so the government is stepping in to protect us from ourselves.

You have pretty much made my points. If someone wants to dump loads of salt on their food they will be able to-and no regulation is going to change that-and more importantly, no such reg is proposed. As far as current low salt foods sucking, that't the reason for the gradual reduction. Believe me, I know-I'm a salt dumper who has tried to go cold turkey several times-its tough. And your complaint about current low sodium processed food makes my other point-if Brand A reduces its sodium and Brand B doesn't, the customers likely will flock to Brand B. This is a problem that the free market can't solve-just like seatbelts.

What the proposed regs are seeking to address, I think, is the hidden salt-the salt in ketchup, etc. It is so prevalent these days that even an informed and diligent consumer cannot avoid it.

Like I said before, the nanny state argument is emotionally appealing, but I think it is both practically and intellectually misguided.

 

[werepossum]

The funny thing is that some of the very same people rationalizing this and trying so vainly to ridicule those who oppose it claimed NO slippery slope in previous arguments about such laws.

With each step, the government limits and controls more of your life. And you rationalize each step without seeing the larger picture.

You see no line being crossed because the only line you have is for yourself.

You say "sure, the government can dictate how much salt and fat is in my food, but damn them if they try to tell me who I can sleep with or if I can have an abortion!!!"

And I ask, what is the difference???

Many of you rally against the war on drugs... yet support limits on food ingredients.

And I ask, what's the difference???

That is profound. So many are willing to accept the unacceptable as long as the "right" people implement it or the "right" group gets punished.

Personally I'm not at all surprised. We as a nation cannot expect to demand that government provide our health care and make our housing "affordable" and protect us financially from our own bad decisions and still expect to be treated as adults and afforded the same freedoms a free adult might expect. If we demand to be supported as if we were property, we will become property - and will be treated as such.

 

[Amused]

That is profound. So many are willing to accept the unacceptable as long as the "right" people implement it or the "right" group gets punished.

Personally I'm not at all surprised. We as a nation cannot expect to demand that government provide our health care and make our housing "affordable" and protect us financially from our own bad decisions and still expect to be treated as adults and afforded the same freedoms a free adult might expect. If we demand to be supported as if we were property, we will become property - and will be treated as such.

Exactly.

This, and so many other examples are proof positive that socialism IS anathema to freedom.

 

[nobodyknows]

If you really need to have more salt there is nobody stopping you from adding it yourself.

The first post after the OP's nailed the point yet there are still 10 pages of this crap??

 

[spidey07]

The first post after the OP's nailed the point yet there are still 10 pages of this crap??

And as constantly repeated that doesn't work. It must be added during cooking for flavor. Setting limits will make food taste worse, that is a fact.

 

[Hacp]

The first post after the OP's nailed the point yet there are still 10 pages of this crap??

10 pages? We're on page 3 buddy.

 

[nobodyknows]

10 pages? We're on page 3 buddy.

I guess that depends on how many posts per page you have set to show. Mines on default setting and shows 10 pages of this BS.

 

[exar333]

I say let the sheeple eat whatever they want and our population is better for their mistakes.

/thread

 

[nobodyknows]

I say let the sheeple eat whatever they want and our population is better for their mistakes.

/thread

Why? Does salt sterilize people or somehow keep them from breeding?

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

Moderns food manufactures are using ever increasing amounts of salt and sugar in the "food" they produce because they are packaging absolute trash. It's literally trash, junk that would have been discarded or ground up for dog food a couple of decades ago, or shit that isn't even food at all. I have no problem limiting salt amounts in processed foods. The less they are allowed to use, the more they will have to rely on actual food and quality ingredients.

Who wants some sausage?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTZaKyI6zFI

Or chicken nuggets?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9B7im8aQjo

 

[Pulsar]

ANANDTECH.COM~ circa 1970s
TITLE: U.S. to require all vehicles to have seatbelts-- Welcome to the nanny state!

ANANDTECH.COM~ circa 1950s
TITLE: U.S. to require all schools to have bomb shelter-- Welcome to the nanny state!

ANANDTECH.COM~ circa 1920s
TITLE: U.S. to require all states to give women the right to vote-- Welcome to the nanny state!

ANANDTECH.COM~ circa 1880s
TITLE: U.S. to require 40 hour work week-- Welcome to the nanny state!

ANANDTECH.COM~ circa 1790s
TITLE: U.S. to require all states in Union to have one currency-- Welcome to the nanny state!

I swear, this shit doesn't get old.

You're right. Watching a free country slowly disappear under the weight of so many laws that it can't enforce the ones already on the books never gets old.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Originally Posted by Narmer
ANANDTECH.COM~ circa 1970s
TITLE: U.S. to require all vehicles to have seatbelts-- Welcome to the nanny state!

ANANDTECH.COM~ circa 1950s
TITLE: U.S. to require all schools to have bomb shelter-- Welcome to the nanny state!

ANANDTECH.COM~ circa 1920s
TITLE: U.S. to require all states to give women the right to vote-- Welcome to the nanny state!

ANANDTECH.COM~ circa 1880s
TITLE: U.S. to require 40 hour work week-- Welcome to the nanny state!

ANANDTECH.COM~ circa 1790s
TITLE: U.S. to require all states in Union to have one currency-- Welcome to the nanny state!

I swear, this shit doesn't get old.

You're right. Watching a free country slowly disappear under the weight of so many laws that it can't enforce the ones already on the books never gets old.

Yeah, they should've listened to the guy in the 1790s. He had the future pegged.

 

[zsdersw]

It must be added during cooking for flavor.

Yes, some salt is usually required.. but not as much as you think.

Setting limits will make food taste worse, that is a fact.

No it's not a fact. It's your opinion, which should never be confused with facts.

 

[Fear No Evil]

Yes, some salt is usually required.. but not as much as you think.



No it's not a fact. It's your opinion, which should never be confused with facts.

Have you ever worked as a chef or in a restaurant? Want to guess why shit tastes better eating out? Tons of salt is one of them.. another is butter and other fats..

Ever watch Top chef or anything like that? Whats the #1 complaint of almost all the judges.. MORE SALT..

 

[zsdersw]

Have you ever worked as a chef or in a restaurant? Want to guess why shit tastes better eating out? Tons of salt is one of them.. another is butter and other fats..

No I haven't worked as a chef or in a restaurant, but I do a lot of my own cooking. I also eat out, but not that often. I don't think it necessarily tastes better when I eat out. Some things taste good, but a lot of it doesn't.. especially compared to what I cook myself.

Ever watch Top chef or anything like that? Whats the #1 complaint of almost all the judges.. MORE SALT..

The judges have palettes that are hooked on salt because they eat out all the time. That doesn't mean they're experts or that their opinion is "fact".

Ask a chef, like Gordon Ramsay for example, what he thinks of a lot of "eat out" food... I'd be willing to bet he'd say it's too salty. There's often a big difference in opinion on what tastes good between people who cook and people who don't.

 

[Amused]

The first post after the OP's nailed the point yet there are still 10 pages of this crap??

It nailed nothing but your own misinformed and biased opinion.

 

[dullard]

PepsiCo last month announced plans to reduce salt by 25%. Today, PepsiCo announces Lays brand chips will change their salt to "decrease the amount of salt we put on a snack with no compromise on taste". They claim that 80% of the salt on their chips was untasted, and thus went to waste.

 

[spidey07]

PepsiCo last month announced plans to reduce salt by 25%. Today, PepsiCo announces Lays brand chips will change their salt to "decrease the amount of salt we put on a snack with no compromise on taste". They claim that 80% of the salt on their chips was untasted, and thus went to waste.

Thanks. I know now to avoid their products.

Notice the big difference, one is voluntary free market, the other which is what is so wrong is government force and control.