Ask The Expert is a weekly column on Littlestomaks.com. The idea is to have a reader-submitted question answered by a nutrition expert or a pediatrician. Feel free to submit your question in the comments section below.

There is a lot of hype about sea salt, but is it any better than regular salt for your health? This week, Registered Dietitian Caryn Roll suggests you control your family’s salt intake no matter if it is sea salt or regular salt.

Question: What is the difference between sea salt and regular salt? Is sea salt healthier for my child?

Answer:

The difference between sea salt and regular salt are few.  Regular salt that you buy off the shelf at your grocery store is usually fortified with iodine and the salt granules are quite fine.  Sea salt may or may not be fortified and the size of the granules varies.  In the past, salt was fortified to prevent iodine deficiencies.  Nowadays iodine deficiencies are rare so it is not essential to choose iodized salt.  However, it is essential to curb salt use especially with children.

Salt consumption is on the rise mainly due to the addition of salt in restaurant meals and processed foods.  Consequently, the population regularly eat these high salt containing foods: breakfast cereals, canned soups, frozen entrees, condiments like ketchup and breads and cheeses (think pizza!).  North Americans are consuming dangerously high levels of salt.  Salt is a leading cause of high blood pressure, the silent killer.

Curb salt intake by removing the salt shaker from the table.  Do not add salt to your recipes.  Read foods labels carefully.  Make sure the daily intake for sodium is as low as possible (less than 10%).  It might be hard at first to live without added salt.  But trust me, you and your kids will quickly acclimatize and then you will not be able to eat highly salted foods.

There are no health benefits associated with sea salt. It’s a personal choice in terms of texture and taste. Some recipes call for sea salt or kosher salt. It’s all the same no matter what you call it. It’s still best to keep the salt shaker off the table!

©2010 Littlestomaks.com. All Rights Reserved

Disclaimer – Information provided in Ask The Expert column on Littlestomaks.com is intended to give you general guidance on a question related to toddler nutrition. It is not meant to be treated as medical advice. You are welcome to contact this expert for a detailed consultation on your specific situation to determine what actions, if any, you should take regarding nutrition and health of your toddlers. We do not recommend you to take any action based solely on the information presented in this column. Experts have agreed to provide their professional opinion on toddler nutrition related questions on a voluntary basis and no compensation is offered to them by Littlestomaks.com.

photo credit: sebilden

Salt is in the news these days! A typical American diet is rich in salt because of excessive processed foods and junk foods. Most Americans consume a lot more salt each day than the recommended 2300 mg of sodium (about a teaspoon of salt). Some estimates suggest that adults get an average of 4000 – 6000 mg of sodium while school age children average 3000 – 4000 mg per day. That is clearly a lot!

Do you ever wonder why your child wants to drink a lot more water when they eat salty snacks? Although salt is very important for normal body functions, too much of it forces our body to demand more water so it can be diluted. Our kidneys work overtime to remove excess salt from our body, but they need water to carry it out. That is why sodium content inside our body is directly linked to water balance. A complex system of hormones in our body tries to keep the overall amount of liquid in balance, but consuming too much salt throws it out of balance. What is more of a problem is that our heart has to work against all this liquid which causes our blood pressure to rise. Done too frequently, this can lead to chronic high blood pressure and heart disease.

So what can you do? Here are a few tips:

• First, be aware of sodium requirements in children – estimated minimum requirement for sodium in healthy children ranges from about 200 mg per day for 1 year old to about 500 mg per day in  children 6 and up.
• Read the nutrition facts label on processed foods – we try to stay away from products that contain more than 15% of daily sodium per serving. Unfortunately, hot dogs and french fries fall in this category!
• Get your kids interested in eating a home-cooked meal – this is probably a lot more difficult in practice. All I can say is that you got to keep trying and set a standard of family meals as a daily ritual.
• Get rid of the salt shaker – a teaspoon of salt is really not a whole lot. Resist the urge to reach for the salt shaker on your table. If your kids don’t see you using it, they are less likely to reach for it.
• Say NO to processed meats – salt is a natural preservative and most processed meat is prepared with a lot of salt. Reducing your meat consumption is a good idea, and when you do, get fresh and uncooked meat which you can prepare at home.
• Eat more veggies, either steamed, grilled or raw – vegetables and other plant based foods are the best choice when you are trying to control your family’s salt intake. Nothing wrong in enjoying your favorite recipe that calls for salt, but they are most healthy when eaten raw, steamed or grilled. Saute in olive oil with onions and tomato paste if you want to add a little bit of flavor.

Both salt and water are critical for our survival and growth. We can’t live without them. Like everything else, too much of a good thing is not good either. With a little planning and preparation you can ensure a healthy balance.

Here are a few good resources on salt and managing it in your family’s diet

Shake your salt habit – American Heart Association
What can I use instead of salt – American Heart Association
5 ways to cut back on salt – WebMD
Salt: The Spice of Life or the Taste of Doom – The Yale Guide to Children’s Nutrition

Parents: what has worked for you in reducing your family’s salt intake? Share your tips below in comments.

©2010 Littlestomaks.com

Greetings! It is Friday again, which means it is time for our usual Five for Fridays, a compilation of interesting food and nutrition news from the week. The focus this week was on salt content of foods as the Institute of Medicine came out with a report which recommended setting mandatory national standards for sodium content.

That is why I want to focus on this problem, especially when it comes to popular foods for children. You will be surprised by the amount of salt in these 5 common foods listed below.

It is no secret that the amount of daily salt in an average American diet is too high. According to some estimates, Americans consume 3400 mg of sodium (about 1.5 tsp) per day far in excess of the national dietary recommendation of no more than 2300 mg.

There is a biological reason why we prefer salt in our food – our body needs it for maintaining the electrolyte balance which is essential for normal functioning of our muscles and brain. However, too much salt is now known to be linked high blood pressure, which leads to heart disease, stroke, congestive heart failure and kidney disease.

The culprit?

The finger is being pointed at processed foods and restaurant meals. The issue is not without its own politics however. Although the calls for policing the salt content in foods are getting louder, the FDA has avoided a knee-jerk reaction by suggesting a federal working group and encouraging food companies to voluntarily cut salt from their products. I think it is a smart strategy because I believe that we don’t need any more regulation; rather the market should reject salty foods and demand healthier options. It is not going to happen overnight, but it has the best chance of forcing the food companies to innovate.

Major food companies already see the writing on the wall. According to the Wall Street Journal, General Mills and Kraft Foods have announced plans to cut salt and rework their products. PepsiCo made a similar announcement to cut salt by 25% by 2015 by adopting new salt reduction technologies.  Although these are incremental moves, and I don’t support their desire to proliferate even more snacks in the marketplace, it is a step in the right direction.

Here are 5 foods, loved by most children, but surprisingly high in salt (and other bad stuff!):

Hot Dogs

Hot dogs have become a cultural icon! Kids get hooked on them early and even adults cannot resist them when presented with the opportunity. But did you know that even half of an Oscar Mayer beef frank contains over 400 mg of sodium? Other brands are not much better either and a single serving (typically 1 hot dog) can count for as much as 20% of the daily recommended value. As if that is not enough, most of the calories are from fat with loads of saturated fats and cholesterol. You definitely want to keep this dog on a tight leash as much as possible!

Mac ‘n Cheese

Kraft’s Macroni and Cheese is the big dog in town, another favorite of most kids. In case you haven’t noticed the nutrition label, you may be in for a big surprise because a single serving of about a cup contains over 500 mg sodium. This is unbelievable! Rely on plain pasta instead and make your own cheesy sauce if needed. We like to cook elbow pasta, toss it in a little olive oil and sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese. Another simple recipe uses Alfredo sauce along with some veggies and shrimp for a full meal!

Cheetos

There are so many different types of chips out there which kids like to munch on, but we focus on our attention on Cheetos when it comes to salt content. A 2 oz single serving size pack contains nearly 600 mg sodium. Pay attention to the serving size on the nutrition label because it might show the numbers for only half a pack (that is 1 oz.) but we all know that once you pop the bag, you can’t stop until all of it is gone! We have a strict no-chips policy, particularly no-Cheetos, inside the house. Exceptions are the Disney parks where our twins first got exposed to Cheetos and now they clearly link the two. Good thing we don’t go there very frequently!

Chicken Nuggets

Another kid favorite and a regular item on most fast food restaurant menus. 5-6 pieces of them contain over 500 mg of sodium! Frozen chicken nuggets from popular brands like Tyson and Perdue are no better and carry about the same amount. Don’t let the small size of individual nuggets fool you! They all add up very quickly.

Condensed Soups

Chances are you have at least half a dozen cans of condensed soups in your pantry on any given day. Chicken rice, chicken noodle, cream of mushroom and tomato soup are common household stock items. The soup aisle in any grocery store usually rivals the cereal aisle with a very broad range of soups from many different brands. Condensed soups have become a substitute for a meal but they do come with a lot salt. Even the so-called 25% less sodium chicken noodle soup from Campbell’s contains nearly 700 mg sodium!

Our kids like Campbell’s kids soups and although they contain less sodium (at about 500 mg), it is still quite high. Campbell’s is ahead of the curve in reducing sodium, and although we are encouraged by their efforts, they still have a long way to go. In the meantime, we manage the portion size and add more water than prescribed when making these soups.

Clearly, it is a challenge for most parents to manage salt in their family’s diet because these foods are very popular, easily available at a decent price point, and ready to eat. You don’t need to go cold turkey on any of them, but certainly you have to exercise caution and manage portion size. And whenever possible, choose a simple, home-cooked meal with fresh ingredients.

Enjoy and let me know what is on your mind.

Photo Source: heliosphan on Flickr

©2010 Littlestomaks.com

Happy Easter! It is Friday again, which means it is time for the usual Five for Fridays! Here are 5 food and nutrition related stories that caught my eye. Enjoy and let me know what you think.

New health bill will require restaurants to show calories on the menu

Chain restaurants with more than 20 outlets nationwide will be required to display nutrient content and calorie information on their menus according to Section 2572 of the recent healthcare bill. Similar rules will apply to vending machines. Menu labeling has been already in place in New York City for over an year with mixed results. Studies published last year, which I wrote about in a Five for Fridays, reported that doubts were emerging about the effectiveness of calorie labeling. What was more worrisome to me was the fact that some restaurants were actually “cheating” by posting lower calories than actually present in certain food items when tested! Clearly, this should not be allowed.

I think calorie labeling on restaurant menus is a good idea. Not only that,  there should also be other nutritional information available, particularly on salt, sugar and fat. It may take some time before consumers are fully aware of the risks of salty, sugary and fatty foods, but clearly in the long run it will help them make better decisions. The problem is that now it will require some sort of policing to ensure compliance with the law. Already there are problems with the National Organic Program (see below) due to constraints in budget and inspectors . These new requirements will undoubtedly create a new bureaucracy and another cat-and-mouse game will begin between food marketers and compliance officers. Hopefully it will become a self-policing system if consumers begin to vote with their wallets at these restaurants.

National Organic Program lacks teeth to enforce rules

You pay extra for certified organic products. You have the right to expect that they are genuine and that they do not contain pesticide residues. You do not expect non-organic products sold with the organic label. Yet, it is not an absolute guarantee! Now, wouldn’t that make you mad?

This is exactly how I felt when I read a report in the New York Times which exposed serious gaps in federal oversight of the organic food industry. Turns out that they don’t have enough inspectors to spot check organic products for pesticide residue (required by law) and that bogus organic products were allowed to be in the market for over 2 years before any action was taken. The excuse? Well, demand for organic products has grown so fast that the USDA’s National Organic Program can’t keep up with its enforcement responsibilities!

Finally, they are making a commitment to enforce spot testing for pesticide residues. They are getting more money and more people. The bureaucracy is ballooning but don’t expect it work perfectly. It never does. Meanwhile, don’t give up on organic products; just do your research and buy from a reputable brand.

Pepsico wants to trick your tongue by “designer salt”

Don’t give up on the potato chips! At least that is what Pepsico would like you to do just in case you are having second thoughts after reading about the evil sodium in their popular snacks. Recently they announced plans to cut sodium content by 25% by 2015, saturated fat and added sugar by 15% and 25% respectively by 2020. Sounds like the responsible thing to do, especially now that there is a bright spotlight on the link between processed food and obesity.

The solution, at least for sodium? A new “designer salt” which has crystals shaped and sized so that they dissolve fast on the tongue delivering a rapid salty sensation. While an innovative idea, which Pepsico is sure to market as a “breakthrough”, I think it is still a great example of incremental thinking. The problem is not with salt folks, it is the chips that we need to cut down on.

And 25% reduction is not going to make these products “healthier”! Consider Cheetos, which contain a whopping 290 mg of sodium per 1 oz serving. A 25% reduction (in 5 years) will bring it down to about 220, which is still very high. Too little, too late? What do you think?

Spinach leaves enrich their vitamin content sitting on the store shelf

Worried about picking up that box of baby spinach close to its expiration date? Well, believe it or not, you may be actually getting more value for your money compared to a box that did not sit on the store shelves for this long!

According to researchers at the USDA, spinach leaves exposed to store lighting conditions continuously over 9 days had a higher level of folate, vitamin C, K and E compared to those kept in the dark. This fascinating research was recently published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry. The researchers reasoned that the spinach leaves continued their photosynthesis (a process by which plants produce sugars using sunlight and carbon dioxide) under the store light, which also produces these vitamins. When the same spinach leaves were stored in the dark, photosynthesis did not happen.

This is interesting for sure, but remember that the vitamin content of vegetables also depends on how you cook them. Steaming and microwaving is good; but eating raw fresh veggies is even better.

Teaching kids to eat healthy the French way

Offer preschoolers a 5 course meal, make sure they eat at the table and keep the parents out is the French recipe for getting kids to build lifelong healthy eating habits. I was fascinated to read the Nursery School Gourmets in a recent TIME magazine, which explained how seriously the city of Paris looks at the matter of school lunches.

Clearly, it is a well-structured, heavily funded state program unlike what we have in the United States. The daily menu is planned in advance for 2 months with no repetitions. Every meal includes an hors d’oeuvre, salad, main course, cheese plate and dessert (yum!). Soda and snack machines are banned. Parents are given suggestions for what to serve at dinner based on the day’s lunch menu. Discipline is intense and kids are trained to eat at the table and keep quiet.

Should we emulate the French model to solve our childhood obesity problem? The topic of school lunch is center stage these days, and Jamie Olivers’ Food Revolution is on prime time. The French model is yet another benchmark for us to consider. What do you think?

Enjoy and let me know what is on your mind.

Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons

©2010 Littlestomaks.com

For this week’s Ask the Expert, I asked Registered Dietitian Elisa Zied, MS, RD, CDN, to share one of her video tips for kids. She is the author of Nutrition at Your Fingertips which just came out in November 2009 and is a “Go-to guide” according to More magazine. Her channel on YouTube has lots of great videos on nutrition tips for both adults and kids; check it out!

Elisa earned a bachelor of arts in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and a master of science in clinical nutrition from New York University.

She blogs at The Zied Guide. You can follow her on Twitter @elisazied.

Here are  few tips from this video to help you make healthy choices for your kids when eating out.

• Keep portion size small – limit sodium, fat, saturated fat and cholesterol
• Emphasize fruits and vegetables
• Lean meats, chicken without breading and unfried
• Share “grown up” food – lead by example and pick healthy choices
• Soups and salads may be a hit with kids – give ‘em a try
• Look up calorie information if available – 400- 500 calorie for a little kid is perfectly fine

Enjoy and eat healthy!

©2010 Littlestomaks.com. All Rights Reserved

Disclaimer – Information provided in Ask The Expert column on Littlestomaks.com is intended to give you general guidance on a question related to toddler nutrition. It is not meant to be treated as medical advice. You are welcome to contact this expert for a detailed consultation on your specific situation to determine what actions, if any, you should take regarding nutrition and health of your toddlers. We do not recommend you to take any action based solely on the information presented in this column. Experts have agreed to provide their professional opinion on toddler nutrition related questions on a voluntary basis and no compensation is offered to them by Littlestomaks.com.

Greetings! Hope you all are having a great week so far. We are getting ready for Thanksgiving, which happens to be my favorite Holiday. I am looking forward to it next week. What are your plans?

Here are 5 nutrition related articles that caught my eye this week. Enjoy and drop me a comment to share your thoughts.

Vitamin D deficiency linked to heart disease

Vitamin D deficiency is in the news again! The American Heart Association had its annual conference in Orlando this week where a study presented a link between low levels of vitamin D and increased risk of heart disease and stroke. This study looked at tens of thousands of adults 50 years or older, a majority of whom had lower than healthy levels of vitamin D. Within 2 years, those who had extremely low levels of vitamin D were twice as likely to die or suffer a stroke compared to those who had normal levels. They were also more likely to develop coronary artery disease and heart failure.

The unanswered question is whether a lack of vitamin D increases the risk of heart disease, or it just happens to be a condition of people with such diseases. If it is not a cause, then the risk of such diseases cannot be lowered simply by increasing the vitamin D levels from sun exposure, diet or supplements. Most of these studies have an underlying implication that current recommendations for daily intake of vitamin D be increased to improve public health. I still remain unconvinced that a sweeping policy change is necessary at the moment.

I do agree that it is important to maintain healthy vitamin D levels especially in growing children. The focus should be on balanced nutrition from a variety of food sources, plenty of physical activity – out in the sun if possible, and reduction of sugar, salt and fat (saturated and trans).

Interesting food trends to watch in 2010

Yet another great article from Registered Dietitian Janet Helm on her Nutrition Unplugged blog this week highlights several predictions for food products in 2010. Based on a report from Mintel, the prediction is that next year’s food products will focus on health, wellness, convenience, sustainability and affordability. Sodium reduction, simple ingredient list, locally sourced, eco-friendly, multipurpose, private label, functional packaging, simplified labeling are likely to be the features that will dominate the store shelves next year.

I think that no one should underestimate the Marketing skills of the major food companies. They clearly know how to play the game and they keep a sharp eye on consumer trends. I fully expect them to bundle their products to not only capitalize on these trends, but also make sure they continue to up-sell across various consumer groups. Private labels will grow for sure, but I don’t think they will overwhelm the giants anytime soon.

I think there is a place for packaged foods in lives of busy parents. Just don’t fall for the fluff, read the labels and mix these products with fresh foods, especially fruits and vegetables. As a consumer, you have enormous power because the food companies are quite good at listening to you.

Low sodium sea salt promises the gift of health and flavor

Using a mixture of salts from the Dead Sea and the Red Sea, Nutrasalt is a new product which claims to contain 66% less sodium than common table salt while providing a healthy balance of sodium and potassium. The target, of course, is the food industry desperate to claim a lower sodium content in their products without giving up on taste. Claims of heart health, natural, perfect balance of sodium and potassium should be very appealing to the food industry.

The nutritional facts label for Nutrasalt shows that it contains sodium chloride, potassium chloride and natural flavors. It is one of the simplest tricks to lower sodium by replacing it with potassium chloride. I reviewed the latest in salt reduction technologies in Can Salt be Any Saltier? article recently. The problem with potassium chloride is that it gives a bitter after-taste, which needs to masked by flavors or bitterness blockers. I do not know what kind of “natural flavors” this salt contains to maintain the natural salty taste. But I do think that their high volume natural claim is not that credible.

Also, this salt is not iodized. Bottom line – reduce your intake of table salt and processed foods even if they claim to be made from this so called healthy salt.

A new survey of Americans shows strong support for investment in prevention related programs and strategies as part of the new Health Care reform. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Trust for America’s Health sponsored this survey which polled about 1000 registered voters about their opinions on various priorities. 71% favor more funding for prevention programs while only 23% do not support any more extra funding.

Although it sounds good, I don’t think there is enough awareness and support for nutrition and physical activity, especially in schools. Out of all the prevention proposals, it ranked third by a large margin compared to the top 2. There is more emphasis on public health workers and their resources when it comes to prevention.

Also, only $34 billion out of the total of about $900 billion are allocated for prevention programs. That is not even 5% of the total! I do not believe that prevention is top of mind among our lawmakers. Public support will need to be much stronger and much broader than this survey data. I think we have a long way to go before we truly embrace the notion that prevention is better than cure!

Food allergy among US children rising

A recent paper in the journal Pediatrics reports that nearly 4 in 100 children under 18 years old reported some kind of food allergy in 2007. This was an increase of 18% over the 10 year period between 1997 – 2007. The researchers, however, are not sure if this increase is real from a clinical point of view or simply a result of better tracking and awareness among parents and healthcare providers.

Although troubling, I am not surprised by the recent results. In my article Good Nutrition is Key to Managing Food Allergy, I presented similar statistics. Some experts believe that poor quality of early childhood nutrition is to blame. Also, it is easy to confuse food intolerance with food allergy and most parents may not know the difference. Good nutrition builds a strong immune system, although it probably cannot help if there is a genetic reason for food allergy.

Whatever the reason, living with food allergy is challenging. I cannot claim to have first hand experience of that. But ify you do, I would love to hear from you.

Enjoy and do let me know what you think. I would love to have you share your best tips in comments below.

Photo source – Paul Davidson on Flickr  everystockphoto
©2009 Littlestomaks.com

Usually on Friday after work we take our kids to a toy train ride in a nearby open Mall. This Friday, as I was waiting for them to return from their train ride, I watched in fascination an interesting conversation between a hot dog guy and a woman buying a hot dog for her little (probably 4-5 year old) girl. It was one of those street corner hot dog stand just outside an upscale clothing store.

Mom comes out of the store with her daughter and sits down on a bench next to the hot dog stand.

“Mommy, I am hungry”

Mom notices the hot dog guy. “Would you like a hot dog honey?” she asks the child.

She doesn’t wait for her answer – which of course was a quick yes – and takes her by the hand to the vendor. As she orders the hot dog, she asks her daughter:

“What would you like to drink?”

“Sprite”

“Good choice! Caffeine-free sprite for you”, exclaims the vendor as he hands the hot dog and the Sprite can to the mother.

“That would be $4.50″

Just as the Mom hands him a $10 bill, he quickly adds:

“You know, you can make it a combo for another 50 cents and get a bag of chips”!

Mom doesn’t even pause, and asks her daughter:

“Would you like a bag of chips, honey?” as she points to the rows of chips on the overhead shelf.

The girl thinks for a moment as she eyes bags of Cheetos, Nachos and Plain Potato Chips.

She points to the bag of Cheetos. Mom takes it out, gets the change back and walks away with a hot dog, a can of Sprite and a bag of Cheetos.

What just happened?

For an extra 50 cents,  she got 160 extra calories and 290 mg sodium. She didn’t think much of it since she did not read the nutrition label on the bag. It was simply a matter of better value.

We are conditioned, almost like robots, to respond to the irresistible offer of a combo meal or a “supersize” option for only a little bit more money. Fast food sellers have figured out a way to “squeeze” out the last few cents from your visit by making it sound like a great deal. It works almost every time – the customer feels happy because it looks like they are getting more for their money, and the store makes more money per customer.

Next time you are offered the extra value combo meal, just pause and think if you really need those extra calories. If not, then save the 50 cents!

Photo source: Doonvas on Flickr via everystockphoto
©2009 Littlestomaks.com

Remember Louis the Lifeguard who rescues a potato from drowning in sour cream? This goes back to the ’80′s and I stumbled upon it by chance. Not having grown up on the USA, I can’t claim to have watched it at that time. But the jingle is catchy and the idea very simple – that the food as cooked can taste just fine and there is no need to “drown” it in all kind of condiments.

We seem to have forgotten the advice of Louis the Lifeguard because the condiment industry has literally exploded since then. US is the biggest market with an estimated $11 billion in annual sales of all kinds of condiments and sauces. Condiments are a way of life these days, especially when it comes to fast food. No surprise then that Louis the Lifeguard has taken a prolonged vacation, probably never to return again! Who will save us from drowning now?

It is fine to use these condiments once in a while. Kids love to get messy playing with ketchup and mustard. Chips and salsa is must-have at any party.

But take a closer look – most of these condiments are loaded with sodium and some like sour cream and mayonnaise are full of fat and cholesterol. No wonder they taste so good on any food!

Sour cream -loaded with saturated fat and cholesterol, reduced fat versions hardly any better
Mayonnaise – fat, cholesterol and sodium
Ketchup – watch out for sugar and sodium
Mustard – high sodium
Pickle Relish, Hot Dog – high in sodium
Soy Sauce – super high in sodium
Salsa – high in sodium

(Source: Calorie Count)

When you prepare food from scratch, it is very easy to enhance the taste without having to rely on condiments. Give it a try! Check out our simple recipes, or share your own favorite in comments below.

Worried about too much sodium in your favorite restaurant dish or ready-to-eat supermarket meal? The food industry is hard at work trying to figure out a way to reduce salt in these foods without giving up on taste. In this post, I will highlight a few salt reduction technologies under development, although it will be quite a while before they hit the market.

Salt in the form of sodium chloride is important for maintaining the electrolyte balance in the body. Too little salt in diet, and you risk getting muscle cramps, dizziness and in the worst case, even brain damage. Runners who drink too much water instead of an electrolyte balanced drink like Gatorade risk life threatening injuries during a grueling long distance race because of low sodium levels. Excessive loss of liquids due to vomiting or diarrhea can also result in dangerously low sodium levels. Sodium is critical for life, and that is why our taste for saltiness in food is so highly evolved that without salt the food is completely unpalatable. No wonder the salt shaker has a prominent place on every dinner table.

Too much salt, on the other hand, is also not good. It is known to cause heart disease in the long run. Other reports have linked excessive salt to asthma, osteoporosis, heartburn, left ventricular hypertrophy (cardiac enlargement) and even death. In fact, ingesting very large amounts of salt was often used to commit suicide in ancient China (via Wikipedia)!

Look at the nutrition facts label of any packaged food and you will find high amounts of salt per serving (typically 20 -30% of the USDA recommended 2300 mg per day). Same goes for restaurant food as I recently wrote in a Five for Fridays article regarding reports of “dangerously high levels” of salt in chain restaurant meals. The food industry is under a lot of pressure from consumers and regulators to find ways to lower sodium levels in processed foods. It is not easy since scientists still do not fully understand the biological mechanism of how we perceive saltiness. Still, driven by market demand, there are a few novel approaches being pursued. Here is a short summary -

Chemical Methods

The easiest replacement for sodium chloride is potassium chloride, however it also has a bitter taste. As a result, some sodium chloride still needs to be added to block bitterness.

New bitterness blockers that reduce the activation of taste cells by bitter ingredients are under development. One example is Betrasalt^TM from a biotechnology company Redpoint Bio which is claimed to contain GRAS (FDA’s term for Generally Recognized as Safe) ingredients. They are positioning this proprietary additive for chicken soup, beef gravy, nacho flavor, vegetable juice and table salt.

Some chemicals such as menthyl lactate from Givaudan, which produce a “cooling effect” can also amplify the taste of saltiness at low amount of sodium. They have a few other cooling compounds which they are optimizing for salt enhancement.

Physical Methods

By reducing the size of salt crystals using a freeze drying method, Leatherhead Food International (LFI) has shown that these crystals dissolve faster on the tongue which produces a stronger salty sensation at lower concentration. Eminate Ltd., a partner of the Nottingham University of UK has developed a proprietary spray-drying technology to make nano-sized salt crystals. These salt crystals could work well when sprinkled on chips and fries.

LFI is also developing double emulsions in which a water droplet  is enclosed inside an oil droplet which itself enclosed inside another water droplet. When salt is added to the outside water layer in small amounts, taste testers reported a stronger salt sensation. These double emulsions could be used in salad dressings.

Biochemical Methods

Senomyx, a San Diego based flavor research company, has identified proteins responsible for salt perception in the taste buds. They are now using this protein to develop testing methods which help in developing new salt enhancing flavor molecules.

A milk-based mineral blend produced by “milk cracking” has been developed by Armor Proteines who is marketing the additive as Lactosalt Optitaste for use in bread, cheese and processed meats. They claim that it can result in 25% lower sodium levels.

Salty and Umami (savory) tastes work together on the tongue to produce similar sensations. One approach to reducing salt is to enhance the umami taste. By studying broths made from fermented Bonito, a fish from the mackerel family popular in Japan, Givaudan has developed new enhancers for umami sensation which can be used in reduced salt formulations.

DSM has developed yeast extracts that also provide the umami sensation in low sodium formulations suited for breads, cheese and cereals. They claim that their Maxarom® and Maxarite^TM products can lower salt by 25 – 50%.

No doubt, we are likely to see intense research and competition in salt reduction technology in the future. Your best bet of course is to reduce consumption of processed foods and instead rely more on fresh, home made meals where you can control the amount of salt. But it may not be practical all the time as you try to manage the nutritional needs of your family while running a buys life. In this regard, this trend is very encouraging.

What do you think?

Photo source – Luca Galuzzi, Wikipedia
©2009 Littlestomaks.com

Ni Hao! Hope all of you are having a great week so far. This week is Food Allergy Awareness Week. This is the 12th year that the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) has organized a week of awareness about food allergies. Check out their website for more details on how to get involved if you are interested. If your child has food allergies, I would love to have you leave a comment and share your tips for managing nutrition.

Here is another set of 5 nutrition related news and articles from this week that I found interesting. Feel free to share your opinions in the comments section.

Ready for your order? Now let me tell you about sodium in our special today…

When I am dining out, I am usually quite impressed by the ability of the server to rattle off details of their specials of the day. But did you ever wonder why they don’t tell you anything about salt as they try hard to make your mouth water by the fancy description of the recipe? Turns out that if they did, the shock value would be enough for you to simply say “no thank you” and walk out never to return again!

In their report “Heart Attack Entrees and Side Orders of Stroke“, researchers from the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) disclose that many of the popular menu items in chain restaurants have “dangerously high levels” of sodium. They examined 17 chain restaurants and found that 85 out of 102 meals had more sodium than a whole day’s worth (2300 mg) and several had more than 4 days worth of sodium! Among the top 10 saltiest meals -  Red Lobster’s Admiral Feast has over 7100 mg and Oliver Garden’s Tour of Italy lasagna with breadsicks, salad, dressing and a coke has over 6100 mg of sodium. Items on Kids menu are no better either with some containing as much as 2400 mg of sodium. CSPI estimates that reducing daily sodium intake by just 25% over the next 10 years could help save the US government over 9 billion dollars per year in direct medical costs.

Isn’t it ironical that even with so much salt in the meals, they still have the salt and pepper shakers on each table?

When eating out, ask for the low salt version of the dish you want to order. Same goes for fat, cholesterol and sugar. If enough customers start asking for healthy food, I think restaurants will change their menu to favor healthy recipes.

If Cheerios^® claims to lower cholesterol, should it be considered a “drug”?

The FDA certainly seems to think so. This week, they sent a warning letter to the CEO of General Mills informing him of “serious violations of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act” by the promotion of Cheerios® Toasted Whole Grain Oat cereal as cholesterol lowering. That would qualify it to be a drug they reasoned, because it seems to treat a medical condition for which drugs are prescribed. In the eyes of the FDA, it counts as an unapproved use since the product has not been evaluated by the FDA for safety and efficacy. Drug approval takes very long and requires a very strict quality control in manufacturing. This could turn out to be quite serious for General Mills who may have to withdraw this claim or modify it to comply with the regulations.

Another claim that FDA found troublesome was that “heart-healthy diets rich in whole grain foods can reduce the risk of heart disease”. Seems like they conveniently forgot to include fruits and vegetables in this claim, which together with a diet low in fat and cholesterol lower the risk of heart disease. Whole grains or dietary fiber is only one factor.

We personally like Cheerios -  it is a brand I have written about favorably in the past. But I am glad that FDA is sensitive to such over-ambitious claims cited in their warning letter. It is not uncommon to see health-related claims on products – for example, nutritional supplements make all kind of claims – but then they are also required to add that their claims have not been evaluated (and approved) by the FDA.

Will this affect your decision to by Cheerios or other products from General Mills? Weigh in.

HIV and safety of breast milk

Imagine the heartbreaking dilemma of a woman with HIV wanting to feed her baby with breast milk. Now imagine that this woman lives in a poor country, where women like her are routinely told not to breastfeed and formula is not affordable.  What are her options? Should she let her baby grow up without the benefit of breast milk, or in the worst case, even die of early childhood diseases?

It  is a sensitive topic; something a lot of us are fortunate enough not to have to worry about. Yet, the problem cannot be ignored if we want all children to grow up healthy. I was pleased to read about the efforts of researcher Sera Young of UC Davis, who is helping women of Tanzania learn a protocol to pasteurize breast milk by flash heating without affecting its nutritional value. Even though the WHO recommends HIV-positive to pasteurize breast milk,  no one in those countries knows how to do it. This project is a great start in that regard. And it is encouraging to note that the acceptance level is very high. The challenge will be to ensure that the pasteurization protocol is properly followed so that the breast milk is safe and still maintains its nutritional value. It is one thing to do it under the watchful eyes of a researcher, and something else to do it everyday on your own. But I do hope that it works in future at a much larger scale.

Link between obesity and food allergy?

This is what you could call a double whammy! Not only do we have rising rates of childhood obesity, we also have an increase in the number of early childhood food allergies and sensitivity to various foods. Now researchers from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, have uncovered a link between obesity and high levels of IgE (antibody associated with an allergic response) based on the 2005 – 2006 NHANES data. Although, they are careful not to draw too many conclusions, it hasn’t taken all that long for people to ask the question “Is obesity fueling food allergies“? It is hard to say if high BMI and obesity is a cause of food allergy, or simply a common feature. Also, is there even a common cause between the two? Hard to say – because even though poor nutrition is linked to high BMI, we cannot say for sure that it also causes food allergy or intolerance. Could it be that the child’s parents have allergies? Could it be that they introduced these foods too early when the child’s digestive system was not fully developed? Just by looking at the survey data and drawing conclusions based on a statistical analysis does not mean that obese children are more likely to develop food allergies.

Support Share Our Strength’s Great American Bake Sale

If you love to bake and would like do some good at the same time, you have a great opportunity to help end childhood hunger. Can you believe that 500,000 more children live in poverty now compared to an year ago and 16 million children rely on food stamps? Personally, I find this statistic embarrassing in our land of plenty! Now, Share Our Strength is running their Great American Bake Sale campaign where you can get involved – the proceeds of your bake sale will go to fund after-school and summer feeding programs in your community and across the country.

You can also support them by blogging about it, or even contributing a recipe to their virtual bake sale! They will raise money by selling eBooks of recipes.

The only thing I will add is that even though this campaign is sponsored by Domino and C&H sugar, try to go low on sugar! Leave a comment if you decide to contribute.

Enjoy your weekend!

Photo source – Davichi on Flickr
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