salt nearly killed me; dont let it ruin your life

[alocispepraluger102]

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/13/business...;pagewanted=all

[Jim Alfredson]

Salt seems to be one of those things people just come out of the womb loving. I know Zora can't get enough of the stuff (that and plain salted butter).

As a kid my family tended to put salt on everything without tasting it first. Alison broke me of that habit and ever since I am very judicious with salt. In fact, I rarely ever eat it on anything now including fried eggs or even popcorn. I used to slather those two especially.

I do love me some real butter, though!

[Big Wheel]

Sometimes it kills in unexpected ways.

[A Lark Ascending]

If Stalin had known this he could have just fed his enemies TV dinners instead of having to devise all those camps in Siberia.

[sidewinder]

Can't beat home cooking and then just adding 'salt to taste' (ie. a smidgin).

[Nate Dorward]

Yes: the real problem here is simply that most people eat too much prepackaged food rather than making it themselves.

It does drive me nuts that where I work the salt shakers in the lunch room are inevitably EMPTY. Rrrrrr....

[mikeweil]

As Paracelsus said, the dose makes the poison.

[Jim Alfredson]

Yes: the real problem here is simply that most people eat too much prepackaged food rather than making it themselves.

Maybe. I grew up quite poor with 6 siblings, so we didn't eat a lot of prepackaged food. My parents had a huge garden and my mom canned and both parents cooked endlessly it seems. But I wouldn't say we ate necessarily healthy. Lots of butter, lots of salt, lots of frying, lots of red meat.

I think I eat better now, except I am addicted to sweets.

Side note: It always amazes me to see people at the store in my neighborhood (which is a generally poor neighborhood) buying total crap like Doritos, frozen dinners, candy, chips, those horrid Lunchables things, $4.50 per box sugared cereal, etc. with kids in tow. No fresh vegetables. Pre-packaged everything. It's a wonder if they know that preparing food is not only cheaper in the long run but healthier?

[Big Al]

Salt seems to be one of those things people just come out of the womb loving. I know Zora can't get enough of the stuff (that and plain salted butter).

As a kid my family tended to put salt on everything without tasting it first. Alison broke me of that habit and ever since I am very judicious with salt. In fact, I rarely ever eat it on anything now including fried eggs or even popcorn. I used to slather those two especially.

I do love me some real butter, though!

Must be a Michigan thing: my wife and her family salt EVERYTHING! (They're all from Michigan) When we get a bowl of chips & salsa, I have to grab a couple of chips before my wife salts them. My mother-in-law pours salt in her beer! As for the butter, my wife and her dad put on a whole chunk of butter on any kind of bread. It makes me gag!

[Jim Alfredson]

Yep.

Like I said, my wife broke me of those habits.

[Noj]

I'm used to eating very bland foods, so I never add salt. I really notice it when I do eat something salty, like french fries or chips.

[jimi089]

My mother-in-law pours salt in her beer!

[RDK]

Salt seems to be one of those things people just come out of the womb loving. I know Zora can't get enough of the stuff (that and plain salted butter).

There's a reason for that: we are hard-wired to like salt since it's essential to human survival. Not on a Hungry Man meals level, perhaps, but still...

[catesta]

Can't beat home cooking and then just adding 'salt to taste' (ie. a smidgin).

Salt to taste is key.

Sometimes when I am following a recipe and see the salt measurement is high I will normally cut it was back and add a little at the end if it still needs it. I find when cooking with certain ingredients like a low sodium chicken stock the level may already be more than enough. Cooking with, Pancetta, Prosciutto and Parmigiano Reggiano also means I add very little or no salt to the recipe.

[Christiern]

And here I thought you ran into a badass sailor!

[medjuck]

alocispepraluger102: Is the subject line accurate re: you personally?

[Jim Alfredson]

If people are itching to regulate food additives, why don't they start with hydrogenated oils and high-fructose corn syrup. These two items are in nearly every processed food, adding unnecessary calories and disrupting natural body processes.

Don't know about the last part, but yeah... high-fructose corn syrup is in EVERYTHING these days.

[JSngry]

And if you gotta salt, try to use sea salt. The shit they do to make commercial iodized salt is just wack.

[A Lark Ascending]

Salt can be fun....

http://www.austria-hiking.eu/regenbogenprogramm/salzwelten/

And culturally rewarding:

http://www.saltmuseum.org.uk/

Those who have grown tired of jazz can take up a new hobby:

http://www.saltmuseum.org.uk/more-friends.htm

Edited March 25, 2008 by Bev Stapleton

[Noj]

Salt mines are massive.

Apparently this is an image of a salt mine mummy.

[alocispepraluger102]

alocispepraluger102: Is the subject line accurate re: you personally?

it was me.

high bp caused a very mild stroke last summer.

i bought a bp monitor, and started, over several months, checking what raised my bp.

i find that 2500 or less milligrams of salt per day and lots of vigorous exercise twice a day and at least 5 hours of sleep per night have allowed me to discontinue blood pressure meds. i am almost entirely in the 110/70 range now without medication.

i rarely eat fast food and have cut my quantities of food significantly.

Edited March 25, 2008 by alocispepraluger102

[WD45]

I am reading this book right now. Interesting!

[A Lark Ascending]

Apparently this is an image of a salt mine mummy.

Well if that's what salt did to someone's mummy I'm quitting as of now.

I've been in the Halstadt one - you had to dress up like one of the Smurfs in order to go on the slide.

Lovely place with fabulous mountains and lakes. The place where Celtic civilisation began, they say.

[A Lark Ascending]

I am reading this book right now. Interesting!

One I've mean to read - there's been a spate of them on cod, nutmeg, coffee etc.

I really enjoyed this one by Kurlansky:

[alocispepraluger102]

adding to my great delight was finding that most beers contain very little salt. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

a pint or two of bell's stouts every night is a sinful, but healthy pleasure.

Edited March 25, 2008 by alocispepraluger102