The sad part is that refraining from adding salt only eliminates a small fraction of a typical American's daily salt intake. Most of it is in processed foods, sodas, and meals from restaurants. Fortunately for me I can't stand carbonation. Though I do love me some processed foods. Or rather, love me how easy it is to prepare processed foods.
EDIT: Which reminds me of a segment in a book I just finished, Life Until Yesterday by Jarred Diamond, which was talking about diabetes. He mentions how doctors will tell a patient with a certain type of type 2 that they have a defect, and their body isn't producing enough insulin. Though it's not exactly a 'defect'. People who don't produce very much insulin are quite good at surviving in climates that offer short periods of abundance followed by long periods of very little food. Their bodies store energy much better than others, and can survive longer on little nourishment. It just so happens that in the society they now live, there is never a time of little nourishment any more, so they become obese very quickly. Which is why groups of traditional tribes that used to live in desert areas who have relatively recently come into contact with western civilization are almost all obese.
Obesity and diabetes are becoming huge problems. But this is something that evolution is starting to sort out, as more and more children become diabetic. I found that very interesting, and a little sad. Evolution is a very sad process when you think about it in the context of today. It's just children dying before they have kids.
On a brighter note, it's a good book. Diamond points out a lot of interesting things that can be learned from traditional peoples, but doesn't romanticize their way of life.
Topic: Completely Random Thoughts (Read 1954505 times)
