Salt is One of America's Most-Important Issues

   Among the world's issues, no one speaks of sodium. They speak of children at the border, Covid, the national debt, police shootings . . .

   And they skip over salt, as if it weren't as important as them all. Never mind salt might be the single-most important factor in the death of Americans. Never mind that salt contributes to the happiness of those same Americans.

   How much am I overstating things? Possibly, none at all. One in four deaths are attributed to heart disease. And, the level of salt intake often factors in those heart diseases. Happiness? Studies show salt is a natural mood-booster.

  The trick? Getting just enough -- not too much, not too little. If we can do this, America will be a healthier and happier nation. Most studies I am seeing suggest 2,300 milligrams per day for the average person. I am told that as a heart patient, I need to hold it to 2,000. So, say a cheeseburger is 590, say three servings (I'm a big eater) of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese are 1,440. That's 2,030, and I'm over my limit, already.

   Be careful on those cheeseburgers. They depend on how large they are and how you prepare them. A plain cheeseburger at McDonalds has 745 milligrams. The milligrams pile much higher once you add mustard, ketchup, and the other condiments. (Ah-ha, I had you thinking a cheeseburger was okay, and now I hit you with this.) Yes, a cheeseburger at Applebee's contains 1,620 milligrams of sodium. Alas.