Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

6

I haven't really been paying too much attention to my salt intake in thinking that I know I'm not taking in too much, but after reading that, I might actually be taking in too little.

Enjoy!

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/03/opinion/sunday/we-only-think-we-know-the-truth-about-salt.html?pagewanted=all

Truth.

edited Jun 16 2012 at 3:30

asked Jun 5 2012 at 17:41

TruthinessInc
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	Interesting tags, truth. Are you Steve Jobs' evil twin, or is Taubes? LOL. Yes I did read it. – gydle Jun 5 2012 at 18:29
	I tried to read it, but I was prompted to sign in and enter a password. Guess I'll just take your word for it, since I love salt anyway – Chinaeskimo Jun 15 2012 at 4:37
	I updated the link, sorry about that! Truth. – TruthinessInc Jun 16 2012 at 3:30
	Truth? I bloat if I eat too much salt. I notice it in my fingers, legs and feet most, and on the scale I gain 2-3 pounds. – thhq Jun 16 2012 at 11:34

Sami · Answer 1 · 2012-06-05 18:13:47Z UTC

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I've never understood why people think a low- or no-salt diet is beneficial. If our bodies don't get enough salt, WE DIE.

There's a reason salt has been more valuable than gold and jewels throughout human existence; hence a person being 'worth his/her salt'.

answered Jun 5 2012 at 18:13

Sami
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People have been programmed with what they should eat, drink, smoke, wear, drive etc. since the 19 30's...Television has taught people that milk isn't just a product, it’s essential, it saves lives and if your kids aren't getting enough milk, you're a bad parent. The idea of sheeple is not new...but for some reason the idea of thinking for yourself and finding your own answers to this very day seems like more work than it's worth, it's better to let your old friend the TV tell me the unbiased Truth that it's provided me and my family for generations...as nature intended. Truth. – TruthinessInc Jun 5 2012 at 19:48

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"Hence a person being 'worth his/her salt.'" Yep. Not to mention referring to good, decent people as "salt of the earth." And the word "salary" coming from the fact that ancient Romans (I think...I could be remembering wrong) were actually paid in salt sometimes. – Amy B. Jun 5 2012 at 21:16

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For the life of me I can't believe that paleos are defending the Neolithic practice of salting things! What part of Pringles, restaurant food and reward don't you get? Salt is in food these days to make you overeat. We're not living in the past when it was precious and expensive for food preservation. – thhq Jun 16 2012 at 12:03

But we're not eating Pringles and restaurant food. One of the main goals of paleo/primal is to eat unprocessed foods, hence avoiding items that are laden with salt meant to sit on the shelf for years on end. You're telling me that my fresh, unprocessed meat, vegetables, and berries are naturally high in salt? – Sami Jun 16 2012 at 14:37

This article wasn't written for you. It was written for subway riders feeding bagel pieces to rats. What message are they getting? – thhq Jun 16 2012 at 14:44

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Rob · Answer 2 · 2012-06-05 18:42:41Z UTC

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I like salt on my butter.

answered Jun 5 2012 at 18:42

Rob
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i like salt rock dipped in butter with a few twists of the salt mill on top (the pink stuff)! Salt rocks! - pun intended. – Craig Almaguer Jun 5 2012 at 21:01

KA24 · Answer 3 · 2012-06-05 18:44:38Z UTC

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I like salted butter...

answered Jun 5 2012 at 18:44

KA24
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So do I. Unsalted isn't the same. – thhq Jun 16 2012 at 11:43

Susan · Answer 4 · 2012-06-05 20:09:29Z UTC

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Gary Taubes does it again. It's so interesting to learn the history of the health campaigns we're preached to about and about all the dissenting scientific studies that don't get much press. I love that he included quotes about how this information shouldn't be made public.

answered Jun 5 2012 at 20:09

Susan
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	Yeah once more playing the cheap provocateur, cherry picking data. Did you chance to read the rebuttal letters to the NYT which note the thousands of studies Taubes ignored? – thhq Jun 16 2012 at 11:39
	I didn't say he was right, just that it was an interesting read. The debate of salt/low-salt diets are plagued by "nutritionism" i.e. the problems with trying to isolate one food substance and analyze it's effects, good or bad. The problem with all dietary studies is tha you can't only eat salt. Or Vitamin A, or selenium. What we eat in conjunction to the nutrient being studied as well as our individual genetics are just as important. No wonder multiple studies of the same nutrient can have vastly different outcomes. There are unavoidable complications that make nutrition science imperfect. – Susan Jun 20 2012 at 16:44

Sean14 · Answer 5 · 2012-06-05 19:48:03Z UTC

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I think this is Taubes once again calling out conventional wisdom and bad science. Totally dig the Huxley quote at the end of the article too.

answered Jun 5 2012 at 19:48

Sean14
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The way I see it, he has written a puff piece to keep people eating salty junk food. Yay Gary. – thhq Jun 16 2012 at 12:10

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I don't know... I don't think he's supporting eating junk food; especially after reading the rest of his body of work. He's just saying that we need to question our accepted norms specifically in our nutrition field. Which seems to be a general message of his. – Sean14 Jun 19 2012 at 18:41

thhq · Answer 6 · 2012-06-16 11:52:42Z UTC

I have hypertension and I found the article shallow and insulting. So did the following readers:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/06/opinion/salt-in-your-food-the-effects-on-health.html

Overeating salt has very noticeable negative effects on me. It didn't when I was 25 but it does now. Oh, the article left that part out...along with any studies which might call Taube's assertion into question...

Has anyone read this recent Gary Taubes salt article?

6 Answers