The Man (and Woman) Trap

One of the episodes of the original "Star Trek" was entitled "The Man Trap".  In it a shape shifting alien that craved salt appeared in the form of a woman named Nancy Crater.  This alien could kill men by touching them and draining their bodies of the sodium they needed to survive.

In the 21st century, we have a monster in our midst that kills us by adding to the sodium in our bodies.  Here is it's hideous form:

 

While the government, the booksellers and the American public have declared wholesale war on fat, carbs and calories, little attention is paid to the incredible amount of sodium in our foods.  Here are a few examples:

• A Burger King cheeseburger with a small order of fries has 1,360 milligrams of sodium: the equivalent of five Big Grab bags of Lay's potato chips!
• A large order of mozzarella sticks from Arbys contains 2,047mgs of sodium: the equivalent of 450 Pepperidge Farm Goldfish crackers!
• A grilled stuft beef burrito from Taco Bell contains 2,120mgs of sodium: the equivalent of 20 cups of buttered popcorn!
• Subway's footlong Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki contains 2,290mgs of sodium: the equivalent of six beef hotdogs!  Bonus: the Sweet Onion sauce has the sugar equivalent of four peanut butter Twix bars!
• Three tablespoons of soy sauce contains the sodium equivalent (2,818mg) as 564 Fritos corn chips!

Here's the kicker: the recommended daily intake of sodium for a healthy adult is between 1,500 and 2,400mg a day.  That means one order of mozzarella sticks would put you close to a full day's allowance of sodium.

Here is a great story from Salon.com about a doctor's advice on sodium intake.

What is the big deal?  Excessive sodium intake can result in:

• high blood pressure, which leads to
• heart disease and
• strokes

Next time you go shopping at the grocery store, take a look at how much sodium is in the food you buy.  You will be surprised.

By the way, that can of Campbell's tomato soup?  710mg...for half a can.