Category Archives: Food Politics

 

Yesterday the NYTimes covered an important health ratio: the amount of potassium relative to the amount salt you consume. While the article by long time health reporter, Jane Brody, leads with the obvious (excessive salt has proven to be a health risk, according to yet another major study), and the headline writer reinforce the obvious ("Sodium-Saturated Diet is a Threat for All"), the article recognizes that everything is about balance and notes the important role potassium-rich foods play in countering salt's negative effects. "The researchers found that while a diet hight in sodium—salt is the main source—increases your risk," Brody writes, "even more important is the ratio of sodium (harmful) to potassium (protective) in one's diet." This was pointed out to me this summer by Mark Bitterman, author of a great book called Click to Continue Reading