Teens are the number one consumers of salt in the world today which is a leading cause to health problems such as heart attacks and high blood pressure. Studies show that if teens begin to eat ½ teaspoon less of salt a day, it could lead to a 43% decrease in the 2.7 million people that suffer from high blood pressure which can lead to more severe and fatal health problems. Consumption of salt is a habit many teens acquire from a young age and become unknowingly addicted to the salt and not the particular food. The USDA recommends people over the age of two, to consume about 2,300 mg of slat per day, and it has been found that teens consume well beyond this suggestion.
As a college student, I know how hard it is to find cheap groceries that are healthy. One familiar hit, Ramen noodles, contains about 560mg of salt per serving. Similarly, “easy-mac” as well as other frozen, and processed foods are more than likely to share this large number. People instinctively look first at the calories and sometimes do not even realize the risks of high sodium contents in foods. I think there must be something done so that teens, especially college students become more aware of the risks of high sodium content products. College institutions should provide and make students aware of the risks that come along with consuming products like these. The production of processed foods is only increasing and innovating new products, and if teens do not become aware of these risks, more people are going to find themselves in heart related predicaments later on in their lifetime.
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Salt consumption is a major problem among the young generation in America. Eating a small amount less of salt each day can improve a teenager's health, decreasing the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure. Looking only at the calorie and fat contents of foods will not make people aware of the levels of salt these foods contain, and people need to be more aware of this. Although I agree that children should be taught the importance of healthy eating at a young age, I do not think it is the responsibility of college institutions to teach young adults the harm too much salt can cause to their bodies.
ReplyDeleteI never look at salt content in anything I eat. Actually, I never look at anything except the calorie content. I have both ramen noodles and easy mac in my dorm room and eat them whenever I need a quick snack. It is scary to think of the affects of consuming too much salt, which all of us do on a daily basis. I think that colleges should publish a hand out about the affects of eating different foods that seem "not bad" for you.
ReplyDeleteFor human’s consuming salt is crucial for survival however, too much can risk our lives. Many people do not realize the dangers of too much salt intake and exceed the recommended and healthy amount. Healthy adults are advised to have no more than 2,300 mg of sodium a day, according to the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. It is difficult to determine exactly how much salt we consume a day, and many foods we would not think of are extremely high in salt. The U.S. Department of Agriculture listed foods that had a high amount of salt in them. On the list was: spaghetti sauce (1 cup: 1,203 milligrams), canned chicken noodle soup (1 cup: 1,106 milligrams), frozen turkey and gravy (5 ounces: 787 milligrams), canned cream-style corn (1 cup: 730 milligrams), and teriyaki sauce (1 tablespoon: 690 milligrams). It is important to look at labels, and make good choices for ourselves. As college students and teenagers, we consume more salt than any other age group. A study found that “teens eat almost twice the recommended amount of sodium each day” (http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/6012892/teens_and_the_dangers_of_too_much_salt.html?cat=25). We should find alternative snacks other than Easy Mac and Ramen Noodles, because it will help us stay healthy. By just cutting down our salt consumption by half we “could reduce their risk of heart disease by up to 12 percent, their risk of stroke by eight percent - and lower their risk of death from any cause by up to 9 percent by the time they reach age 50” (http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/6012892/teens_and_the_dangers_of_too_much_salt.html?cat=25). Decreasing your salt intake only makes you healthier and helps in the end.
ReplyDeleteAs a college student, I have to admit that I do not look at food/content labels as much as I should when I do grocery shopping with my parents. The few times I have looked at the content labels, I could not believe how much sodium is in the foods we eat everyday. Rachel’s blog post makes me acknowledge how I am unconscious of the amount of salt in the foods I eat. After reading this post, I went online have read numerous articles about the effects of salt consumption. In an article titled, Less salt for teens for healthier adults, it says that if teens reduced their salt consumption by 3,000 milligrams, they would be reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke in adulthood. Researchers also claim that by reducing salt consumption, by the time we transition from our teens into “mid-adulthood” we would be reducing the risk for coronary heart disease by 7-12%, heart attacks by 8-12% and 5-8% in strokes. Also, the article mentioned that just one bag of Doritos has 310 milligrams of salt content. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, pizza is the number one food that teens consume that has a high salt content. After reading this post, I hope to look at the content of certain foods that I eat. As Rachel implies about college institutions promoting awareness about salt content, colleges could place nutritionist charts to help students make good, healthy choices for their future.
ReplyDeleteAs a college student I would say that I try to look at the nutritional facts on the labels of food but when I’m in a rush or don’t have enough time to eat I just make ramen noodles because its fast and convenient. Yes, I agree salt is basically the number one cause of health problems in the United States. I think that college students are just lazy and don’t want to walk all the way to the cafeteria or other eateries so they just eat the easiest and convenient foods. I also agree with the fact that colleges should incorporate healthier foods to help with the risks of health problems. I did not know that easy-Mac even had that much sodium, I knew that ramen noodles had that much. I feel like the producers of these foods should try also to incorporate less sodium and healthy ingredients, because ramen noodles for example is not that bad but adding in that 560mg of sodium per serving is a heart attack waiting to happen. I feel like teenagers don’t think of what could happen in the future from what they are doing now in the present. Everything affects your lives no matter good or bad it affects it. Many people don’t realize the effects of that much sodium intake, enough in moderation is good but too much is bad. If we all knew what the effects of that much sodium intake could do to our bodies I feel like those producers would be out of business, because that’s how secretive it is to others, or just looked over. The first thing people think about when buying food is not “how much sodium is in this” it’s always calories. I will admit I do this in moderation because I know the effects, in my family I have a lot of relatives with heart conditions and health issues and I don’t want to end up like them, which motivates me to not eat that kind of foods.
ReplyDeleteI never really consider the salt content of food when Im eating, and did not realize how much of an issue salt currently is in society. I definitely think colleges as well as all schools should serve healthier food. Doing small things like this will make a huge difference in society in the long run. We also need to be educated on the affects of sodium.
ReplyDeleteThe worst part is that sodium rich foods are the cheapest (presumably because the salt acts as a preservative, leading to a longer shelf life). The less fortunate are forced into buying these cheaper foods so they can feel full. Think about how bad the health of the people must be who can only afford canned soup and Ramen noodles. Something needs to be done so these people are not sent into an early grave. Aside from the people who can afford healthier food, those who have no choice need to be given an option.
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