400 Restaurants to Retire Salt Shakers from their Table Setting

[Keith Woolford]

400 Restaurants to Retire Salt Shakers from their Table Setting

400 Restaurants belonging to the Panama Restaurant Association announced jointly with the Ministry of Health that they will be retiring salt shakers from their table settings.

Recent statistics from the national health census show that 35% of the population over 40 years of age suffers from arterial hypertension.

http://www.prensa.com/sociedad/restaurantes-retiraran-saleros-mesas_0_4836266339.html

Edited August 28, 2017 by Keith Woolford

[John R Hampton]

Great.

BYOS.

 

[JudyS]

I guess I will have to take my own salt shaker to restaurants.  Can't they think of something more constructive to waste their time on?

[Uncle Doug]

I am one of those guys who thinks EVERYTHING needs more salt. Well, maybe not ice cream, but everything else.

This is stupid.  By their own story, most people don't have hypertension.

[Bonnie]

And, I'm assuming, salt will be available upon request. I'm not sure this Is more than a money-saving mine by restaurateurs.. Maybe (or maybe not) well-intentioned, but ultimately nothing more than a gesture. I would think the health authorities would have more pressing issues.

[Keith Woolford]

Some people actually have an addiction to the stuff. I just like it a lot.

What will they ever do with all those extra grains of rice?

[Bud]

Both hypertension and diabetes are silent killers. Which is worse? Given that diabetes kills one Panamanian every six hours (see http://www.chiriqui.life/topic/5190-diabetes-kills-one-panamanian-every-6-hours), logic would suggest -- well, at least to me it does -- that sugar should be the first such target, not salt.

And then there is obesity, and then ....

To me, education is the real solution. It takes longer, and is not flashy and attention getting, but effective.

[Doug and Jo]

For diabetics, salt can be particularly dangerous, as their kidneys are damaged due to diabetes.  The salt makes them less likely to control their glucose levels.  I agree diabetes is the larger problem, for healthy adults salt seems mostly benign.

[Bud]

5 minutes ago, Doug and Jo said:

For diabetics, salt can be particularly dangerous, as their kidneys are damaged due to diabetes.  The salt makes them less likely to control their glucose levels.  I agree diabetes is the larger problem, for healthy adults salt seems mostly benign.

I was not aware of the link between diabetes and salt. Thanks for helping me learn about health issues.

[Keith Woolford]

This diagram was published today explaining the measures to the population.

I can see where there could be over-consumption here in Panama because salt is pretty much the only 'spice' that's used in cooking.

Together with that which comes in pre-packaged foods, and consumption starts to be over the top.

Apparently 2 grams a day is optimum.

[TwoSailors]

That is a great education. I agree...salt is the main spice in their Tipico food.

[Roger B]

On 8/28/2017 at 6:41 PM, JudyS said:

I guess I will have to take my own salt shaker to restaurants.  Can't they think of something more constructive to waste their time on?

JudyS

If you ask for salt they will provide it for you.... but wont have the salt shakers on the table.

 

[Roger B]

On 8/28/2017 at 9:27 PM, Bonnie said:

And, I'm assuming, salt will be available upon request. I'm not sure this Is more than a money-saving mine by restaurateurs.. Maybe (or maybe not) well-intentioned, but ultimately nothing more than a gesture. I would think the health authorities would have more pressing issues.

Yes.  They will available salt if you requested it.  

[Roger B]

On 8/28/2017 at 9:48 PM, Keith Woolford said:

Some people actually have an addiction to the stuff. I just like it a lot.

What will they ever do with all those extra grains of rice?

Keith

Some people like to salt..... the salt.

I have seen people with salty french fries, like your picture here, adding more salt to it.  Incredible.

[Palo Alto Jo]

Salt contains iodine, a necessity for thyroid function.  Just as people will get a craving for red clay if they are iron deficient, some people will get a huge salt craving if they have thyroid deficiency.  

I agree though, most people just like salt.  I've noticed they also seem to be like addicts, in that they eventually need more to reach the desired taste.  

[Keith Woolford]

This educational video clip which was published today by the Ministry of Health explains how salt works in the body and why we need it, as well as the dangers of excess consumption.

 

Edited August 30, 2017 by Keith Woolford

[Palo Alto Jo]

If you have hypertension, like I do, and take your BP medicine, you know how this works.  It opens up your kidneys with a diuretic, to reduce pressure in the vascular system.  Most of us, women especially, know how puffy our hands and feet become when we consume an excess of salty snacks.  Imagine doing that and not taking your blood pressure medicine.  The salt causes fluid retention.  

Thanks for the video posting. With all the illustrations, I could still understand most even with my limited Spanish.

[Jim Bondoux]

I believe the restaurant association's decision to hide the salt shakers to be a simple ego trip, intended to generate favorable PR by positioning them as good guys intent on preserving their patrons' health.

Salt is a critical physical need - the ancient Romans paid their legionnaires partly in salt, thus the origin of the word "salary" - and ingesting too little is just as risky to well-being as ingesting too much. Further, not every organism is the same, so your optimum intake will be different from mine. The Wikipedia page on the "Health Effects of Salt" lists the standards decreed by various government agencies, and they are all different! There can be no general rule that works for everyone. I find the poster of "consecuencias del exceso de sal" both funny and sad.

Finally, perhaps many restaurant chefs take it as implied criticism when patrons decide to enhance the flavor of their offerings with salt....

[Dennis Philpot]

For me it's a very minor deal.  Ask if you want it and don't if you don't.  The bigger issue might be to get out and exercise a lot, watch the total diet and caloric intake; meditate and contemplate.  Get back to the core issues, and whether a salt shaker is or isn't on the table is worth much less than the effort to type these words.

[TwoSailors]

13 hours ago, Dennis Philpot said:

For me it's a very minor deal.  Ask if you want it and don't if you don't.  The bigger issue might be to get out and exercise a lot, watch the total diet and caloric intake; meditate and contemplate.  Get back to the core issues, and whether a salt shaker is or isn't on the table is worth much less than the effort to type these words.

Perfect!