Headline: Child Suspended for 3 Weeks -- Found Carrying Dangerous Weapon to School.
-PJ
Posted on 01/11/2010 6:39:22 AM PST by reaganaut1
First New York City required restaurants to cut out trans fat. Then it made restaurant chains post calorie counts on their menus. Now it wants to protect people from another health scourge: salt.
On Monday, the Bloomberg administration plans to unveil a broad new health initiative aimed at encouraging food manufacturers and restaurant chains across the country to curtail the amount of salt in their products.
The plan, for which the city claims support from health agencies in other cities and states, sets a goal of reducing the amount of salt in packaged and restaurant food by 25 percent over the next five years.
Public health experts say that would reduce the incidence of high blood pressure and should help prevent some of the strokes and heart attacks associated with that condition. The plan is voluntary for food companies and involves no legislation. It allows companies to cut salt gradually over five years so the change is not so noticeable to consumers.
“We all consume way too much salt, and most of the salt we consume is in the food when we buy it,” said Dr. Thomas Farley, the city health commissioner, whose department is leading the effort. Eighty percent of the salt in Americans’ diets comes from packaged or restaurant food. Dr. Farley said reducing salt from those sources would save lives.
Since taking office, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who just began his third term, has gained a reputation as an advocate for healthy living, initiating prominent campaigns against smoking and harmful trans fats. To combat obesity, he has campaigned for calorie labeling on restaurant menus and warned consumers about sugary soft drinks.
The city’s salt campaign is in some ways more ambitious and less certain of success than the ones it waged against smoking and obesity.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
One of the main reasons to oppose socialized medicine is that the government will try to dictate healthy behavior because it (actually the taxpayer) is paying for health care.
Pretty soon it’ll be chocolate is banned. And wine. And white flour.
Who wd ever visit NYC?
What’s next, oxygen?
“What’s next, oxygen?”
Yep, with their carbon trax schemes.
I would SO LOVE to go to NYC and may still, but what a Nanny State they are running there!
Bloomie is out of his gourd...........................
Go to hell, Bloomberg. You jerk.
These replies are ‘pepper’ed’ with jokes.
My real concern here is dining in school lunchrooms in NYC will lead to exposure to ‘second hand’ salt; for which we will need special monitors provided by the unions.
You know, I remember a time in this country when cities were concerned with police and fire services and the schools; states dealt with infrastructure issues, and the Feds handled national security and foreign policy.
Salt? Trans-fats?? Queer marriage and adoptions??? Healthcare????
WTF?!?!??!!!???
What the HELL has happened to my beloved Nation?
Well, California is legislating on Trans Fats...New York on salt. Its sheer comedy.
I am amazed at the petty crusades which become ‘law’....when there are real issues which need to be addressed. Inch by inch the control freaks are incrementally removing our freedom of choice.
What kind of minds are these? They probably view themselves as caring and altruistic. I view them as control freaks drunk with their ‘magnanimous’ power.
Bloomberg is obviously anti-German!
How is this "dictating" healthy behavior? On the contrary, it "encourages" healthy behavior. I have avoided salt for at least 10 years as much as possible and am frustrated that I can't eat fries in a restaurant because of all of the salt they automatically put on them. I prefer to taste the food, not the salt. However, if you want to drink it straight from the shaker and ruin your own health, that is your perogative. I just don't see that you have made your point about him running your life.
Dude, this idiot thinks he mayor of the whole country.
Some one should remind this buffoon that opinions are like rectums: everybody has one.
A dangerous type of person to be in office.
I now have to add salt to my V8 to make it taste good - thanks to you.
Visiting Dunkin Donuts while there in November - they have calories on the menues... takes the sail outta donuts! (There weren’t many under 400 calories)
Oh - I’ll put as much or as little salt as I want on my food! I really don’t use much, but NOBODY can tell me how much!
This is simply a prelude to placing a special tax on salt.
The rats are constantly on the look out, for new ways to steal our money.
When did one US city get to order food companies and food franchises in New York State and in the other 49 states to change they way they do business or get sanctioned?
While the Constitution’s commerce clause has been expanded beyond its original intent, the very basis of that clause is one state or region cannot restrict out of state business from doing business in the affected area. No tolls, no tariffs and no restrictions designed to favor locals over out of state companies.
When did one US city get to order food companies and food franchises in New York State and in the other 49 states to change they way they do business or get sanctioned?
While the Constitution’s commerce clause has been expanded beyond its original intent, the very basis of that clause is one state or region cannot restrict out of state business from doing business in the affected area. No tolls, no tariffs and no restrictions designed to favor locals over out of state companies.
Can anyone on here cite the specific municipal statute that grants the power to the mayor or to the city council to tell citizens of New York City what they may or may not eat?
If there is such a local statute, how does it trump the individual protections in the New York State Constitution?
Why not cut to the chase? From now on, no restaurant can sell any food item other than unsalted plain tofu.
When restaurants have been ‘properly institutionalized’ by the enlightened ‘We The People’ progressives within the government,eventually a new form of a ‘speakeasy’ will open where on can enjoy rare steak,salty fries and light up a cigarette if on chooses.
The free market never dies it just goes underground until saner heads prevail.
There is a pattern here.
This is the way it ALWAYS starts.
Actually, chocolate and wine are both good for the heart. I don't mind them making suggestions as long as they are not manditory. It would be nice to be able to find low salt or no salt versions of food without having to go to only certain stores and then only certain items.
If you want a real shocker, just take a look at the sodium content of just about anything in the store. Unless you want to spend all your time preparing fresh stuff all the time, you can't find anything convenient.
That having been said, it's none of NYC's business how much I salt my popcorn. Get the hell out of my life.
Perhaps the good mayor will issue ration books on salt and trans-fats and we will see a whole new twist on cap & trade. I’ll trade you 1 salt stamp for 3 trans-fat stamps.
These people are a little carried-away with themselves. It is about time that clearer thinking people said: ENOUGH!!!
I know that chocolate and wine are good for you, but does Bloomberg? What he should do, then, of course, is to make both chocolate and wine MANDATORY in NYC, since they are good for you.
I think the micro-managing of what people eat is not only absurd, it is invasive to the max and totally inappropriate to what a government is HIRED to do.
Just because the moron has done some really stupid things, we shouldn't automatically reject a suggestion that would actually do some good.
If you look at most of the food available and look at the sodium content we are drowning in sodium. We think it makes food taste good, but all it does is hide the real taste of food and raise blood pressure. I would LOVE to see producers come out with lower salt versions of things. One of the reasons fresh food is so good for you is because you control the amount of salt that is put into it, and actually, it tends to taste better too. When a single serving of veggies frozen or canned contains twice the recommended daily allowance of sodium, people are beginning to get into trouble, and most are totally unaware of it.
Tell me about it. Husband has had high BP for years & suffered a heart attack a year ago. So I have to spend a lot more time with food prep--virtually everything has to be prepared from scratch.
[Salt] helps bread to rise...
The article is incorrect on this point. Salt is a yeast inhibitor. It's role in bread making is to keep the yeast in check, to prevent the dough from raising too much, too fast.
Oh, puh-leeeeze...somebody call the wambulance, at least you can eat the salt, some people can't and are forced to go without certain foods because of it. Talk about dictating your diet...sheesh, you've got it all bass ackwards, it is those of you who demand salt be cooked into or poured on your food that forces us non-salt eaters to do without the foods we love.
Personally, I feel the same way about salt that I do about sweet tea, as I can't have sugar either. I am sick and tired of restaurants not offering unsweetened tea or if they do, you have to ask for it specifically. IMHO, if people are too damned lazy to put sugar in their tea or salt on their food, there is a more serious issue going on than just the sugar or salt consumption.
Continuing proof of why Upstate needs its own state.
Thank you both for your input. I have never been able to eat salt as it makes me retain fluid and as I have reactive hypoglycemia, I also can’t have sugar. My husband had a heart bypass a couple of years ago and we switched him to substitute salt. You are totally correct about the sodium content of processed foods, it is way too high. Most people don’t even bother to look at the labels so they don’t realize just how high it really is or how really hard it is to find low sodium products.
The first couple of weeks was horrible, everything tasted so bland, then one day I bit into a peach and it was the best tasting thing I had ever eaten. The same happened with lunch, and dinner. Suddenly there was a vast variety of flavors in everything.
I don't think people realize how much salt there is in everything.
No medical study has ever proven that a low salt diet results in less heart attacks, strokes, or a longer life. This myth has a lot in common with the global warming myth, and even has scientists refusing to publish data that show low salt diets seem to increase mortality.
Nobody is "forcing" you to do anything. You are free to avoid high sodium menu items. Stores and restaurants serve what sells best. If the majority of consumers were demanding sodium-free fare, that is what would be offered. This stuff is akin to me going into a fried chicken franchise and complaining that I can't get a t-bone steak.
The government has no business chiming-in on either side of the issue. Salt is not and should not be a controlled substance.
Bloomberg wants to use the law to stop things that Bloomberg has a personal problem with. If it’s his problem, in his mind, then it should be everyone’s problem.
Salt is a marvelous example. Those who visit Bloomberg at his residence have a hard time eating any of the food his servants provide, because it is so laden with salt as to be nearly inedible. Bloomberg consumes enormous amounts of salt in his food. But he knows he shouldn’t.
Bloomberg also used to smoke, and he found quitting cigarettes to be unpleasant. So he wants an absolute ban on them, again, solely because he has a personal problem.
Bloomberg has likely also cheated on his taxes, so he thinks that everybody else does. So everybody else should be punished by being made to pay more taxes.
Undoubtedly Bloomberg has some issue with guns, as well. Ban them, ban them, ban them.
We should all be very grateful that Bloomberg has a happy sex life, has never been bitten by a dog, or kicked in the shins by a small child, or right now he would be campaigning to outlaw them as well.
The man has some serious personal problems. Trouble is that this is turning him into a menace to society.
Oh really and what items would those be? NONE. I challenge you to find low sodium items on ANY restaurant menu. Therefore, I must do without while you pig out on your high sodium foods. The minute they pull the fries out of the fryer, they drown them in salt. So yes, they do force salt on me if I want to eat at a restaurant. On the other hand, there are salt shakers and even portable salt packets you can use to add salt if you want, so no one is forcing you not to eat salt if they don't put it on the food. Now...which option is more fair? Logic would dictate that it would be the latter, but your next two statements clearly suggest that you don't deal with logic much...and I won't make the obvious comment about your screen name.
Stores and restaurants serve what sells best. If the majority of consumers were demanding sodium-free fare, that is what would be offered.
Bzzzzt...wrong answer..truth be known, they just don't give a rat's butt about your health.
This stuff is akin to me going into a fried chicken franchise and complaining that I can't get a t-bone steak.
What a load of crap. Salt is a mere seasoning added to the meat, so there is no comparison, bad analogy, your point is therefore moot.
The government has no business chiming-in on either side of the issue. Salt is not and should not be a controlled substance.
Now where did I say that the Government should be involved or that it should be controlled? Get a clue...I DIDN'T!!!! Also, and this is a direct quote from my post on this page:
Anyone with the words raving nut in their screenname is going to refrain from pointing to mine??? Pffft.
I was given that name by some liberals on another forum during the Clinton impeachment...how did you earn yours? ROTFLMAO!
You are a raving nutter. Restaurants are bending over backwards to accommodate special needs and salt is no different. Here's a link in case you're really interested in the truth rather than ranting mindlessly here.
Best Restaurants for Low Sodium
Most restaurants will do what they can to meet your needs if you give them some sort of advanced notice. Most of them will be happy to review the menu with you over the phone if it isn't available on line. Of course, that would require taking some personal responsibility rather than pointing your finger and whining loudly.
On the other hand, there are salt shakers and even portable salt packets you can use to add salt if you want, so no one is forcing you not to eat salt if they don't put it on the food.
Now you want to dictate to others how they should run their business. If the owner of the business wishes to put salt on the food he serves that is his prerogative and his alone. Demanding that others accommodate your specials needs isn't conservative in any way shape or form. This is not about what is fair since that is a relative term. This is about what is right and you have no right to demand that others do something for you that they don't see as being in their best interest. It's lazy folks like you that empower the nanny staters. Thanks. By the way, there is nothing logical about your logic since anyone with a basic grasp of the culinary arts understands that in most cases, salt needs to be added during the preparation process for the best results rather than at the end. You have no idea what you are talking about.
Bzzzzt...wrong answer..truth be known, they just don't give a rat's butt about your health.
Because not giving a rat's butt about your customers is how you thrive in business? R-A-V-I-N-G - N-U-T-T-E-R.
Salt is a mere seasoning added to the meat
More ignorance = no surprise.
"if you want to drink it straight from the shaker and ruin your own health, that is your perogative".
Consuming salt in massive quantities, directly or indirectly from the salt shaker, may cause harm to certain individuals. Salt is not the cause of hypertension and other diseases it was once thought to be. In some instances, salt sensitive people may experience a slight decline in blood pressure from salt reduction, the same isn't true for most people. But don't let that stop you from raving.
I am just asking that you have some respect those of us that have dietetic limitations. You need to quit being lazy and SALT YOUR OWN FOOD!
No, you're demanding that other people alter what works for them and their businesses to accommodate you because you don't like or cannot tolerate salt. Uh, that makes you the lazy one, nutter.
That’s how I feel — NOBODY tells me how much salt I can use, to use paper vs plastic bags, to use those STUPID light bulbs. I have a brain, make my own decisions, happy to suffer the consequences.
Headline: Child Suspended for 3 Weeks -- Found Carrying Dangerous Weapon to School.
-PJ
OMG!! lightbulbs!!!
I cannot STAND the lack of light and the lack of IMMEDIATE light from the funny bulbs! I just bought incandescent bulbs to put in my reading lamps! The stupid lightbulbs do not give off the brightness!
Thank you for that reply. I love salt, I will admit it, and my normal blood pressure is in the 90/50 range, even when pregnant (I did have pre-eclampsia with one of my four children—I don’t think it had to do with salt but the baby growing in my belly). I am incredibly healthy and I get sick maybe one time a year if that. In fact, right now, four of our six family members have a cold and I am one of the ones who does not (the other being my oldest who also has 90/50 BP)!
My husband, OTOH, has to watch his intake because of a family history of high blood pressure.
I expect doctors and other health care professionals to tell me about watching my salt—not the freaking government. Anyone who thinks it’s a brilliant idea to let the gov’t recommend how to run your own health care decisions is a moron.
What’s next? Sugar (Sucrose)?
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