Celebrate Black History Month by Cutting Down on Salt

Celebrate Black History Month by Cutting Down on Salt

Black History Month begins today.  Let’s honor the hard-won achievements of African Americans by taking steps to improve our health.  We gotta be in shape to run the race to the top. One easy step is to cut back on our salt intake.  New federal dietary guidelines urge African Americans to reduce sodium consumption to roughly a teaspoon a day. The decrease will help fight and prevent high blood pressure, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease – all conditions that are common among African Americans.

Highlighted Clip for Tuesday, February 1, 2011:

MARY CLARE JALONICK

The new dietary guidelines, issued every five years by the Agriculture and Health and Human Services departments, are telling people who are 51 and older, African-American or suffering from high blood pressure, diabetes or chronic kidney disease to cut the amount of sodium they eat daily to little more than half a teaspoon.

Cut down on salt, government says _ and calories