Show P Doctor Doctorin in the Kitchen 1 T by Laurence M. M Hursh MD M.D. Consultant National Dairy Council SALT IN HOT WEATHER Salt We wouldn't want to live without it We couldn't live without without with with- out it Salt is a constituent of seawater of the soil of plants and of every living cell and tissue And we all remember reading in our history books that wars have even been fought over salt We not only need it nutritionally nutrition ally but in ancient times in particular particular par par- titular it lt was the means of preserving pre serving precious food Civilizations Civilizations Lions were built on salts salt's avail avail- ability i The proper exchange of salt Inthe in inthe inthe the human body between blood I and tissues is essential to life The impairment of this process interferes with the proper fluid I content of the tissues and with the electrical components of the tissues functions When something something something some some- thing goes wrong with the handling handling hand hand- ling of salt in the body there is serious trouble A Seasoning Favorite Thus there is no more vital element in human physiology than ordinary table salt sodium salt sodium chloride Salt is of course also a great favorite because it is a seasoning that brings out the flavor of other ingredients in our food And some salt is naturally present present pres pres- ent in food in varying amounts l Foods from animal sources including in in- eluding meat fish poultry n milk lk and cheese contain more sodium than do foods from plant sources Foods from the sea are of course higher in sodium than fresh water fish Which brings us to warm weather weather and and the belief that is circulated each summer that extra extra ex ex- ex tra salt is needed when people work or exercise and perspire a great deal Diet Gives You Enough Actually the ordinary American Amer scan lean diet provides sufficient salt for an adult to survive even the most vigorous sweating as long longas longi as his intake of water is main maln Survival research In an the US U.S. Army in which I have personally per son ally been involved has proven that soldiers do not need things such as salt tablets but they do have to drink sufficient liquids Tolerance to hot weather develops develops develops de de- in seven to ten days Your body adjusts and the amount of salt you lose in sweat becomes less Similarly your appetite for water increases So So as a seasoning lets let's use salt sensibly eh And if you have havea a special medical problem for which you should Un limit t your use of salt your doctor will tell teU you At the grocery store you can purchase either iodized or plain salt I recommend iodized Without today's wide widespread spread use of iodized salt we would probably return to the high Incidence incidence in In- cadence of goiter that used to exist especially in the n middle west some 50 years ago before iodized salt was introduced to the market |