Those Demonic Salt-Lovers

As you may know, the FDA is preparing regulations to limit the amount of salt in processed foods. Today’s Washington Post includes this letter to the editor from a woman who recently traveled to Germany. She offers both a fascinating story and an unorthodox approach to curbing American’s salt intake:

Much German cuisine is wonderful: meats, breads, soups, vegetables, desserts. But the saltiness is stunning. Germans routinely salt buttered bread. They put salt in bottled water and on raw vegetables. Their "adult" licorice brings tears to the eyes and a painful thirst to the throat.

An interesting explanation is given at the Museum of Medieval Crime in Rothenburg ob der Tauber: Aversion to salt was associated with the devil. Women who did not cook with salt were suspected of being witches, and a negative reaction to salt could be damning to a person on trial. Holy water was salted. So the overuse of salt has been inculcated in Germany in an essentially nonculinary way.

Maybe the Food and Drug Administration should try a converse approach here. What about an ad campaign connecting overuse of salt to terrorists, drug dealers and Wall Street rip-off artists?

The Gluten-Free Bandwagon

I have no sensitivity to glutens so, up to now at least, I haven't had any reason to worry about glutens in the food that I'm eating. But a lot of loudmouths seem intent on changing my behavior. So should people like me think twice about eating glutens?

This article at MSN's Delish notes that going gluten-free seems to be all the rage these days:

... shunning glutens -- it's in wheat, rye, and barley, and often in oats -- has become the diet of the moment.

Why? Lots of people swear they feel 10 times better when they don't eat gluten, celebs included: Gwyneth Paltrow, Rachel Weisz, and Jenny McCarthy are all rumored to be gluten-free.

... "gluten sensitivity" is a medical gray area. There are no tests for it, and although problems -- migraines, skin breakouts, irritability, even autism -- have been blamed on it, doctors haven't found a clear link.

The fact that some people claim to feel better after dropping glutens from their diet could be a classic case of the placebo factor. It's hard to say. Besides, eliminating glutens from my diet would deprive me of some of the things I love the best -- pizza dough, toast, English muffins and a nice crusty baguette.

This article certainly won't sell me on going gluten-free by showing a photo of beets with the silly caption: "Delicious cooked beets are a gluten-free side or snack."

Um, no. Trail mix, maybe. An orange, sure. But don't try to convince me that beets are a "snack." And when someone has to describe a food as "delicious," that's when you know it isn't. Do you ever hear anyone say: "Delicious chocolate is a good dessert" or "delicious buttered toast is a good breakfast food."

No, you don't. Why? Because everyone knows those foods are delicious.

Fewer Fajitas for Mexico City's Officers

Officials in Mexico City are putting the local police force on a diet. According to this newspaper:

Hungry members of the 70,000-member force will now get 2,495 calories per day, 500 fewer than [before]. The new menu also features a healthy portion of vegetables.
The three-meal-a-day menu announced on Sunday comes after a study found that at least 70 percent of officers are overweight.

However, authorities face a big challenge in slimming down the force. Mexico City cops are famous for soliciting small bribes from motorists, often with the phrase: "Give me something for a soft drink."

It sounds as though their soft drink of choice is not a Diet Coke.

This Cookie Crumbles

In the past few years, a few diet gurus have gained traction by pushing a new weight-loss concept based around eating cookies.

One of those diets, Dr. Siegal's Cookie Diet, has been around since the 1970s. His website touts a "secret amino acid protein blend" as the vehicle for weight loss.

This recent N.Y. Times article examined these diets and their claims. The theory behind these diets is that high-protein foods curb hunger. Yet, according to the Times, none of these cookie diets is supported by a clinical study. No surprise there.