County gets grant to cut salt use

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) -- A southern Indiana county plans to use a $20,000 federal grant to teach local restaurants and residents how to cut sodium levels in food to make for healthier meals.

Monroe County is the only Indiana county to receive one of the grants this year from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which estimates that 90 percent of Americans consume more sodium than is recommended, often in processed foods.

County health department administrator Penny Caudill told The Herald-Times (http://bit.ly/XTrTfB ) the department will hold classes hosted by chefs and dietitians to teach local restaurant staff how to reduce salt while maintaining flavor, and will also stock low-salt treats in county-operated vending machines.

"We're not talking about huge changes," Caudill said. "How do you make small, little changes that people don't necessarily notice?"

A 2009 study by the health department found that the leading cause of death in Monroe County is heart disease, which is linked to high blood pressure and a high-sodium diet. Caudill noted that sodium levels in food have risen over several decades and the grant will go toward educating residents and chefs about low-sodium alternatives.

Samantha Schaefer, a registered dietitian at IU Health Bloomington Hospital, said the CDC recommends the average person consume less than a teaspoon of salt per day. People age 51 and older, black men and women, and people with high-blood pressure are urged consume about two-thirds of a teaspoon of salt daily, or less.

"We know that when people say, `I don't use a salt shaker, so I don't eat a lot of salt,' that's not necessary right," Schaefer said. "Up to 75 percent of salt comes from processed or prepared foods, and more of us are eating out or on the go."

The health department's classes, which will be taught by chefs and dietitians, will educate local restaurant staff on how to reduce sodium while maintaining flavor. Schaefer said that replacing salt with things such as garlic, vinegar or lemon juice are some of the ways chefs can reduce sodium.

Class participants will be invited to take part in a low-sodium challenge, where chefs will compete to create the best-tasting low-sodium meal.

Kathy Hewitt, who is coordinating the grant for the health department, said research shows that subtle changes in sodium levels in food work best.

"In the research that I've done, where they've done this before, they're finding people's tastes change," she said. "They're finding that if they change it slowly, people don't really notice."

The health department will also use the grant to work with the county's commissioners to find low-sodium options for county-operated vending machines in county buildings and parks.
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   Information from: The Herald Times, http://www.heraldtimesonline.com