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October 2007
Published in hard copy and on the web at www.saltmatters.org The business address of the Salt Skip Program is Queensland Hypertension Association
PO Box 193, Holland Park, QLD 4121, phone (07) 3899 1659, FAX (07) 3394 7815. Use the academic address when writing about salt control—see the panel on page 4.
rather grandiose title Salt Matters— ‘Tick’, and could be introduced with lights and especially unlike red lights). with Salt Matters: the killer condi- ment and the Dizzy Chef cookbook. Rick Keam—Freelance journalist, Melbourne—tells us his Personal Story Monoplus, Napamide, Natrilix, Natrilix SR, Prinzide, Renitec Plus, Spiractin, spironolac- tone, Teveten Plus, triamterene, Uremide, If you are taking a drug in that list, you (or one of your children or grandchildren) can go treatment for the vertigo of Meniere’s to www.saltmatters.org, click the button Take the letter to your doctor, explain why, and follow whatever advice you are given from heaven for the ENT specialist. Here diuretic. With good salt control (sodium students in tow, when who should present for diagnosis but someone—me—with the object to it, for present purposes the more familiar term ‘Meniere’s’ will suffice.) If you take tablets or capsules of any
description have a look at them.
Check all their names against this list of synthetic diuretics and/or combined medi- over 12 hours, I had felt like a giant hand cations (a diuretic with another drug mixed was trying to turn me clockwise. Some of ‘Stand facing me,’ he said, ‘then close Burinex, chlorothiazide, chlorthalidone, Coversyl Plus, Coversyl Plus LD, cyclopen- If their faces were any indication, it would be fair to say that this made a profound Inspra, Kaluril, Karvezide, Lasix, Lasix-M, ‘We can beat this,’ said the specialist. The problem with all this is that people ‘You’ll be taking one of these a day’—he generally don’t know where the sodium is brandished a diuretic tablet—‘and one of coming from, and you can’t cut back on these (Slow K for potassium) and you’ll what you’re not even aware of to begin modern diet is that sodium intake varies ‘That won’t be a problem,’ I responded. ‘I wildly from meal to meal and day to day, In theory the medication looks after this. was still having two or three 12–13 hour stood, by a ‘low salt diet’. No suggestion Then I discovered Salt Skip and what low that it might be advisable to check just salt living really means. In the subsequent 14 years, without diuretics or any other explanation of the rationale, the reason- medication and relying solely on dietary four attacks. For all practical purposes, I But I will remain cured only for as long as they’ve stopped consciously using it in the kitchen, I was still getting reasonably The key word is indeed control, and the cessed foods. (I always stress ‘everyday’ equate processed foods with ‘fast’ food, whelming social forces. I have been fortunate insofar as I work from home as not realising the potent salt content of ordinary items like conventional bread.) a freelancer. Once you are over the early through the taste transition, learning how standing. If I’d known then what I know ine low-salt living—I hate and object to easy to achieve, at least once the bread the phrase ‘low salt diet’—while continu- ing to take a prescribed diuretic, I could tinuing difficulties relate to eating out and travelling. There are no easy answers, but the old adage that ‘where there’s a will there’s a way’ remains as true as ‘low salt diet’, of course, was a reduced salt diet. The idea is that you don’t need to depart too much from convention in what you eat, because it’s all too hard doctor—said to me a few years ago, ‘You can’t avoid salt — why not just pop the their ways and we all like salty pleasures pills?’ WRONG! You CAN avoid salt. You anyway and its easier just to cut back a The vote on traffic lights
SALT SKIP NEWS
In Salt Skip News No 148 (August) we called for What should the traffic light colours mean in Australia? 1.1 The dietary guidelines call for MODERATION with 4 nutrients (fat, saturated fat sugar and salt) and the colours indicate the amounts of each nutrient shown in the Nutrition RED = STOP (too much of the named nutrient to prevent illness) AMBER = CAUTION (still high enough to require Where should Australia place the upper boundary for salt? UK 2005 FAT
UK 2006 FAT
WHAT IS YOUR VOTE FOR AUSTRALIA?
had 36 votes (19 by mail and 17 by email). 35 votes were for 1.1 and 2C and one vote w as for abolishing the amber light and going straight from green (up to 120 mg/100g) to a red light for everything above 120 mg/100g. on’t laugh—if all processed foods eventually had green lights for salt, the salt-related th problems would be virtually eradicated, and would no longer afflict half the adult ation of Australia. ‘Moderation’ (amber lights) would not give such a good result. BP Monitor with Salt Skip News is published every 2 months, from February to December (6 issues a year).
Sa
lt Skip Editorial Committee: Assoc Prof Michael Stowasser (Head, Hypertension Unit, University Dept.
Medicine, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane), Sister Dianne Robson (Hypertension Nurse, Hypertension Unit, Gr eenslopes Private Hospital, Brisbane), Prof Tony Worsley (Public Health Nutrition, Deakin University), Prof yl Nowson (Nutrition & Ageing, Deakin University), Clare Rawcliffe (Cardiology Dietitian, St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney), Dr Malcolm Riley (Honorary Fellow, Baker Heart Research Institute), Jane Brown (Home Economist, Salt Skip Program, Hobart). Text drafted (edited where other authors are named) by Dr Trevor Beard (Honorary Senior Research Fellow, Menzies Research Institute, Hobart). Printed by Snap Printing, Edward Street, Brisbane.

Source: http://www.saltmatters.org/newsletters/N_L_149.pdf