The State of New York Proposes a Law Against Using Salt in Restaurants!

While I think healthful habits are important for long term health I certainly do not like people legislating my health habits. Did you hear that New York’s Nazi style state politicians are banning salt in restaurant food preparation? A New York politician by the name of Felix Ortiz introduced this absurd bill on March 5^th. This same nut case has introduced a strict menu-labeling proposal in the past. Seems like this guy is as crazy as the Mayor Michael Bloomberg who said. ” compared salt to carcinogenic asbestos.”

While I think everything should be in moderation when most people think of salt or use salt it is the salt you buy in most grocery stores that is  not very healthy. Grocery store salt  has gone through such heavy processing to be turned into a white, pure, free-flowing substance, it losses all attributes of what salt actually is.

“After the processing this salt contains only a resemblance of what true salt and a processed salt have in common. They taste very similar but a true whole salt has a delicate and richer flavor.”

Salts like Himalayan and Celtic Salt have trace minerals that regular table salt do not. Celtic Sea Salt® – a special sea salt imported from the sea coast of France.) report that their high blood pressure goes down after they add this whole, unprocessed salt to their diet.” Celtic and Himalayan salt are whole mineral salts naturally high in magnesium and potassium. In fact one small study that I ready showed that patients with hypertension has suggested that salt restriction may resultingl in insulin resitance, impaired glucose tolerance and worsening of type 2 diabetes.

Sorry for the side track but back to laws to regulate our personal choices.Unfortunately I think this is just another attempt to run people’s lives. This Felix Ortiz must be hell bent on making New Yorkers diets as bland and costly as possible. Other companies like Whole Foods try and encourage their employees to lead health lives by giving an additional 10-15% discount on their health insurance if their body Mass index falls within certain ranges. This is a bit more palatable than legislatures mandating what you can and cannot eat.

The other day when I stopped in a grocery market to pick up an item I saw a young man ahead of me with bag of Chip Ahoy cookies, package of American cheese, cheese and macaroni, Splenda chemical sweetener, 5 gallons of sugar drink, 2 packages of nitrate lunch meat, 1 head of iceburg lettuce and the only redeeming thing he had in his basket was a couple of bananas. I felt like giving him a little lecture but thought that he may only give me a knuckle sandwich in exchange for my lecture. I know I certainly didn’t think making a law would help this young man make good food choices  however, developing a good nutrition curriculum that starts in elementary school and through High School  would probably be very beneficial. I know that when I taught first grade my simple lessons had had impact on 6 year olds.

I happen to like my freedom in making decisions good or bad. I don’t know about you but when it gets to the point that the government tells me what I can or cannot eat then it gets my feathers ruffled up.  I personally DO NOT believe that when it comes to matters of personal health, the city knows best. It has been said that the greatest treasure we have is our freedom and that means the absence of restraints on our ability to act and to think. Thomas Jefferson said it best,

“If the people let government decide
what foods they eat and what medicines they take,
their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state
as are the souls of those who live under tyranny.”

Thomas Jefferson
(1743-1826), US Founding Father, drafted the Declaration of Independence, 3rd US President

This video makes a good  point about freedom of choice. Freedom is paramount even if the choice is not a good one.

Enjoy this video and please leave a comment and tell me what you think?