DOWNLOAD VIDEO
Researchers are
finding
new ways to trick the taste buds in order to produce healthier food.
Too much sodium can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke, along with other health problems.
Current dietary
guidelines
recommend that people consume less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium, which is a main component in salt. U.S. school-aged children consumed an estimated 3,279 mg of sodium daily,
according
to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
People who are prone to hypertension, diabetes or kidney disease–about half the U.S. population–should further drop their intake to less than 1,500 milligrams per day.
The biggest culprits are foods like pizza and bread. For example, a slice of bread contains about 10 percent of the recommended daily sodium intake.
One of the biggest surprises is that we only taste about 10 to 20 percent of the total sodium in our mouths, so we swallow a lot more than we taste.
In response, the Flavor Research and Education Center at the University of Minnesota is working to create low-sodium products that more effectively release the salty flavor that people crave.
By manipulating the interaction of protein and salt in the food, researchers can create foods that release salt more quickly, “fooling” a consumer’s taste buds into thinking the food contains more salt than it does, according to Devin Peterson, founder of the research center. “I can reduce salt almost by probably 40 percent, and you would never notice the difference,” Peterson said.
This research is important for people who need to reduce their salt intake and companies that want to sell them healthier products.
Warm up questions
- Show of hands: who adds salt to their food before tasting it?
- What do you know about salt and sodium?
- What are your favorite foods? How much salt is in these foods?
Critical thinking questions
- Why are scientists researching low-sodium alternatives?
- If you knew that one of your favorite foods was available in a low-salt alternative, would you change your eating habits? Why or why not? If your answer is “no,” then what would motivate you to change your habits?
- Should large food companies produce low-sodium products? How could they be financially motivated to do so?
