Nice Day, Yesterday! and Ketchup

We got up at our usual Sunday time yesterday at St. Luke's...to be at church by 10 am. Raf was a Lay Eucharistic Minister, so he had to be there a little early to vest. Sadly there was a low attendance at church, but we all stayed afterward for coffee hour and visiting with our friends.

We came home for a bit, and then we headed for Bluff Dale, Texas, to hear the live music at the Bluff Dale Vineyard. They have music each third Sunday from 1-4 pm. Yesterday was the Granbury Music Group's Pearl Street Combo, and they were very good.

The Vineyard has excellent wine. Many people bring a picnic and purchase wine or cold drinks. We decided to have the duck pot pie which they make there, and it was delicious. They also have salads and salami and cheese plates. David and Theresa Hayes are your hosts at the Vineyard.

Following our trip to the Vineyard, we went to visit my oldest, dearest friend, Dianne, and her husband Dub, who have just moved to Tolar, Texas. Had a great visit, and then we returned home.

Discovered this silly bit of business last night on the 'net. Check it out here.

By the time the H. J. Heinz Company is finished remaking its world-famous ketchup to comply with Michael Bloomberg‚s National Salt Reduction Initiative, you may not recognize the product.

As you know, Mayor Bloomberg is on a tear about excessive salt in processed foods. Heinz is, therefore, reducing the salt content in its new ketchup recipe.

For your perusal, here are the facts surrounding salt in your diet:

* About six percent of Americans suffer from hypertension.

* Of these, about half have the type of hypertension for which salt is contraindicated.

* Salt does not CAUSE hypertension, it merely aggravates an existing condition.

* For 97% of the population, therefore, the amount of salt consumed is irrelevant.

* The FDA recommends no more than 1.5 grams of salt, from all sources, per day per adult. There are NO scientific studies supporting this recommendation.

* In several, peer-reviewed, studies, volunteers have consumed up to twenty-five grams of salt per day for extended periods. Salt in excess of the body's needs is simply excreted with no deleterious effects on the consumer.

* There is NO compelling evidence that salt, in any reasonable amount, is harmful to the human body in any way. Period.