Dr Joseph Mancusi: Choose life, health and love.

Sign above meat counter. “Pay for 100 pounds of beef roast, get 12 pounds of salty water and 88 pounds of meat.” Did you ever see this sign at your grocery? No? Look harder.

Would you buy meat from a market that posted this sign? “We charge you just as much for the salty water as we do the meat. Yes, we add salty water. It is in small print. We call it marinade.”

Meat injected with 8% to 12% salty water may increase strokes, increase blood pressure and cause early death in heart patients.

I worked on a cardiac rehabilitation unit 40 years ago. We told heart patients their families and healthy people to avoid excess salt. How can you avoid it if it is injected into your food?

Go to the very, very, very largest stores markets in rural areas. I have. Recently, I wanted a nice piece of beef roast to fix for Nanny, my 87 year mother – in – law for her birthday. The meat looked pretty, until I read the label. Every package I picked up said something like this: “Injected with 12% marinade to enhance tenderness and flavor.” I read the package. It was hard to do, even with my glasses. I was furious. Saddened. I felt cheated. I have a PhD and they almost fooled me.

“Marinade” sounds pretty. Pretty, deadly and misleading. When you pay for ten pounds of meat you are getting nine pounds of meat and one pound of salty water injected into the meat. That doesn’t sound pretty.

Yes, the stores know that every responsible health study shows that excess salt is harmful to your health. They know that your doctors are too busy to organize a protest and that your newspapers are too afraid to publish the truth. They are depending on their friendly neighbors not to care.

The NRV, at one time, had many good butchers. There are still a few around. You could buy beef; fresh, tasty and fairly priced. The cattle were raised just up the road in a field where you could see them grazing on sweet grass in the warm summer sun. You could rent a freezer locker and share a carcass with a friend. You were so proud to pull out the roast momma would cook for Christmas.

If you found out that the butcher was injecting your meat with 10% - 12% salty water you would do something about it. You would tell all your neighbors to watch out for him. Momma is now 87. She cannot buy meat by the carcass. She is trapped. Or is she? She has you. She has me. What are you going to do about it? The big markets are depending on you to do what most Americans always do. Nothing.

Do they think you are ignorant, stupid, and don’t care about your health? You be the judge. They will tell you they are giving you choices. Choose health, choose life, and choose love. See you next week.

www.mayoclinic.com Put in the words salt and health

www.webmd.com See articles that report cutting salt will reduce heart

www.americanheart.mediaroom.com Check articles on salt.

Action items.

1. Read the labels on all products. Check for salt. Do not add excess salt to any item before cooking.
2. Write local TV stations and newspapers. Ask them to run stories about salt in beef and chicken.
3. Force changes in school policy to reduce salt in cafeteria foods.
4. Write to the companies, your paper and your representatives.

Dr. Mancusi is an inspirational speaker and psychologist. drmancusi@yahoo.com www.mancusi.net ©2009