A Salt shocker

Consuming less than 1,300 mg of sodium per day meant I had to be much more careful about my food choices. And it wasn't simply a matter of making my own lunch and avoiding fast-food joints. I was already -- generally -- doing that. Canadians, on average, consume about 3,400 mg of sodium per day. But the average adult requires only 1,500 mg or less, and the Canadian and American governments advise that we consume no more than 2,300 mg per day. It's incredibly easy to exceed that...Federal NDP Health Critic Libby Davies has introduced a private member's bill (C-460) in the House of Commons that would implement much of the Sodium Working Group's recommendations. It is to be debated in the next few weeks and should come to a vote in April. Davies (Vancouver East) isn't impressed with Ottawa's concern that now is not the time -- when the economy is fragile -- to make progress on an important health issue. "If not now, then when?" she said. "What is the cost of people's health?"