An AP reporter writes a whole article about salt intake and new guidelines for
older adults and those in high risk groups.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110131/ap_on_he_me/us_dietary_guidelines_salt
She includes the metric recommendation for younger adults (2300 mg sodium), but
the recommendation for older adults is given as a vague half a teaspoon (of
salt). Googling reveals the guideline from USDA and HHS is 1500 mg. If only
Americans were allowed to know that.
I added this comment to the article:
I know the AP Style book hates metric and recommends removing it, but the
metric guideline for sodium intake REALLY is part of the story. Is it really
too hard to include? A little investigative Googling shows it is 1500 mg for
adults over 50 and other high risk groups, not the vague "half a teaspoon."
I expect reporters to do the investigative work, not readers. Most salt intake
is from packaged food and can only be read from the nutrition statements where
it is given in milligrams, not measured in teaspoons.
