[{"totalItems":"33,292","totalPages":11098,"currentPage":0,"items":[{"id":"phhg4e\/node\/236578","site":"https:\/\/www.popsci.com\/","hash":"phhg4e","entity_id":236578,"entity_type":"node","bundle":"basic_content","bundle_name":"Basic content","ss_language":"und","path":"node\/236578","url":"https:\/\/www.popsci.com\/best-photos-2018-perseids-meteor-shower","path_alias":"best-photos-2018-perseids-meteor-shower","label":"The best photos from the 2018 Perseids meteor shower","content":" Capturing a meteor shower takes serious photographic skill, but the results are worth the effort. This story was originally published on PopPhoto.com. The annual Perseids meteor shower reached its peak over the weekend providing stargazers and astro photographers with a spectacular show. Thanks to the waxing crescent moon, dark skies created ideal conditions for meteor viewing and shooting. During today\u2019s early morning hours observers could see approximately 60-70 meteors per hour. Unlike the eclipse earlier this year, the spectacular show was visible on both sides of the equator. The dark skies made this year\u2019s shower one of the brightest ever. The star show will continue through August 24, although the number of visible shooting stars will diminish. You don\u2019t need a telescope to see the showers, but you should try to head somewhere rural with minimal light pollution for ideal viewing and shooting conditions. The next large meteor shower is the Orionids, which is expected to peak on October 21. Here are some of our favorite images captured over the weekend during this celestial event. Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah The annual Perseid meteor shower photographed from Bryce Canyon National Park. Ethan Miller\/Getty Images Spruce Knob, West Virginia A 30 second exposure of a meteor streaks across the sky during the annual Perseid meteor shower on August 12, 2016. Bill Ingalls\/NASA viaGetty Images Pierre-Percee, France A meteor crosses the night sky next to the milky way, early August 12, 2018 in Pierre-Percee lake area, eastern France, during the annual Perseid meteor shower. PATRICK HERTZOG\/AFP\/Getty Images Einsiedl, Germany The annual Perseid meteor shower above Walchensee Lake. Matthias Balk\/picture alliance via Getty Images Fussen, Germany A meteor crosses the night sky on early August 12, 2018 behind the Sankt Coloman pilgrimage church in Fussen, southwestern Germany, during the annual Perseid meteor shower. KARL-JOSEF HILDENBRAND\/AFP\/Getty Images Hong Kong, China A meteor crosses the sky during the annual Perseid meteor shower at the east dam of the High Island Reservoir in Hong Kong on of August 13, 2018. PHILIP FONG\/AFP\/Getty Images Inegol, Turkey Perseid meteors streaks across the sky over Inegol district of Bursa, Turkey on August 13, 2018. Saban Kilicci\/Anadolu Agency\/Getty Images Crimea, Russia The 2018 Perseid meteor shower over the village of Klinovka, Simferopol District. Sergei Malgavko\\TASS via Getty Images Yatskovichy, Belarus Perseids meteors cross the night sky over a stork sitting in its nest in the village of Yatskovichy, some 374 km southwest of Minsk, on August 13, 2018. SERGEI GAPON\/AFP\/Getty Images Tannourine, Lebanon Meteors crossing the night sky past the Milky Way during the annual Perseid meteor show in the mountain area of Tannourine in northern Lebanon. JOSEPH EID\/AFP\/Getty Images Want more news like this? Sign up to receive our email newsletter and never miss an update! By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Jean, Nevada A Perseid meteor streaks across the sky above the 'Seven Magic Mountains' art installation early on August 13, 2018. Ethan Miller\/Getty Images This story was originally published on PopPhoto.com. ","teaser":" Capturing a meteor shower takes serious photographic skill, but the results are worth the effort. This story was originally published on PopPhoto.com. The annual Perseids meteor shower reached its peak over the weekend providing stargazers and astro photographers with a spectacular show. Thanks to","ss_name":"kkelley","tos_name":"kkelley","ss_name_formatted":"kkelley","tos_name_formatted":"kkelley","is_uid":1980,"bs_status":true,"bs_sticky":false,"bs_promote":true,"is_tnid":0,"bs_translate":false,"ds_created":"2018-08-14T14:30:00Z","ds_changed":"2018-08-14T14:37:42Z","ds_last_comment_or_change":"2018-08-14T14:37:42Z","bs_field_sponsored":false,"bs_field_display_social":true,"bs_field_custom_page":false,"bs_field_feed_builder_exclusion":false,"bs_field_display_author_bio":true,"bs_field_display_bottom_recirc":true,"bs_use_sir_trevor_body":true,"bs_field_flag_gallery":true,"bs_field_flag_video":false,"bs_field_display_off_ramp":true,"bs_in_nps":false,"bs_use_sir_trevor_custom_page":true,"bs_field_x90_hide":false,"bs_field_last_updated":false,"bs_field_exclude_from_cl":false,"bs_field_exclude_third_parties":false,"ts_bonnier_summary":"
Capturing a meteor shower takes serious photographic skill, but the results are clearly worth the effort.<\/div>","ts_bonnier_summary_long":"
Capturing a meteor shower takes serious photographic skill, but the results are clearly worth the effort.<\/div>","ts_bonnier_eyebrow":"
Space<\/a><\/div>","timestamp":"2018-08-14T14:37:43.642Z","bm_field_display_off_ramp":[true],"sm_field_image":["https:\/\/www.popsci.com\/sites\/popsci.com\/files\/styles\/325_4x3\/public\/images\/2018\/08\/03-pierre-percee-lake-france-meteors.jpg?itok=TMycZjTg&fc=50,50"],"bm_use_sir_trevor_custom_page":[true],"bm_field_sponsored":[false],"bm_field_flag_gallery":[true],"bm_field_custom_page":[false],"bm_field_flag_video":[false],"bm_field_display_bottom_recirc":[true],"bm_use_sir_trevor_body":[true],"bm_field_x90_hide":[false],"tid":[200412,208438,208439,212869,212416,207137,224699],"sm_field_layout_standard":["right-sidebar"],"sm_field_primary_channel":["space"],"tm_vid_2_names":["Jeanette D. Moses"],"tm_vid_1_names":["Photography perseid meteor shower perseids meteor showers Space meteor shower"],"spell":["The best photos from the 2018 Perseids meteor shower"," Capturing a meteor shower takes serious photographic skill, but the results are worth the effort. This story was originally published on PopPhoto.com. The annual Perseids meteor shower reached its peak over the weekend providing stargazers and astro photographers with a spectacular show. Thanks to the waxing crescent moon, dark skies created ideal conditions for meteor viewing and shooting. During today\u2019s early morning hours observers could see approximately 60-70 meteors per hour. Unlike the eclipse earlier this year, the spectacular show was visible on both sides of the equator. The dark skies made this year\u2019s shower one of the brightest ever. The star show will continue through August 24, although the number of visible shooting stars will diminish. You don\u2019t need a telescope to see the showers, but you should try to head somewhere rural with minimal light pollution for ideal viewing and shooting conditions. The next large meteor shower is the Orionids, which is expected to peak on October 21. Here are some of our favorite images captured over the weekend during this celestial event. Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah The annual Perseid meteor shower photographed from Bryce Canyon National Park. Ethan Miller\/Getty Images Spruce Knob, West Virginia A 30 second exposure of a meteor streaks across the sky during the annual Perseid meteor shower on August 12, 2016. Bill Ingalls\/NASA viaGetty Images Pierre-Percee, France A meteor crosses the night sky next to the milky way, early August 12, 2018 in Pierre-Percee lake area, eastern France, during the annual Perseid meteor shower. PATRICK HERTZOG\/AFP\/Getty Images Einsiedl, Germany The annual Perseid meteor shower above Walchensee Lake. Matthias Balk\/picture alliance via Getty Images Fussen, Germany A meteor crosses the night sky on early August 12, 2018 behind the Sankt Coloman pilgrimage church in Fussen, southwestern Germany, during the annual Perseid meteor shower. KARL-JOSEF HILDENBRAND\/AFP\/Getty Images Hong Kong, China A meteor crosses the sky during the annual Perseid meteor shower at the east dam of the High Island Reservoir in Hong Kong on of August 13, 2018. PHILIP FONG\/AFP\/Getty Images Inegol, Turkey Perseid meteors streaks across the sky over Inegol district of Bursa, Turkey on August 13, 2018. Saban Kilicci\/Anadolu Agency\/Getty Images Crimea, Russia The 2018 Perseid meteor shower over the village of Klinovka, Simferopol District. Sergei Malgavko\\TASS via Getty Images Yatskovichy, Belarus Perseids meteors cross the night sky over a stork sitting in its nest in the village of Yatskovichy, some 374 km southwest of Minsk, on August 13, 2018. SERGEI GAPON\/AFP\/Getty Images Tannourine, Lebanon Meteors crossing the night sky past the Milky Way during the annual Perseid meteor show in the mountain area of Tannourine in northern Lebanon. JOSEPH EID\/AFP\/Getty Images Want more news like this? Sign up to receive our email newsletter and never miss an update! By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Jean, Nevada A Perseid meteor streaks across the sky above the 'Seven Magic Mountains' art installation early on August 13, 2018. Ethan Miller\/Getty Images This story was originally published on PopPhoto.com. ","Photography perseid meteor shower perseids meteor showers Space meteor shower","Jeanette D. Moses","
Capturing a meteor shower takes serious photographic skill, but the results are clearly worth the effort.<\/div>","
Capturing a meteor shower takes serious photographic skill, but the results are clearly worth the effort.<\/div>","
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Moses"],"im_vid_1":[200412,208438,208439,212869,212416,207137],"sm_vid_Tags":["Photography","perseid meteor shower","perseids","meteor showers","Space","meteor shower"]},{"id":"phhg4e\/node\/236517","site":"https:\/\/www.popsci.com\/","hash":"phhg4e","entity_id":236517,"entity_type":"node","bundle":"basic_content","bundle_name":"Basic content","ss_language":"und","path":"node\/236517","url":"https:\/\/www.popsci.com\/kikuichi-knife-deal","path_alias":"kikuichi-knife-deal","label":"Kikuichi Cutlery went from Samurai swords to kitchen knives","content":" And we've got an exclusive deal with them for you. From Samurai swords to impressive, handmade kitchen knives. Kikuichi Kikuichi Cutlery began making swords for Samurais in the early 13th century. It's why the company still sits in Nara, Japan, the country's first capital and widely considered an origin place for Samurai culture and sword making. The Emperor of Japan was so impressed by Kikuichi's craftsmanship, he granted the company the right to engrave the royal symbol of the chrysanthemum flower onto their blades. Fast forward to present day: the company employs the descendants of the sword makers and\u2014after a transition 150 years ago\u2014forges hand-made kitchen knives. (The blades still bear the chrysanthemum.) Harry Roseblum, Kikuichi\u2019s general manager in the U.S., explains that \u201cwhile we don\u2019t deal in Katanas, the process is very much the same.\u201d Each blade in Kikuichi\u2019s higher-end lines involves the work of at least four craftsmen. Each member of the team performs one step of the knife production. This four-step process consists of forging, sharpening, hand-carving the wooden handle, and assembly. In that last step, the two pieces are fit together and hand engraved with the chrysanthemum. These knives aren't cheap, but the prices reflect the quality of the materials and the time spent creating them by hand. The company manufactures cheaper, machine-made knives, too. Right now, Kikiuchi is offering PopSci readers 25 percent off its blades. The discount is site-wide, excluding outlet items. Use the code POPSCI25 at checkout for the discount. Below are some blades I'm considering adding to my personal cutlery collection: GKAD Gold Kokaji Aoko #2 Damascus Kikuichi Buy Now! The GKAD Gold Kokaji blade comes in two sizes: a 6-inch Bunka and an 8-inch Gyuto. It is a double-beveled blade\u2014sharpened on both sides\u2014made of a nine-layer Damascus steel that\u2019s been hand-forged and stretched into shape. The handle is a traditional, comfortable \u201cD\u201d shape and made out of Japanese Magnolia wood with a band of water buffalo horn ferrule to fasten the handle and blade together. It\u2019s an all-purpose knife. KURO Kurouchi Carbon Steel Clad Knife Kikuichi Buy Now! The KURO Kurouchi carbon steel clad knife comes in four sizes: a 6-inch Petty, 7-inch Santoku, 9.5-inch Chef\u2019s knife, and a 10.5-inch slicer. Each version features an octagonal Walnut handle. The ambidextrous handle shape lends itself to single-piece steel blades and double-bevel blades that can cut from several directions. The blade\u2014the perfect knife to de-head a fish or slice thin pieces of sashimi\u2014has a White Carbon #2 core and iron cladding. Make sure to dry the blade after using; it can rust. A black oxide coating helps prevent rusting, but the sharpening process removes it from the fine edge. This is known as a Kurouchi finish. Ginsan Stainless Series Kikuichi Buy Now! The Ginsan Stainless Series 7.5-inch Deba blade is a single-bevel knife\u2014only sharpened on one side\u2014and thinner than a typical kitchen knife. This makes it ideal for cutting into fish or poultry. The handle is made of a Ho-wood with water buffalo ferrule. The benefit of a stainless steel blade is that it\u2019s easier to maintain and sharpen. Interested in talking about deals and gadgets? Request to join our exclusive Facebook group. With all our product stories, the goal is simple: more information about the stuff you're thinking about buying. We may sometimes get a cut from a purchase, but if something shows up on one of our pages, it\u2019s because we like it. Period. exclusive knife kikuichi cutlery ","teaser":" And we've got an exclusive deal with them for you. From Samurai swords to impressive, handmade kitchen knives. Kikuichi Kikuichi Cutlery began making swords for Samurais in the early 13th century. It's why the company still sits in Nara, Japan, the country's first capital and widely","ss_name":"billycadden","tos_name":"billycadden","ss_name_formatted":"billycadden","tos_name_formatted":"billycadden","is_uid":1680,"bs_status":true,"bs_sticky":false,"bs_promote":true,"is_tnid":0,"bs_translate":false,"ds_created":"2018-08-14T13:40:44Z","ds_changed":"2018-08-14T14:36:10Z","ds_last_comment_or_change":"2018-08-14T14:36:10Z","bs_field_sponsored":false,"bs_field_display_social":true,"bs_field_custom_page":false,"bs_field_feed_builder_exclusion":false,"bs_field_display_author_bio":true,"bs_field_display_bottom_recirc":true,"bs_use_sir_trevor_body":true,"bs_field_flag_gallery":false,"bs_field_flag_video":true,"bs_field_display_off_ramp":true,"bs_in_nps":false,"bs_use_sir_trevor_custom_page":true,"bs_field_x90_hide":false,"bs_field_last_updated":false,"bs_field_exclude_from_cl":false,"bs_field_exclude_third_parties":false,"ts_bonnier_summary":"
These knives aren't cheap, but the prices reflect the quality of the materials and the time spent creating them by hand. Right now, Kikiuchi is offering PopSci readers…<\/div>","ts_bonnier_summary_long":"
These knives aren't cheap, but the prices reflect the quality of the materials and the time spent creating them by hand. Right now, Kikiuchi is offering PopSci readers 25 percent off its blades.<\/div>","ts_bonnier_eyebrow":"
Gadgets<\/a><\/div>","timestamp":"2018-08-14T14:36:12.562Z","bm_field_display_off_ramp":[true],"sm_field_image":["https:\/\/www.popsci.com\/sites\/popsci.com\/files\/styles\/325_4x3\/public\/images\/2018\/08\/gkad_lifestyle_1_1024x10242x.jpg?itok=kSBuF5nm&fc=50,50"],"bm_use_sir_trevor_custom_page":[true],"bm_field_sponsored":[false],"bm_field_flag_gallery":[false],"bm_field_custom_page":[false],"bm_field_flag_video":[true],"bm_field_display_bottom_recirc":[true],"bm_use_sir_trevor_body":[true],"bm_field_x90_hide":[false],"sm_vid_Pending_tags":["exclusive","knife","kikuichi","cutlery"],"tid":[224045,203205,206351,206126,206341,60,224025,224741,224742,224743,224744],"sm_field_layout_standard":["right-sidebar"],"sm_field_primary_channel":["gadgets"],"tm_vid_2_names":["Billy Cadden"],"tm_vid_1_names":["Commerce deals knives japanese kitchen Gadgets"],"spell":["Kikuichi Cutlery went from Samurai swords to kitchen knives"," And we've got an exclusive deal with them for you. From Samurai swords to impressive, handmade kitchen knives. Kikuichi Kikuichi Cutlery began making swords for Samurais in the early 13th century. It's why the company still sits in Nara, Japan, the country's first capital and widely considered an origin place for Samurai culture and sword making. The Emperor of Japan was so impressed by Kikuichi's craftsmanship, he granted the company the right to engrave the royal symbol of the chrysanthemum flower onto their blades. Fast forward to present day: the company employs the descendants of the sword makers and\u2014after a transition 150 years ago\u2014forges hand-made kitchen knives. (The blades still bear the chrysanthemum.) Harry Roseblum, Kikuichi\u2019s general manager in the U.S., explains that \u201cwhile we don\u2019t deal in Katanas, the process is very much the same.\u201d Each blade in Kikuichi\u2019s higher-end lines involves the work of at least four craftsmen. Each member of the team performs one step of the knife production. This four-step process consists of forging, sharpening, hand-carving the wooden handle, and assembly. In that last step, the two pieces are fit together and hand engraved with the chrysanthemum. These knives aren't cheap, but the prices reflect the quality of the materials and the time spent creating them by hand. The company manufactures cheaper, machine-made knives, too. Right now, Kikiuchi is offering PopSci readers 25 percent off its blades. The discount is site-wide, excluding outlet items. Use the code POPSCI25 at checkout for the discount. Below are some blades I'm considering adding to my personal cutlery collection: GKAD Gold Kokaji Aoko #2 Damascus Kikuichi Buy Now! The GKAD Gold Kokaji blade comes in two sizes: a 6-inch Bunka and an 8-inch Gyuto. It is a double-beveled blade\u2014sharpened on both sides\u2014made of a nine-layer Damascus steel that\u2019s been hand-forged and stretched into shape. The handle is a traditional, comfortable \u201cD\u201d shape and made out of Japanese Magnolia wood with a band of water buffalo horn ferrule to fasten the handle and blade together. It\u2019s an all-purpose knife. KURO Kurouchi Carbon Steel Clad Knife Kikuichi Buy Now! The KURO Kurouchi carbon steel clad knife comes in four sizes: a 6-inch Petty, 7-inch Santoku, 9.5-inch Chef\u2019s knife, and a 10.5-inch slicer. Each version features an octagonal Walnut handle. The ambidextrous handle shape lends itself to single-piece steel blades and double-bevel blades that can cut from several directions. The blade\u2014the perfect knife to de-head a fish or slice thin pieces of sashimi\u2014has a White Carbon #2 core and iron cladding. Make sure to dry the blade after using; it can rust. A black oxide coating helps prevent rusting, but the sharpening process removes it from the fine edge. This is known as a Kurouchi finish. Ginsan Stainless Series Kikuichi Buy Now! The Ginsan Stainless Series 7.5-inch Deba blade is a single-bevel knife\u2014only sharpened on one side\u2014and thinner than a typical kitchen knife. This makes it ideal for cutting into fish or poultry. The handle is made of a Ho-wood with water buffalo ferrule. The benefit of a stainless steel blade is that it\u2019s easier to maintain and sharpen. Interested in talking about deals and gadgets? Request to join our exclusive Facebook group. With all our product stories, the goal is simple: more information about the stuff you're thinking about buying. We may sometimes get a cut from a purchase, but if something shows up on one of our pages, it\u2019s because we like it. Period. exclusive knife kikuichi cutlery ","Commerce deals knives japanese kitchen Gadgets","Billy Cadden","exclusive knife kikuichi cutlery","
These knives aren't cheap, but the prices reflect the quality of the materials and the time spent creating them by hand. Right now, Kikiuchi is offering PopSci readers…<\/div>","
These knives aren't cheap, but the prices reflect the quality of the materials and the time spent creating them by hand. Right now, Kikiuchi is offering PopSci readers 25 percent off its blades.<\/div>","
Gadgets<\/a><\/div>"],"tm_vid_6_names":["exclusive knife kikuichi cutlery"],"bm_field_feed_builder_exclusion":[false],"bm_field_exclude_third_parties":[false],"im_field_author":[224025],"bm_field_display_social":[true],"bm_field_exclude_from_cl":[false],"bm_field_last_updated":[false],"sm_field_sponsor_label":[""],"bm_in_nps":[false],"sm_field_subtitle":["And we've got an exclusive deal with them for you.\n"],"bm_field_display_author_bio":[true],"im_field_tags":[224045,203205,206351,206126,206341,60],"im_vid_2":[224025],"sm_vid_Authors":["Billy Cadden"],"im_vid_1":[224045,203205,206351,206126,206341,60],"im_vid_6":[224741,224742,224743,224744],"sm_vid_Tags":["Commerce","deals","knives","japanese","kitchen","Gadgets"],"im_field_pending_tags":[224741,224742,224743,224744]},{"id":"phhg4e\/node\/236574","site":"https:\/\/www.popsci.com\/","hash":"phhg4e","entity_id":236574,"entity_type":"node","bundle":"basic_content","bundle_name":"Basic content","ss_language":"und","path":"node\/236574","url":"https:\/\/www.popsci.com\/salt-intake-processed-food","path_alias":"salt-intake-processed-food","label":"Most of your sodium isn't coming from your salt shaker","content":" It's not de salt, it's DiGiorno (and other processed foods). Most of the salt you consume doesn't look like this. Pixabay More than 4 out of every 10 Americans are avoiding salt, but a lot of us are doing it wrong. We often think that to reduce our sodium intake, we should nix the shaker. The reality is that even if the average American could stand to eliminate every grain of salt they added in the kitchen, they\u2019d only get rid of about 11 percent of their total intake. The science is also a bit contentious on whether you need to reduce your salt intake in the first place. One recent study in the journal The Lancet claimed the current recommended salt intake of 5 grams per day is perfectly safe, and that there was no need to push people to reduce as much as possible. Other cardiovascular health researchers have criticized the study, noting that a 2016 paper by the same authors had similar fundamental problems, none of which were taken into account in this more recent one. For instance, both studies found that people who ate the least salt had a higher risk of death, which the authors argued indicated that a moderate sodium intake is actually helpful. They failed to acknowledge that perhaps people with health problems were the ones taking in the least salt, at the recommendation of their doctors, and that these people are also more likely to die. There is certainly plenty of research that shows salt intake is associated with high blood pressure, and countries like Japan and the United Kingdom that have managed to reduce their average intake have seen corresponding drops in rates of strokes. But let\u2019s assume that you\u2019re set on cutting down your salt intake. Maybe your doctor has strongly recommended it (which should mean a lot more than a single study on the subject). Perhaps you know you\u2019re eating much more salt than the daily recommended intake, making the findings of this latest study moot. Either way, you might be tempted to throw out your salt shaker and call it a day\u2014which is a mistake. One of the big challenges in reducing how much salt we all eat is the fact that sodium is insidious. We think of our daily salt intake as however much we add as we cook, or the amount we shake out at the table. Some institutions, like the American Heart Association, list recommendations like cooking pasta without salt, or using onions to boost flavor instead of salted seasonings. But alongside those fairly easy-to-take suggestions is a much more important statistic: 71 percent of the average American's salt intake comes from outside their home. Let\u2019s break that down for a second. It\u2019s quite challenging to understand real dietary patterns. Often, studies rely on participants keeping careful logs of everything they eat, then estimating individual nutrient intakes based on the listed foods. Two studies in particular, however, have used more clever methods. A 2017 study used a combination of a dietary log and salt samples. Participants were asked to not only write down everything they ate, but to also shake the same amount of salt that they added to their food (both as they cooked or onto their plates) into sample bags. The researchers then measured those samples to see how much salt each person was adding themselves. They found that just five percent of total sodium intake happened at the table, and six percent got added during food prep. That\u2019s 11 percent total, which is less than the 14 percent of salt that\u2019s inherent in our food. Even fresh fruits and veggies have sodium. An apple has 2 milligrams. A cup of tomato has 10 milligrams. Those individual items add up, but processed and pre-prepared food blows nature sources out of the water. Some 71 percent of the average person\u2019s daily salt intake comes from processed food and restaurants. Those numbers are slightly different than an earlier study. In 1991, researchers at the Monell Chemical Senses Center gave subjects special salt shakers, one for table use and one for cooking. Everyone was instructed to carry the table use shaker everywhere, such that any salt they personally added to their food would come from that source. At the end of every week, researchers weighed each shaker to determine how much the person consumed from each shaker. They also double-checked their work by attaching a tracer molecule to the sodium. This tracer enabled the scientists to determine how much of each person\u2019s salt intake came from that shaker, because the way you measure salt intake is in pee. All you have to do is measure how much sodium is in urine, then figure out the fraction that\u2019s got the chemical tracer\u2014that\u2019s how much salt they\u2019re adding. Everything else comes from outside their house. They found that 77 percent of the participants\u2019 sodium came from processed food, 11.6 percent was inherent, 6.2 percent came from the table, and 5.1 percent came from cooking. That\u2019s quite close to the more modern estimates, especially considering that dietary patterns may have changed in the intervening years. So where is this 71-77 percent of salt coming from? Restaurants certainly take some blame, as they tend to use salt and fat in higher doses than most home cooks do, but the biggest culprit is processed food. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day, and would ideally like to see us each get down to 1,500 milligrams. That\u2019s about three-quarters of a teaspoon. Most Americans actually consume around 3,400 milligrams. And it\u2019s easy to see why most of that salt comes from processed food when you look at nutrition labels and multiply out to a reasonable serving size. A DiGiorno\u2019s Original Rising Crust Four Cheese pizza, for instance, says it has 670 milligrams of sodium in one-sixth of a pizza. Assuming that you\u2019re a normal human who is going to eat more than one slice of a small frozen pizza, you\u2019re actually going to take in more like 2,000 milligrams of sodium in one sitting. A single can of Campbell\u2019s Tomato Soup has 1,200 milligrams of salt. A Stouffer\u2019s Macaroni & Cheese for one has 1,720 milligrams. Eating any one of these foods would get you to about your healthy limit of salt for the day, and well beyond the 500 milligrams that you actually need for your body to function properly. The good news for folks looking to cut back on salt is that you can lose your taste for salty food. Though even babies love the taste of sugar, humans have to learn to love salt, and that means we can reverse the craving. But good luck changing your palate by hiding your salt shaker. In 2010, when the Institute of Medicine issued guidelines on how to reduce sodium intake, they specifically cited processed products as the main barrier to decreasing people\u2019s preference for salty food. The authors of the report noted that \u201ccontinued exposure to high levels of salt in the food supply likely reinforces the preference for a higher level of intake,\u201d and that \u201cthe environment promotes adaptation to a higher salt preference, even for individuals who prefer a low sodium dietary pattern, because it is difficult for them to sustain avoidance of inadvertent consumption of foods with high amounts of added salt.\u201d But food manufacturers aren\u2019t likely to lower their products\u2019 sodium content voluntarily. The simple fact is that salt makes processed food taste good. In Salt, Sugar, Fat author Michael Moss discusses how companies use salt as \u201cthe great fixer.\u201d Lots of processed food tastes genuinely bad without loads of salt. To prove it, some researchers at Kellogg made versions of their most popular products with no salt. Moss wrote that \u201cThe Corn Flakes tasted like metal filings, the Eggo frozen waffles like straw. Cheez-Its lost their golden yellow hue, turning a sickly yellow, and they went all gummy when chewed. The buttery flavor of the Keebler Town House Light Buttery Crackers, which contained no actual butter to start with, simply disappeared.\u201d They even showed the drop-off point. Oscar Meyer ham tastes okay with 37 percent of the salt removed, but drop it by another 3 percent and Moss wrote it tastes \u201clike rubber.\u201d No company is going to put out a ham that tastes bad, even if it\u2019s better for their customers\u2019 health. And that means it\u2019s up to you to simply not buy those products in the first place. Without salty, processed foods in your diet, you will learn how to appreciate foods with less sodium. Soon those same products will taste unbearably salty. You won\u2019t even want to eat them. All the while, you can keep using that salt shaker. Even when told to add as much as they wanted, people in that 1991 study only added around 800 milligrams, well below even the 1,500-milligram ideal level of sodium intake. Shake it all you want. ","teaser":" It's not de salt, it's DiGiorno (and other processed foods). Most of the salt you consume doesn't look like this. Pixabay More than 4 out of every 10 Americans are avoiding salt, but a lot of us are doing it wrong. We often think that to reduce our sodium intake, we should nix the","ss_name":"Sara Chodosh","tos_name":"Sara Chodosh","ss_name_formatted":"Sara Chodosh","tos_name_formatted":"Sara Chodosh","is_uid":1530,"bs_status":true,"bs_sticky":false,"bs_promote":true,"is_tnid":0,"bs_translate":false,"ds_created":"2018-08-14T12:00:00Z","ds_changed":"2018-08-14T12:00:01Z","ds_last_comment_or_change":"2018-08-14T12:00:01Z","bs_field_sponsored":false,"bs_field_display_social":true,"bs_field_custom_page":false,"bs_field_feed_builder_exclusion":false,"bs_field_display_author_bio":true,"bs_field_display_bottom_recirc":true,"bs_use_sir_trevor_body":true,"bs_field_flag_gallery":false,"bs_field_flag_video":false,"bs_field_display_off_ramp":true,"bs_in_nps":false,"bs_use_sir_trevor_custom_page":true,"bs_field_x90_hide":false,"bs_field_last_updated":false,"bs_field_exclude_from_cl":false,"bs_field_exclude_third_parties":false,"ts_bonnier_summary":"
More than 4 out of every 10 Americans are avoiding salt, but a lot of us are doing it wrong. We often think that to reduce our sodium intake, we should nix the shaker.<\/div>","ts_bonnier_summary_long":"
More than 4 out of every 10 Americans are avoiding salt, but a lot of us are doing it wrong. We often think that to reduce our sodium intake, we should nix the shaker. The reality is that even if you could stand to eliminate every grain of salt that you add in your kitchen, you\u2019d only get rid…<\/div>","ts_bonnier_eyebrow":"
Health<\/a><\/div>","timestamp":"2018-08-14T12:00:02.459Z","bm_field_display_off_ramp":[true],"sm_field_image":["https:\/\/www.popsci.com\/sites\/popsci.com\/files\/styles\/325_4x3\/public\/images\/2018\/08\/salt_crystals.jpg?itok=RNwKrrmx&fc=50,50"],"bm_use_sir_trevor_custom_page":[true],"bm_field_sponsored":[false],"bm_field_flag_gallery":[false],"bm_field_custom_page":[false],"bm_field_flag_video":[false],"bm_field_display_bottom_recirc":[true],"bm_use_sir_trevor_body":[true],"bm_field_x90_hide":[false],"tid":[214887,208010,205300,201828,200299,212430,223472],"sm_field_layout_standard":["right-sidebar"],"sm_field_primary_channel":["health"],"tm_vid_2_names":["Sara Chodosh"],"tm_vid_1_names":["salt nutrition heart health blood pressure food Health"],"spell":["Most of your sodium isn't coming from your salt shaker"," It's not de salt, it's DiGiorno (and other processed foods). Most of the salt you consume doesn't look like this. Pixabay More than 4 out of every 10 Americans are avoiding salt, but a lot of us are doing it wrong. We often think that to reduce our sodium intake, we should nix the shaker. The reality is that even if the average American could stand to eliminate every grain of salt they added in the kitchen, they\u2019d only get rid of about 11 percent of their total intake. The science is also a bit contentious on whether you need to reduce your salt intake in the first place. One recent study in the journal The Lancet claimed the current recommended salt intake of 5 grams per day is perfectly safe, and that there was no need to push people to reduce as much as possible. Other cardiovascular health researchers have criticized the study, noting that a 2016 paper by the same authors had similar fundamental problems, none of which were taken into account in this more recent one. For instance, both studies found that people who ate the least salt had a higher risk of death, which the authors argued indicated that a moderate sodium intake is actually helpful. They failed to acknowledge that perhaps people with health problems were the ones taking in the least salt, at the recommendation of their doctors, and that these people are also more likely to die. There is certainly plenty of research that shows salt intake is associated with high blood pressure, and countries like Japan and the United Kingdom that have managed to reduce their average intake have seen corresponding drops in rates of strokes. But let\u2019s assume that you\u2019re set on cutting down your salt intake. Maybe your doctor has strongly recommended it (which should mean a lot more than a single study on the subject). Perhaps you know you\u2019re eating much more salt than the daily recommended intake, making the findings of this latest study moot. Either way, you might be tempted to throw out your salt shaker and call it a day\u2014which is a mistake. One of the big challenges in reducing how much salt we all eat is the fact that sodium is insidious. We think of our daily salt intake as however much we add as we cook, or the amount we shake out at the table. Some institutions, like the American Heart Association, list recommendations like cooking pasta without salt, or using onions to boost flavor instead of salted seasonings. But alongside those fairly easy-to-take suggestions is a much more important statistic: 71 percent of the average American's salt intake comes from outside their home. Let\u2019s break that down for a second. It\u2019s quite challenging to understand real dietary patterns. Often, studies rely on participants keeping careful logs of everything they eat, then estimating individual nutrient intakes based on the listed foods. Two studies in particular, however, have used more clever methods. A 2017 study used a combination of a dietary log and salt samples. Participants were asked to not only write down everything they ate, but to also shake the same amount of salt that they added to their food (both as they cooked or onto their plates) into sample bags. The researchers then measured those samples to see how much salt each person was adding themselves. They found that just five percent of total sodium intake happened at the table, and six percent got added during food prep. That\u2019s 11 percent total, which is less than the 14 percent of salt that\u2019s inherent in our food. Even fresh fruits and veggies have sodium. An apple has 2 milligrams. A cup of tomato has 10 milligrams. Those individual items add up, but processed and pre-prepared food blows nature sources out of the water. Some 71 percent of the average person\u2019s daily salt intake comes from processed food and restaurants. Those numbers are slightly different than an earlier study. In 1991, researchers at the Monell Chemical Senses Center gave subjects special salt shakers, one for table use and one for cooking. Everyone was instructed to carry the table use shaker everywhere, such that any salt they personally added to their food would come from that source. At the end of every week, researchers weighed each shaker to determine how much the person consumed from each shaker. They also double-checked their work by attaching a tracer molecule to the sodium. This tracer enabled the scientists to determine how much of each person\u2019s salt intake came from that shaker, because the way you measure salt intake is in pee. All you have to do is measure how much sodium is in urine, then figure out the fraction that\u2019s got the chemical tracer\u2014that\u2019s how much salt they\u2019re adding. Everything else comes from outside their house. They found that 77 percent of the participants\u2019 sodium came from processed food, 11.6 percent was inherent, 6.2 percent came from the table, and 5.1 percent came from cooking. That\u2019s quite close to the more modern estimates, especially considering that dietary patterns may have changed in the intervening years. So where is this 71-77 percent of salt coming from? Restaurants certainly take some blame, as they tend to use salt and fat in higher doses than most home cooks do, but the biggest culprit is processed food. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day, and would ideally like to see us each get down to 1,500 milligrams. That\u2019s about three-quarters of a teaspoon. Most Americans actually consume around 3,400 milligrams. And it\u2019s easy to see why most of that salt comes from processed food when you look at nutrition labels and multiply out to a reasonable serving size. A DiGiorno\u2019s Original Rising Crust Four Cheese pizza, for instance, says it has 670 milligrams of sodium in one-sixth of a pizza. Assuming that you\u2019re a normal human who is going to eat more than one slice of a small frozen pizza, you\u2019re actually going to take in more like 2,000 milligrams of sodium in one sitting. A single can of Campbell\u2019s Tomato Soup has 1,200 milligrams of salt. A Stouffer\u2019s Macaroni & Cheese for one has 1,720 milligrams. Eating any one of these foods would get you to about your healthy limit of salt for the day, and well beyond the 500 milligrams that you actually need for your body to function properly. The good news for folks looking to cut back on salt is that you can lose your taste for salty food. Though even babies love the taste of sugar, humans have to learn to love salt, and that means we can reverse the craving. But good luck changing your palate by hiding your salt shaker. In 2010, when the Institute of Medicine issued guidelines on how to reduce sodium intake, they specifically cited processed products as the main barrier to decreasing people\u2019s preference for salty food. The authors of the report noted that \u201ccontinued exposure to high levels of salt in the food supply likely reinforces the preference for a higher level of intake,\u201d and that \u201cthe environment promotes adaptation to a higher salt preference, even for individuals who prefer a low sodium dietary pattern, because it is difficult for them to sustain avoidance of inadvertent consumption of foods with high amounts of added salt.\u201d But food manufacturers aren\u2019t likely to lower their products\u2019 sodium content voluntarily. The simple fact is that salt makes processed food taste good. In Salt, Sugar, Fat author Michael Moss discusses how companies use salt as \u201cthe great fixer.\u201d Lots of processed food tastes genuinely bad without loads of salt. To prove it, some researchers at Kellogg made versions of their most popular products with no salt. Moss wrote that \u201cThe Corn Flakes tasted like metal filings, the Eggo frozen waffles like straw. Cheez-Its lost their golden yellow hue, turning a sickly yellow, and they went all gummy when chewed. The buttery flavor of the Keebler Town House Light Buttery Crackers, which contained no actual butter to start with, simply disappeared.\u201d They even showed the drop-off point. Oscar Meyer ham tastes okay with 37 percent of the salt removed, but drop it by another 3 percent and Moss wrote it tastes \u201clike rubber.\u201d No company is going to put out a ham that tastes bad, even if it\u2019s better for their customers\u2019 health. And that means it\u2019s up to you to simply not buy those products in the first place. Without salty, processed foods in your diet, you will learn how to appreciate foods with less sodium. Soon those same products will taste unbearably salty. You won\u2019t even want to eat them. All the while, you can keep using that salt shaker. Even when told to add as much as they wanted, people in that 1991 study only added around 800 milligrams, well below even the 1,500-milligram ideal level of sodium intake. Shake it all you want. ","salt nutrition heart health blood pressure food Health","Sara Chodosh","