Perhaps it’s the Olympics, perhaps it’s that dreaded Valentines day again, but I’ve had to turn my attention to matters of the heart of late. Pumping away, I tend only to give it thought when struggling up hills on the cross-country ski trails.

As someone who tries to eat a reasonably healthy diet, a recent conversation with Diane Krecsy of the Alberta Heart and Stroke Foundation gave me some food for thought. Of course she mentions that heart disease is the top killer of men AND women in the country, with numbers that make cancer look like an obscure ailment. Salt intake, exercise, weight and stress are all contributing factors to the health of our heart.

I’m aware my job is stressful and my exercise routine needs a kick start, but salt was the one that stopped me. I never thought to check my salt intake until last week, but now that I have, I have to clean out the cupboards. Food I once thought was healthy, and was packaged and promoted as such, had Dead Sea levels of sodium. I’m no expert, but there’s no way I’d want to eat multiple tablespoons of salt with every meal, but I’ve been doing just that.

We are also hopelessly addicted. Scientists believe that many of our bodies are hard wired to crave foods with high fat and sugar levels as part of a survival technique. In times of food shortage, we needed to store fat. Sugars and salty foods allowed us to do that. Food researchers have been able to exploit this need, creating chemical concoctions that tap into our primitive cravings for sweet and salty foods.

A recent study reported by The Toronto Star notes that while Canadians are trying to make healthier food choices, they are still consuming a high number of convenience foods. You know what they are - warm in the oven for 20 minutes and feed the family. Yet these are the same foods that are extremely high in salt.

Big food producers are aware Canadians are craving healthier diets, so they’ve repackaged many of their meals with a few high end ingredients in order to meet this need. But just because your pizza now has more exotic olives or organic tomatoes doesn’t mean it’s a healthy choice.

A push for locally-grown foods and more cooking appears to be the solution. However work/life balance doesn’t always allow for such time. The availability of fresh produce also presents a problem.

Krecsy is pushing for tougher food labelling requirements for salt. The industry is well versed in fighting labelling requirements (still no genetically modified stickers on our produce), yet with a wealth of science and some public will, educating the nation about salt intake is the ethical thing to do.

Now about those other matters of the heart...