Food giant cutting salt content

Economic suicide in pursuit of a chimera. People LIKE salt so many will buy other brands. Salt is also a major preservative so Unilever will have to use more of other preservatives -- and wait for the shrieks about that! Then they will have to cut the preservatives. Then people start dying of food poisoning. Then Unilever gets hit with huge wrongful death lawsuits. Unilever managers are betting the company on this. I'm glad I'm not a shareholder

FOOD giant Unilever said it would cut the salt in almost all its 22,000 products, claiming it was the first to set comprehensive salt reduction goals to boost public health. "Unilever's aim is to reduce the salt content of its products by the end of 2010 to help people reach the daily recommended dietary intake of six grams (of) salt per person," the company statement said.

Unilver's Australian brands include Continental, Flora and Streets.

A further reduction would lower this to five grams by 2015 in line with World Health Organisation guidelines. "Unilever is the first food company that sets worldwide goals for salt reduction across its entire product range," the company claimed.

Marketing vice-president Gaby Vreeken described the plan as "ambitious", but said it could and should be done to prevent cardiovascular disease and deaths attributed to high salt intake. "The challenge lies in achieving these results without compromising on the flavour, quality and shelf life of our products," said Ms Vreeken. The company said it would use other spices and aromatic herbs.

About 75 per cent of total salt intake comes from processed foods like bread, cheese, meat, sauces and soups.

"Consumers will be more likely to adapt their taste preference to lower levels of salt if the food industry as a whole reduces salt levels," said Unilever.

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The fast food junkie who ate nothing but McDonald's and lost weight

It's not the usual diet recommended to drop those stubborn remaining pounds, but Doug Logeais ate only McDonald's for a month and lost weight. The 40-year-old was determined to get rid of the flab, but also wanted to treat himself by eating at his favourite fast-food restaurant - albeit the healthy option. And amazingly after sticking with his bizarre diet for 30 days, he lost 15lbs - shedding more than half in the first week alone.

'I've tried every diet in the book, but the only way for me to lose weight was eating at McDonald's every day,' said Logeais, who had no involvement from the fast food giant in his experiment. 'I'm not kidding - only McDonald's, 30 days, breakfast, lunch and dinner. 'The slogan at McDonalds is 'I'm Lovin' It'. For me it's 'I'm Losin' It' because the weight just came right off,' he added.

Logeais's experience is in stark contrast to that of filmmaker Morgan Spurlock. In his famous 2004 documentary, Super Size Me, Spurlock limited himself to eat only McDonald's food for 30 days. As a result the 32-year-old Spurlock gained 24-and-a-half pounds, a 13 per cent body mass increase and experienced mood swings, sexual dysfunction and liver damage. [But Spurlock gorged himself]

Fortunately for Logeais, from San Diego, California, he was able to overcome his lifelong battle with the bulge. 'I've struggled with my weight my whole life and if someone said something worked for them I would try it the next day,' he said. 'But ultimately it just wouldn't work for me. I've been carrying about 30 extra pounds for about eight years and I couldn't get rid of it no matter what I tried.

'Right after I turned 40 I knew I had to lose some weight - I looked on the internet and checked my BMI, my Body Mass Index, and because I'm 5ft 9in and weighed about 215 pounds it said I was obese. 'I knew I had to do something different.'

Part of his problem had been that every time he went on a diet he was unable to avoid the pull of stepping into his favourite fast-food chain, so he came up with a solution. 'I thought if I could actually eat at McDonalds and lose weight I'd incorporate the best of both worlds - I'm eating at my favourite place and I'm losing weight. So that's where this whole project started,' he said.

Key to his diet was that although he was dining in a fast-food chain he was being very careful with what he actually consumed - with occasional treats. 'I would always go for the healthier option, but I would once in a while go for a chocolate chip cookie or the chicken McNuggets. Those are great. 'But everything in moderation. If you go in there you don't always have to order a Big Mac with large fries. The whole thing is everything in moderation. 'There is good food in almost any restaurant you go in to,' he added.

But there was one food that made it particularly hard to stick to. 'The place smells like French fries - and I love 'em, they have the best fries - but I haven't had French fries in 30 days. 'They have a great breakfast burrito, with sausage and egg,' he said of his diet choices.

'For lunch I would have either a grilled chicken snack wrap or a side salad. 'And for dinner I would always go for one of their larger salads.

However it wasn't just all down to following a McDonald's diet. 'You can't just eat this and lose weight - you have to exercise as well,' he said. 'There's a lot of cardio that went into this, and a lot of sit-ups as well. I am doing an hour of cardio in the morning, which is either running up a mountain or working out with a trainer three times a week.'

Ultimately, he insists that as quirky as his diet exercise may first sound, it all comes down to basic principles. 'There's no secret here - it's all about diet and exercise,' he added.

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