Spot the Salt & More Monkey Business

We found ourselves back in Topeka for a Sodium Workshop presented by KDHE, Heartland Healthy Neighborhoods and the Shawnee County Health Agency as a part of their Spot the Salt project, a county-wide project aimed at helping the citizens of Shawnee County decrease heart disease and stroke by reducing the amount of sodium they consume.  

The workshop was attended by a number of businesses.  We were happy to see some familiar faces from our WorkWell KS group! This is a real life example of businesses coming together to support community transformation.   We were also happy the workshop took place in the Topeka Zoo! We were able to take a physical activity break during the workshop to visit the new baby orangutan. Talk about motivation to get up and move! That little guy was adorable, as where the other critters!

Part of the WorkWell KS Team. We just couldn't help ourselves. 

Why in the world focus on salt? About 90 percent of Americans eat more sodium than is recommended for a healthy diet. Too much sodium increases a person’s risk for high blood pressure. High blood pressure often leads to heart disease and stroke. More than 800,000 people die each year from heart disease, stroke and other vascular diseases, costing the nation $273 billion in health care in 2010. 

Employers have an opportunity to address sodium at the worksite or include it as a part of their strategic worksite wellness plan as a way to address both healthy foods and chronic diseases. What are your goals? What do you want to achieve? Does sodium reduction need to be a part of your strategy?

Vegetarian options on the Zoo's concessions menu!

Interested in the work Shawnee County is doing? Wanting more information? Check out their website! http://spotthesalt.com/

The Topeka Zoo was a fantastic location for the sodium workshop.  Not just because we were able to hold a baby alligator and see a newborn orangutan, but because they are leading by example in this work.  They have completely revised their concession's menu to include healthy options.  They want employees and patrons to have access to quality foods. We were very excited to see and sample their new menu!

On to our next adventure!