Salt

. -- When the first thief drove off with nearly a ton of rock salt last month, pilfered from a road de-icing firm's supply stored behind a strip mall, local police officers in this affluent Chicago northwestern suburb were flabbergasted. "It was so strange," said Buffalo Grove Police Commander Steve Husak. "Salt?" Then, as winter storms continued to bombard the Midwest with snow and sleet, there were reports of a second salt heist.

An explosion of natural, artisanal salts in a rainbow of colors has been elbowing aside the stark white, fine-grain variety known as table salt in markets and restaurants across the country. Chefs and foodies admire the gourmet seasonings -- including Himalayan, Hawaiian, Bali, pink, gray, black and flake salts -- for the color, flavor and texture they add to food.

Ah, salt. It gives personality to chips, balance to bread and flavor to scrambled eggs, guacamole, tomato sauce and just about everything else that comes in a can, jar or squeeze bottle. Salt is such a mealtime staple it can be hard to imagine life without a shaker on the table. But as far back as the 1960s, physicians linked salt to high blood pressure, a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke.

Looking to take a pass on at least some salt? A growing number of food companies are coming out with lower-sodium products. Food giant ConAgra recently introduced a line of Orville Redenbacher's popcorn, Smart Pop!

Consuming less salt can not only lower blood pressure, but also may reduce the risk of heart disease overall, researchers reported. They found that people with borderline-high blood pressure who reduced their sodium intake by 25% to 35% lowered their risk of total cardiovascular disease by 25%. And this lower risk lasted 10 to 15 years. Dr.

Hutchinson, Kan. The nation's longest grain elevator -- nearly half a mile long -- loomed nearby as I pulled into the parking lot of the new Kansas Underground Salt Museum. Elevators had been on my mind lately, but not the kind that held grain. To reach the underground museum -- located 650 feet below the surface in salt deposits formed millions of years ago -- I had to ride an elevator that descended 65 stories into the earth.

Best known for deciding whether medications are safe and effective, the Food and Drug Administration is weighing whether to crack down on plain old salt, which doctors say is harmful in the quantities most Americans consume. At a hearing today, the agency will begin collecting expert testimony on the role excess salt in the diet plays in causing high blood pressure, heart disease and strokes.

The nation's largest doctors group is pushing for new warning labels. Only these labels aren't for drugs -- they're for food. The American Medical Assn. has voted to urge the government to require high-salt foods to be labeled and has vowed to push the food industry to drastically cut the amount of salt in restaurant and processed foods. The goal would be 50% less salt within a decade.

Because blood pressure rises with age, the number of Americans with high blood pressure is expected to increase as the large baby boomer population edges past 60. Already, more than 30% of adults, an estimated 65 million Americans, have the condition, which increases the risk of stroke, kidney disease and heart problems. Ultimately, 90% of U.S. adults 55 and older are poised to develop it.