⇒5 BEST WAYS TO LIMIT YOUR SALT INTAKE
- The focus this year on World Salt Awareness Week (12–18 March) is on simple steps you may take to minimize salt in your diet. It’s amazing how much salt we consume throughout the course of a day.
- Most of us are aware that consuming too much sodium (salt) is bad for our health, but we typically believe that we should be more careful as we age.
- Unfortunately, this is not the case; excessive salt consumption throughout childhood raises blood pressure, which continues into adulthood and later life, increasing our risk of heart disease and stroke. It’s a good idea for people of all ages to consider how they can limit their salt intake.
- Adult New Zealanders should consume no more than 6 grams of salt per day from all food sources. This is the equivalent of 1 teaspoon every day, though it is easy to consume more. Keep in mind that youngsters should consume less salt than adults and it is determined by their age.
- We already consume 1.5 teaspoons of salt each day, which is one and a half times the maximum amount suggested. The majority of this is derived from the processed and manufactured foods we purchase.
World salt awareness
The theme of World Salt Awareness Week 2018 is to reduce our salt intake. Here are some pointers to get you started.
5 ways to cut down on your daily salt intake
1. Choose whole, unprocessed foods and eat plenty of vegetables and fruit
- The key to a heart-healthy eating pattern is to focus on whole, minimally processed foods with plenty of fruits and vegetables. These foods contain less sodium than processed foods. The more processing there is, the more probable salt has been added.
- When you go grocery shopping, around 40% of your cart should be loaded with fruits and vegetables. Fruit and vegetables can be eaten fresh, frozen, or tinned. Always drain the brine (salty water) from canned veggies.
2. Check food labels before you buy to help you choose less salty options
- When you start comparing items, you’ll be surprised at how much sodium content varies amongst them.
- Use the Nutrition Information Panel on food labels to locate items with the least sodium per 100g.
- When reading food labels, remember that little is more! Choose items with the lowest salt content per 100g.
- Compare salty foods (such as processed meats and sauces), as well as packaged meals that you consume frequently (like bread and breakfast cereals). Although these foods have a low sodium content, they can add a lot of salt to our diets, which can soon add up (i.e. eating several slices of bread per day).
3. Take salt and salty sauces off the table so younger family members won’t develop the habit of adding salt
- Tomato sauce, mustard, barbecue sauce, chutneys, and soy sauces all have a lot of salt in them. Before we ever pick up a salt shaker or smother our meal in tomato sauce, most of us have probably consumed more salt than is advised in packaged foods.
- Children develop early tastes and dietary habits. While children are exposed to salty meals when they are young, they are more likely to develop a predilection for salty foods as adults. Removing table salt and salty sauces from the table will help minimize your dependency on sauces to add flavor to meals.
- What about sauces that are lower in salt? Some brands may have caught your attention. Reduced salt variants of sauce are available, such as ’35 percent less salt tomato sauce.’ If your family like sauce, these are fine options to look for, but keep in mind that these sauces contain ‘reduced’ salt but are still not ‘low’ in salt.
4. Use herbs, spices, garlic and citrus in place of salt to add flavour to your food during cooking and at the table
- Although processed and packaged foods contain the majority of the salt we consume, herbs, spices, citrus (lemon or lime zest), sauces, and vinegar can readily replace salt in your meals. Remember that salt is disguised in items like stock, soy sauce, and miso, so go easy on these and seek lower/reduced salt versions if they’re available.
- Reduce the salt in your favorite recipes gradually; your taste buds will adjust.
- Click here for dish ideas that include a variety of herbs, spices, and other flavorful ingredients.
5. Cut back on processed meats, smoked foods and salty takeaways
- Cutting back on salty foods and opting for more whole, minimally processed foods is another simple strategy to lower our salt intake.
- Salt is abundant in processed meats such as ham, bacon, sausages, luncheon, tinned corned beef, smoked chicken, and smoked fish. To cut down on salt, alternate processed and smoked meats with sandwich ingredients like chicken, tuna, egg, and hummus.
- Takeout is much more expensive than home prepared meals, and it frequently contains more salt. Make similar dishes at home as an alternative. If you order takeout one day a week, limit your salt intake for the remainder of the week.
AS PER STUDIES,
- High sodium intake (>2 grams per day, or 5 grams of salt per day) and low potassium intake (less than 3.5 grams per day) both contribute to high blood pressure and raise the risk of heart disease and stroke.
- Although sodium glutamate, which is used as a condiment in many regions of the world, is the most common source of sodium in our diet, it can also come from salt.
- The majority of Americans consume far too much salt—on average, 9–12 grams per day, or about twice the recommended daily limit.
- Adults who consume fewer than 5 grams of salt per day had a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and coronary heart attack. The primary advantage of reducing salt intake is a reduction in high blood pressure.
- The WHO Member States have reached an agreement.
- by 2025, the global population’s salt intake will be reduced by 30 percent.
- One of the most cost-effective actions countries can take to enhance population health outcomes is to reduce salt intake. For a cost that is less than the average yearly income or gross domestic product per person, key salt reduction methods will provide an extra year of healthy life.
- If worldwide salt consumption was decreased to the recommended amount, an estimated 2.5 million fatalities may be avoided each year.
- Dietary habits are shifting due to increased manufacturing of more and more processed foods, growing urbanization, and changing lifestyles. Highly processed foods are becoming more widely available and more inexpensive.
- People are eating more energy-dense meals that are heavy in saturated fats, trans fats, sugars, and salt all over the world. Salt is the most common source of sodium, and excessive salt consumption has been linked to hypertension, heart disease, and stroke.
- Simultaneously, when people’s eating habits change, they consume less fruits and vegetables, as well as less dietary fibre (such as whole grains), both of which are essential components of a balanced diet. Potassium is found in fruits and vegetables, and it helps to lower blood pressure.
- Salt in the diet can come from a variety of sources, including processed foods. either they are high in salt (for example, ready meals, processed meats like bacon, ham, and salami, cheese, salty snack foods, and quick noodles), or because they are taken in significant quantities often (such as bread and processed cereal products).
- Salt is also added to food while it is being prepared (bouillon and stock cubes) or at the table (soy sauce, fish sauce and table salt).
- Consumers should study food labels and choose low-sodium items, as some manufacturers are reformulating recipes to minimize the salt level of their products.
♣ Recommendations for salt reduction
- For adults: WHO recommends that adults consume less than 5 g (just under a teaspoon) of salt per day (1).
- For children: WHO recommends that the recommended maximum intake of salt for adults be adjusted downward for children aged two to 15 years based on their energy requirements relative to those of adults. This recommendation for children does not address the period of exclusive breastfeeding (0–6 months) or the period of complementary feeding with continued breastfeeding (6–24 months).
- All salt that is consumed should be iodized or “fortified” with iodine, which is essential for healthy brain development in the fetus and young child and optimizing people’s mental function in general.
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♣ About salt, sodium and potassium
- Important information
- High sodium intake (>2 grams per day, or 5 grams of salt per day) and low potassium intake (less than 3.5 grams per day) both contribute to high blood pressure and raise the risk of heart disease and stroke.
- Although sodium glutamate, which is used as a condiment in many regions of the world, is the most common source of sodium in our diet, it can also come from salt.
- The majority of Americans consume far too much salt—on average, 9–12 grams per day, or about twice the recommended daily limit.
- Adults who consume fewer than 5 grams of salt per day had a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and coronary heart attack.
- The primary advantage of reducing salt intake is a reduction in high blood pressure.
- Members of the WHO states that,Sodium glutamate, a food ingredient used in many regions of the world, also contains sodium.
Potassium is a mineral that is necessary for maintaining total body fluid volume, acid-base balance, and appropriate cell activity. - Potassium can be found in a wide range of unprocessed foods, particularly fruits and vegetables.Adults with higher potassium intake had lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure
♣ How to Cut Salt from Your Diet?
- Government policies and strategies should promote conditions that allow people to eat enough safe and nutritious foods to maintain a healthy diet, which includes a minimal salt intake. It is both a societal and an individual responsibility to improve food habits. It necessitates a population-based, multi-sectoral, and culturally sensitive strategy.
- The following are some of the most important salt-reduction strategies:
- government initiatives, such as fiscal policy and regulation, to ensure that Consumer awareness and empowerment of populations through social marketing and mobilization to raise awareness of the need to reduce salt intake consumption; working with the private sector to improve the availability and accessibility of low-salt products; working with the private sector to improve the availability and accessibility of low-salt products;
- fostering a salt-reduction environment through local policy initiatives and the promotion of “healthy food” in places like schools, workplaces, communities, and cities;
- To inform policy decisions, researchers are tracking population salt intake, dietary salt sources, and consumer knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to salt.
- Programs that encourage salt reduction and fortification with vitamins and minerals.
Misperceptions about salt reduction
- When it’s hot and humid outside, you need more salt in your diet:” Even on a hot and humid day, there is minimal salt lost through sweat, so there is no need for more salt, though it is necessary to drink plenty of water.
- Simply because it is ‘natural,’ sea salt is not ‘better’ than produced salt.” It is the sodium in salt, not the source, that produces negative health effects.
- “Salt added to food isn’t the primary source of salt intake.” Processed foods account for about 80% of salt consumption in many nations.
- “To have a pleasant flavor, food does not require salt.” It takes a while for a person’s taste buds to adjust, but it is possible
- When people are habituated to eating less salt, they are more likely to enjoy meals and perceive a wider variety of flavors.
- “Without salt, food has no flavor.” While this may be true at initially, your taste buds will quickly adjust to less salt, and you will be more likely to appreciate meals with less salt and more flavor.
- ‘Salty foods have a salty flavor.” Some high-salt dishes don’t taste especially salty because they’re blended with other ingredients like sweets to conceal the flavor. It is critical to study food labels to determine salt content.
- “Only the elderly need be concerned about their salt intake:” Blood pressure can be raised by eating too much salt at any age.
- “Salt reduction could help. “be detrimental to my health:” Because so many ordinary foods include salt, it’s impossible to eat too little of it.
The WHO’s answer
- The World Health Organization’s salt and potassium guidelines establish safe intake levels.
- The guidelines also detail how to improve diets and avoid NCDs in both adults and children.
- The World Health Assembly adopted the “Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity, and Health” in 2004. (WHA).
- It urges governments, the World Health Organization, international partners, the commercial sector, and civil society to support healthy diets and physical activity at the global, regional, and local levels.
- The World Health Organization (WHA) approved a series of recommendations in 2010 on the marketing of foods and non-alcoholic beverages to children.
- These guidelines assist governments in developing new policies and enhancing current ones to reduce the negative impact of unhealthy food marketing on children. A nutrient database is also being developed by WHO.