Tips For Reducing Salt Intake

Tips For Reducing Salt Intake.. Salt comes in several forms such as the unrefined sea salt, coarse salt, iodized salt with iodine added or the common table salt with an anti-caking agent added. Salt we consume daily is often the refined ‘table salt’. 

It is now commonly used for seasoning and preservation but served as a medium of exchange and taxes in the past! What is the difference between salt and sodium? How does salt affect your health? And how can you reduce its consumption?

Salt is essential for life. It maintains the proper hydration of the body by retaining water in the tissues and bodily fluids. Do not try to completely banish from your diet as the lack of it carries the risk of dehydration, suffering from alterations in the nervous system, hypotension (low blood pressure), muscle cramps or kidney failure.

 

On the contrary, the overconsumption of salt can lead to hypertension, which itself is a risk factor for strokes and kidney diseases. Every day, your body loses 2-3 g of salt through the urine and sweat. Your diet should at least cover the loss. The World Health Organization recommends not to exceed 5-6 g per day.. But an average person consumes well above that in Western countries.

What is the difference between salt and sodium?

On the labels of packaged foods on supermarkets you often see “salt”, ” sodium” or both. But what is the difference? Table salt contains sodium chloride, including a sodium atom (Na +) and a chlorine atom (Cl). The ratio between the salt and the sodium is 1 g of salt = 400 mg of sodium. Thus, to determine the salt content of a food item, multiply the value of sodium on the package by 2.54. Now you see how salty many foods are?!

In your diet, you have three main sources of salt:

• Table salt, which is added during meal preparation or eating.

• The salt content in naturally salty foods (fish, mineral water).

• The added salt in processed bread, meat, cheese, soups, ready meals, soups, canned foods, sauces, crackers… And this group of salt makes up 70% of your salt intake.

So here are some tips for reducing salt intake:

– Replace salt with spices and herbs in your cooking.

– Prefer homemade meals to ready meals.

– Eat less crackers and sweets.

– Avoid very salty feta cheeses, camembert, roquefort, halloumi..

– Do not add salt to your dish before tasting it.

– Try and eat ‘foods without salt’ regularly.

– Do not have a heavy hand while preparing your meal.

– Drink water with a low sodium content. The sparkling waters are usually high in sodium. Feel free to compare labels and choose the lower sodium varieties.

– Reduce your intake of meats like salami, chorizo etc. and replace them with ham.

– Do not put the salt shaker on the table, you’ll be less tempted to add.

– Check labels and choose products with the lowest sodium content.

You need to reduce your salt intake gradually to see results. This is always the way to get rid of bad habits.

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