Too much salt is a risk factor for several health complications
Doctors always advise us against overconsumption of salt and sugar as these lead to impairment of major body organs, metabolic health disorders and overall health crisis.
In a recent episode of Science in 5, Dr Francesco Branca, the Director of the Department of Nutrition for Health and Development in the World Health Organization, Geneva, has explained how much salt one should consume, how high salt diet poses risk and other alarming health risks posed by consumption of salts.
Health risks excessive salt consumption causes
Consuming high amounts of salts causes high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke.
Eating lots of salt deprives your body of calcium and hence weakens bones.
Those who consume lots of salt suffer from water retention and appear to be bloated and puffy.
Several studies have linked excessive salt consumption with stomach cancer.
"Most of us are consuming too much salt"
The WHO expert recommends not consuming more than 5 grams of salt in a day.
Most of us are consuming too much salt, says Dr Branca.
"The WHO recommends not to consume more than 5 grams of salt every day, which is roughly half of what on average people consume in the world. You can get salt from what you add to foods at home, or you can get salt from the manufacture of products," he adds.
Manufactured foods contain the largest amount of salt
Dr Branca highlights an important and ruthless truth of the commercial food market that manufactures ready to foods mostly. Since many people survive on those markets it is crucial to understand what you are eating.
"In many high income countries, the largest amount of salt comes from manufactured food. About 80% comes from manufactured food, such as bread, cheeses, preserved meat, but also high salt snacks, and food consumed out of home," says Dr Branca.
A bag of chips contains half the salt we need in an entire day
The expert explains that foods consumed out of home have more salt in it.
"Normally the same preparation that we consume at home has less salt than the one that is produced in a restaurant, for example. Just to give you an example, if you take an average bag of chips of 150 grams, only that bag of chips contains half of the salt we're supposed to consume every day," he says.
As per health reports, a single serving of potato chips contain 170 milligrams of sodium.
The expert recommends cutting down salt intake in a gradual manner
"You can progressively reduce salt in your diet and adjust your taste. It will take a few weeks, but eventually you will be able to reduce your salt intake," suggests Dr Branca.
He recommends adding less salt to food while cooking and if taste gets compromised add some seasoning like lemon juice.
"We can also decide to buy less of the food that contains a high amount of salt i.e. of processed food. We can buy certain options less frequently. We can also buy alternatives," he suggests.
Instead of salty snacks, he recommends eating fruits and vegetables which not only cut off the salt intake but also enrich the body with essential minerals.
COVID XBB 1.16 variant: Tracker finds high cases in India, know the symptoms
Start a Conversation
Post comment