Stay away from excess salt in your diet

The theme for the World Salt Awareness Week (March 12-18) this year is ‘5 Ways to 5 Grams’. The daily limit recommended for adults is not more than five gm salt in a day, but almost everyone has more than what is advised.
There is too much intake of salt.

There are many hidden sources of salt which make it unnecessary to add more salt to them. Even foods that don’t necessarily taste salty, have salt present in it. Foods like bread, pasta, canned food and meat, packaged and ready-to-make products, frozen meals, cheese, sauces, dressings, cereals are some foods that have a lot of hidden sodium which is enough to meet the daily requirement. However, adding salt while cooking and serving makes us increase the intake of salt. Says dietician Shilpa Mittal, “People have realised the benefits of reducing salt but due to the steady increase in the use of packaged foods like wafers, snacks, readymade pastes, instant soups, cereals etc, which are loaded with sodium in form of salt, preservatives which have some or the other form of sodium in it. Also the frequency of eating out in restaurants especially fast foods has increased which also increases salt beyond the daily limits. It is thus important to make lifestyle changes and choose foods with potassium like cucumbers, spinach, sweet potato, banana which counter the effects of sodium.”

Risks involved due to excess salt

While we cannot live without salt, eating too much salt has its own disadvantages. It can raise your blood pressure, which increases your risk of developing heart disease or having a stroke. Says dietician Sakina Patrawala, “Salt makes your body hold on to water. If you eat too much salt, the extra water stored in your body raises your blood pressure. So, the more salt you eat, the higher your blood pressure leading to greater strain on your heart, arteries, kidneys. It can lead to increased incidences of diarrhea, dizziness and vomiting. Too much salt also increases calcium excretion through urine leading to osteoporosis.”
While many are aware of the bad effects of salt on one's health there is those who believe that it can affect you when you are older and if you have a healthy diet you are not at any risk. However, if you eat too much salt as a child it increases your chances of blood pressure problems when you are an adult. It is thus important to reduce salt intake across all ages to reduce the risk of heart disease.

Are less refined salt any better?

Apart from the normal white salt, we have fancy types of salts like the rock salt, pink salt, black salt, crystal and salt flakes but all have almost the same effect on your health since they all have sodium chloride with the difference being just in the texture and taste. Some salt might be less refined and contain more nutrients than the regular table salt but these nutrients can also be gained from a good diet. Also, remember that these salts are less salty so you might want to add more to the dish which is wrong again. So, the quantity you use is most important.

Salt is an essential nutrient too

Made up of sodium and chloride, salt is an essential nutrient and is helpful to the body when used within limits. Sodium alongwith being essential for the nervous system also helps maintain the water balance in the body and transport oxygen and nutrients around your body and to the cells and without sufficient sodium there is a risk of your senses going dull. Chloride too helps to promote healthy pH balance, promote blood sugar health and reduce the signs of ageing.