The big deal is that we all eat
too much salt.
Salt can increase your
blood pressure.
Salt in large amounts can therefore lead to hypertension.
Hypertension is a risk factor
for cardiovascular disease, including
stroke, heart failure and renal insufficiency.
Reducing your salt intake can decrease your risk of cardiovascular disease.
Can I get you to eat less salt now?
Did you know that almost 1 in 3 people suffer from high
blood pressure around the world? We may
actually be putting ourselves at a disadvantage every time we buy a
pre-packaged meal or a takeaway meal on the go.
Worse, several studies have also linked high salt intake to stomach
cancer. In women, high salt diets may
also drive your risk of osteoporosis; the bone thinning disease.
So it’s truly time to take action. Of course I am not suggesting that you stop
eating out completely, but you will need to give salt some consideration.
It’s not always salt that you add to cooking that’s the
culprit. The hidden sources in food are also to be blamed. Perpetrators are
cheese, baked beans and other canned foods, smoked meats or fish, processed
meat like sausages, bacon and ham. Other
sources include soups, breakfast cereals, pizza, breads or crisps. I bet you have no idea how much salt there
truly is in some of these foods as not all even taste salty.
Sauces like soy sauces on the other hand do taste salty,
but what about that innocent pre-packaged ‘healthy’ sandwich you buy for lunch
daily? What do you cut out first?
Let’s start with things that we can change. You certainly cannot change the amount of
salt added to breads and cereals, but if you buy lunch daily then why don’t you
take left-overs for lunch instead? Or
try to prepare your own sandwiches. Skip
the cheese and choose tuna tinned in spring water instead of brine. Choosing stronger flavoured cheese also
helps, as you usually need a much smaller portion for flavour.
Always choose brands that offer a reduced salt
variety. I am not asking you to read
labels for salt; in fact, for the general healthy population, this isn’t always
necessary. Just by reducing the
frequency of consumption of high salt foods, you will be well on your way to
reducing overall intake.
Remember freshly prepared foods will always boast little
or minimal salt as long as you don’t shake that salt shaker like mad above the
saucepan. We also know that fresh cuts
of meat prepared with fresh herbs will beat any processed or smoked
competition. Especially when it’s your heart we’re
talking about.
What with studies declaring that even Japanese men with
high salt intake are likely to have high blood pressure, clearly no one is immune. It’s definitely time to get
cracking on our salt intake.
The good news is you really don’t need to turn your
kitchen upside down, just few small changes is all it takes. I am going to focus on buying smoked fish
only once every couple of weeks instead of weekly. What change will you make?
Please comment below, I really look forward to and love, read all of your comments!
Please comment below, I really look forward to and love, read all of your comments!
