The Salt We Need And Which Harms Us (Part II)

First part of the material


How much salt do we eat?
It is recommended not to take more than 6 g of salt per day. However, 9-10 g of salt is consumed en masse daily!

According to experts, if the average salt consumption is reduced to 6 g per day will be prevented. The
 

study in the US shows that reducing the amount of salt in the daily menu by 3-4 g will prevent the death of 92 thousand Americans a year or otherwise will reduced the incidence of stroke by 99 thousand. A similar study in the UK emphasizes that this will prevent 70,000 cases of heart attacks and strokes a total in the country each year.



It is a well-known fact that men consume much more salt than women, respectively 10.4 g and 7.3 g on average per day as its consumption increases.


The amount of salt we sprinkle from the table salt represents only 10-15% of the total amount we ingest.

The main sources of salt are ready-made foods and dishes prepared by households. Thus, the "calculation" of the amount of salt consumed must take into account not only that which is placed on the table for additional flavoring, but also contained in all ingested products. Processed meat and meat products, as well as bread, are high in salt.

Finished products that are absorbed during the day contain about 75% of the average dose of salt per person.

Salt is added to food production as a preservative and to improve taste. Sodium is also found in monosodium glutamate and sodium bicarbonate (baking soda).

Small amounts of sodium are generally found in meat, fish and eggs.

However, most people do not distinguish the feeling of salt in the products. This shows a study published in The Lancet medical journal, in which volunteers had to distinguish between salting different types of bread.

What actions are taken by the catering agencies in the countries?

In the UK, food manufacturers are advised to reduce the salt content of 85 products.

Campaigns are being undertaken to reduce the salt consumption of the population to the recommended healthy amount of 6 years. At this stage, however, no significant results have been achieved. If food manufacturers take into account the recommendations of health experts to reduce the amount of salt in products, the average daily amount of salt consumed will drop to 8 g per person per day.


What can we do?
Experts recommend monitoring and reducing the amount of salt that is taken with food.

This will be of great importance for people who need to reduce salt because of their health - prone to high blood pressure.

There are several ways to reduce salt consumption:

• Do not add salt to your meals.
• Choose products that have a lower salt content.
• Carefully inspect the labels of the finished products for the salt content.
• Pay attention to the other ingredients of the products, sodium is also present in those components that contain the word sodium.
• Eat more fruits and vegetables - they contain potassium, which balances the effect of salt in the body.
• To get the right amount of salt in the products, multiply the sodium content indicated on the label by 2.5.