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When consumed in moderation, salt is good for us! The problem is that we eat two to three times too much salt and this can lead to arterial hypertension (high blood pressure) and an increased risk of cardiovascular and renal disease.
One teaspoon of salt is equivalent to 6 grams and that’s enough for the whole day. But as salt is a flavour enhancer, our food may seem a little bland if we remove the salt shaker from the table. But that’s where a little creativeness comes in! Why not try other flavour enhancers when cooking meat, fish and vegetables? Spices (such as pepper, curry powder, ginger, etc), herbs (such as basil, thyme, mint, etc) and garlic and onion of course! And don’t forget salt substitutes such as high potassium salt. As far as our arteries are concerned, potassium chloride is a healthier option than the familiar old sodium chloride.
Some foods (seafood, certain mineral waters, etc) contain salt naturally but three quarters of our intake comes from ready meals, so reducing the amount of these we consume is a key way – albeit a rather radical one – of getting rid of the excess salt in our diet. We also need to be careful with cheese, cold meats, biscuits and bread … and remember that fruit, vegetables and other fresh foods are our great allies in achieving a healthy diet.
To reduce your direct consumption of salt, don’t sprinkle salt your food until you have tasted it. And pour the salt into your hand first, rather than straight on to the plate. This will make you more aware of how much salt you are using (one small pinch equals 1 gram). And when buying processed foods, pay attention to the nutritional information on the packaging. What is shown is often the amount of sodium … but remember that this only accounts for 40% of the amount of salt!
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