Attention! Your "salt value" cannot be higher! Please check out this little trick to control salt intake →

Food is the first necessity of the people, and taste is the first priority of food

Salt, the "first of all flavors"

It is an indispensable seasoning in life

Without salt, the food is hard to swallow no matter how delicious it is.

However, consuming too much salt can cause many harms to your health.

01 Eating too much salt can cause "injury" to your whole body

Salt is not only an important seasoning for delicious dishes, but also provides our bodies with the essential sodium element. Sodium also plays an important role in regulating the volume and osmotic pressure of the body's extracellular fluid, maintaining acid-base balance, normal blood pressure, etc. However, high salt (sodium) intake can increase the risk of hypertension, stroke, gastric cancer and all-cause mortality.

(Image source: Pixabay)

Studies have shown that for every 2g/d increase in dietary sodium intake, systolic and diastolic blood pressures increase by 2mmHg and 1.2mmHg, respectively. Hypertensive patients can control their daily sodium intake to no more than 6g, which can reduce systolic blood pressure by 2-8mmHg. The "Report on the Nutrition and Chronic Disease Status of Chinese Residents (2020)" pointed out that the prevalence of hypertension among residents aged 18 and above in China is 27.5% . Severe complications of hypertension, including stroke, coronary heart disease, heart failure, and kidney disease, have high disability and mortality rates and have become a heavy burden on Chinese families and society. Salt reduction is the most cost-effective public health measure to prevent cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and has been listed as one of the most cost-effective health interventions by the World Health Organization.

The "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents" (2022) recommends that children aged 11 and above and adults in my country should consume no more than 5g of salt per day, and children of other age groups should consume less, no more than 4g for children aged 7 to 10, no more than 3g for toddlers aged 4 to 6, and no more than 2g for children aged 2 to 3.

02 Beware of “hidden” salt

Strictly speaking, it is the "sodium" element in table salt that affects our health, and the main goal of reducing salt intake is to reduce sodium .

The main source of sodium intake for Chinese residents is cooking salt, which accounts for 72%. 1g of common table salt contains about 400mg of sodium. Condiments such as soy sauce, chicken essence, monosodium glutamate, and oyster sauce at home also contain a lot of sodium and need to be reduced. Cheese, butter, canned food, ham, etc. used in household cooking also contain high levels of sodium.

In addition, salt may be hidden in pre-packaged foods that you don’t feel salty , such as instant noodles, bread, vermicelli, and rice noodles. Be wary of these "hidden" "invisible salts" and pay special attention to adding less or no salt when cooking these foods.

(Image source: Pixabay)

You can add salt before the dish is served, or use natural spices such as onion, ginger, garlic, chili, and peppercorns to enhance the flavor of the food, reduce the sensitivity of the taste buds to saltiness, and gradually develop a light taste.

03 Pay attention to the nutrition facts table

When purchasing pre-packaged foods, you should carefully read the nutrition label on the food packaging, including important information such as the nutrition facts table, nutrition claims and nutrition function claims . You can directly learn the sodium content level of the food from the nutrition label, whether it is a low-sodium product (sodium content ≤120 mg/100 g (solid) or 100 mL (liquid)), etc., and choose foods with relatively low sodium content by comparison.

Be careful to reduce the purchase of foods with high sodium content, such as pickled vegetables, cured meat products, candied fruits, etc., and pay attention to the purchase of foods such as noodles, bread, and biscuits that contain more hidden salt.

(Photo source: Guangdong CDC official account)

When buying salty condiments (such as soy sauce, oyster sauce, bean paste, monosodium glutamate, etc.), it is recommended to compare similar products and choose condiments with relatively low sodium content. In areas where conditions permit, you can go to the low-salt and low-fat food counters in supermarkets to buy healthy foods.

When purchasing pre-prepared meals, take the initiative to learn about the ingredients, ingredients, processing methods, etc. used in the pre-prepared meals, and choose dishes prepared with low-salt cooking methods.

04 Tips for controlling salt intake

Studies have shown that reducing cooking salt by 5% to 10% usually does not have a significant impact on the taste of the dish , and everyone's taste can be changed gradually.

If you have realized that excessive salt intake is harmful to your health and are determined to do something about it, here are 3 tips:

① First, you can learn to use a salt-limiting spoon or salt-limiting tank to control the amount of salt you use , and record your family's salt usage so that you know exactly what you are using.

(Photo source: Healthy China official account)

② Secondly, you should know that common condiments such as soy sauce and oyster sauce are high in salt, so you should try to reduce the frequency of use and the amount of each use ;

③In addition, you should change some small habits in your daily life , such as adding salt just before cooking at home, noting "light, low salt" when ordering takeout, and asking the waiter to use less salt after ordering in a restaurant.

Reducing salt intake is not that difficult. If you stick to it for a long time, you can stay away from many diseases. I hope you who read this will be one step closer to health.