Oct

25

Don’t Pass the Salt!

Posted by maureen

October 25, 2007 |

 

salt2.jpg

I felt really thirsty after eating lunch the other day. Since I had only eaten a can of vegetable soup I decided to check the label and I was amazed that the innocent looking can actually contained 835 mg of sodium or about 1/3 of the suggested daily requirement.

Today the majority of salt in our diets (75-80%) comes from processed foods such as canned goods, processed meats (example hot dogs, ham, bacon etc.) prepared meals etc. I stopped adding salt to most of the foods I eat a long time ago and honestly don’t miss it but salt added during cooking or directly onto the food only accounts for about 10-15% in our diet. The remaining represents amounts naturally occurring in foods. So it’s easy to see the real culprit and unfortunately most of it is “hidden” which means we really need to be aware of what we are eating.

Of course salt is crucial for our health and we shouldn’t exclude it entirely from our diets but currently we eat, on average, at least two and a half times what we need.

Why we need salt:

  • Sodium is essential to the operation of the body’s nervous system and for muscle control (It helps maintain good electrical conductivity into and out of cells)
  • Sodium also helps maintain fluid balance in the body
  • Salt also makes things taste good and enhances the flavor of other ingredients
  • It is a natural preservative because it restricts bacterial growth in many foods

The health risks of too much salt:

  • There is strong evidence to show the link between high salt intake and increased blood pressure which is the main cause of strokes and a major cause of heart attack.
  • Salt can also lead to increased anxiety, bring on insomnia and exacerbate conditions like water retention.

So it makes sense to lower your sodium intake.

Benefits of reducing salt intake:

  • People who significantly cut back on the amount of salt in their diet reduced their chances of developing cardiovascular disease by 25% over the following 10 to 15 years.
  • Lowering your intake does not have to be drastic to be healthful and relatively small reductions can have a big effect on risk.

Less salt makes sense.


Comments

3 Comments so far

  1. Diet Foods » Blog Archive » Don’t Pass the Salt! on October 25, 2007 9:11 am

    […] maureen wrote an interesting post today on Don’t Pass the Salt!Here’s a quick excerptI stopped adding salt to most of the foods I eat a long time ago and honestly don’t miss it but salt added during cooking or directly onto the food only accounts for about 10-15% in our diet. The remaining represents amounts naturally … […]

  2. www.treatsleepingdisorders.info » Blog Archive » Don’t Pass the Salt! on October 25, 2007 5:30 pm

    […] maureen wrote a fantastic post today on Don’t Pass the Salt!Here’s a quick extractThere is strong evidence to show the link between high salt intake and increased blood pressure which is the main cause of strokes and a major cause of heart attack. Salt can also lead to increased anxiety, bring on insomnia and … […]

  3. wedding supplies on October 25, 2007 6:29 pm

    It’s amazing how much salt they put in soup. Even the so called healthy ones contain about 400mg. When I make soup at home I dont add any and I dont miss it at all. If anyone knows of a good soup that doesn’t add salt (or atleast very little) please let me know.

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