Why we need to be careful about the amount of salt we consume during winters

Fats, carbs, and proteins: you watch everything you eat. But have you ever checked your sodium intake?

I get so many people with high blood pressure (HBP) issues these days — of all age groups (even those their 20s) — that it is difficult to blame it all just on stress. What is scary is that the number (of hypertensives) increasing at the rate of five to ten per cent every year. These are huge numbers for a problem that can be easily prevented. HBP is a hazard not just for the heart but eyes and kidneys too.

While stress, overweight, smoking, genetic history and drinking in excess have a role to play, the fact remains that we all are eating way too much salt. And that is the main cause of trouble.

How much salt does one need?

Sodium is present in almost all natural foods from vegetables like carrots, cauliflowers, celery and to even animal products like eggs, nuts, milk and meats. Owing to this, 500 milligrams of additional sodium is all that our body needs. But that said, an intake till 2,400 milligrams (5 gm or roughly 1 tsp of salt) per day for an adult is acceptable. Yet most of us easily consume around 3,000 – 4,000 milligrams of sodium a day — often much much more than that. If you think you are eating healthy by switching to sea salt or rough salt, think again. All salts have the same levels of sodium — substituting one with the other does not help.

Salt of earth is not necessarily all good (Photo: Reuters)

Watch Your Diet

Most of the salt comes hidden in the foods we eat. And this problem gets accentuated even more during the ongoing festive season. Besides gorging on sweets we tend to binge on namkeen as well. Adding to the problem, owing to the dipping temperature, we do not even sweat the salt out. This causes increased sodium levels in winters — watch out!

The likely culprits behind high sodium levels in our body are often the everyday foods we consume without much of a thought. For instance, one slice of bread contains approximately 150 mg of sodium. Have four slices in a meal, and you’ve already added 500 mg to your daily content.

Break your bread with caution (Photo: Reuters)

Take your sodium levels to high for granted if you are a fan of processed foods on your plate. Processed foods are the worst nemesis to healthy sodium levels as they not only are packed with salt as seasoning, but also salt as preservatives. Watch out particularly for processed meats like hot dogs, bacon, and sausages — manufacturers rely on sodium to preserve the meats for a long time. Canned and frozen foods fare not better. They are laced with abundant sodium to enhance the flavour and extended shelf life.

Sodium is lurking in those lovely pickles, tangy sauces — mustard or soy, ketchups, dry noodles and rice mixes. It does not stop there. Cornflakes, cookies, biscuits, potato chips and that yummy chocolate pudding — sodium levels are piling even as you think of them!

Beware of premade salads, especially when you are eating out. Unless marked as low salt, salad dressings are high in sodium and should be avoided.

Check those canned or bottled beverages — especially the sports drinks. The sodas may not be salty but are known containers of sodium.

And if you eat out often, remember that one restaurant meal can contain up to a day’s worth of sodium content required! Not a good idea for your diet or for health.

Hear your heart, it really does not want all that salt (Photo: Reuters)

Cutting Back on the Sodium

All it takes is to make wise food choices.

• Learn to read labels. While buying packaged products, look for food items that specifically say “low sodium” or have less than 140 mg of sodium per serving. Don’t get confused, though — “no salt” does not translate to “no sodium”. Sodium in food products can be present in many other forms like as monosodium glutamate, phosphate, sodium benzoate, sodium hydroxide, sodium nitrite, sodium propionate and sodium sulfite.
• Get creative with cooking and gradually reduce the amount of salt. Try alternative seasonings like herb salts like coriander, parsley, mint, oregano, thyme and basil. Make a mix of your favourite herbs with one part of table salt to six parts of herbs. Use plenty of onion powder, garlic powder, and lemon juice as seasoning, as citrus juices are always great for adding flavour to food without additional salt. If you often use canned vegetables, make sure you rinse them before use to remove added salt and sugar.
• Avoid Chinese food that has Ajinomoto or Monosodium glutamate (MSG). Another food to turn away from is soya sauce — both MSG and soya sauce are high in salt.
• Use low Na soya sauce.
• Lastly, but importantly, introduce more fresh fruits (like bananas) and leafy vegetables in your diet. This ensures plenty of potassium intake through dietary sources. Potassium balances out the excess sodium.

Also read: Why vitamin E is our best friend