Did you know that excess Salt is Harmful?
Salt (sodium) plays an important role in the regulation of
muscle contraction, fluid balance and nerve impulses in the
human body and it is essential for overall good health. All our
body fluids including blood, sweat, tears, etc contain sodium.
It is essential to maintain proper balance of sodium in these
fluids. Sodium in the body is mainly found in fluids that
surround the body's cells, such as blood and lymph fluid. When
sodium intake exceeds the amount the body can handle it builds
up in the interstitial areas and the kidneys have to work extra
hard to excrete it.
A build up may cause the body to hold extra fluids in the blood
and around the cells, which contributes to increased blood
pressure and also excess weight gain from water. The reason why
water retention can be so hard to diagnose is that almost all
the body's tissues have plenty of capacity to hold a little
extra fluid without looking abnormal. This extra fluid is what
makes one look fat.
Generally, we should only eat between 1,000 and 3,000 mg of
sodium a day, so it's easy to go overboard. The Recommended
Daily Allowance (RDA) for sodium is about 2,300 mg - slightly
more than one teaspoon. While sodium occurs naturally in many
foods and is used in food additives such as monosodium glutamate
(MSG), salt itself still accounts for more than 90 per cent of
the sodium in our diets.
In fact, three-quarters of the salt in our diets comes from
processed foods, with just 10 per cent coming from the salt we
add during cooking or at the table, and the remaining 15 per
cent that occurs naturally in food. This means they key to
keeping salt intake down is to eat fewer processed, salty foods
such as sauces, pickles, crisps, canned meats, sausages, ham,
and canned soups. The good news is many of these foods are also
high in calories and fat making them poor choices if you're
trying to lose weight. The more highly processed a food is, the
more likely it is to have high sodium content. That's why, when
it comes to eating, it's wise to stick mainly to the basics.
Fruits, vegetables, lean meant, beans and whole grains all have
little sodium.
Tips to Reduce Sodium in Your Diet
Eat canned soups or broths sparingly. These can be very high in
sodium. Use fresh poultry, fish, and lean meat, rather than
canned or processed types. Switch to low-sodium margarine, or
low-salt butter. Avoid salted nuts, chips, pickles and other
snack foods. Avoid using table salt. Do not add extra salt at
the table. Reduce sodium when shopping. Read the food labels
carefully to find out more about what is in the foods you eat.
This will help you choose the right foods. This will help you
limit the amount of sodium you eat everyday. Rinse salt from
canned foods.