Two of the most important tastes, salt and sugar, are more harmful to your health when consumed in excess. Doctors often caution us against consuming too much salt and sugar because doing so might weaken vital bodily organs and cause metabolic disorders as well as a general health crisis.
Dr. Francesco Branca, the Head of the Department of Nutrition for Health and Development at the World Health Organization in Geneva, has recently discussed the grave health concerns associated with salt use in an episode of Science in 5.
A risk factor for various health issues is consuming too much salt.
High salt intake contributes to high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. By depriving your body of calcium, eating a lot of salt weakens bones. Those who eat a lot of salt experience water retention and look puffy and bloated. Excessive salt consumption has been associated in several studies to stomach cancer.
The majority of us consume too much salt.
A daily salt intake of no more than 5 grammes is advised by the WHO expert. The majority of us, according to Dr. Branca, consume too much salt. “The WHO advises against consuming more than 5 grammes of salt per day, or about half of what people worldwide typically ingest. You can obtain salt by adding it to your diet at home or by purchasing salt-containing goods “He continues.
The most salt is found in processed meals.
Dr. Branca emphasises a crucial and brutal truth about the industrial food business, which mostly produces ready-to-eat meals. It is essential to know what you are consuming because many people rely on such markets to thrive. “The majority of salt consumed in many high-income nations comes from processed foods.
A bag of chips has half the daily recommended amount of salt.
The expert adds that foods eaten away from home have more salt. “The dish we eat at home typically contains less salt than, say, the preparation made in a restaurant. Just as an illustration, if you take a typical 150 gramme bag of chips, merely that bag of chips has half of the daily recommended salt intake “He claims. One serving of potato chips has 170 milligrammes of sodium, according to health reports.
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The specialist suggests gradually reducing salt intake.
“You may gradually cut back on salt in your diet and modify your taste. You’ll be able to cut back on your salt consumption after a few weeks “recommends Dr. Branca.
He advises using less salt when preparing meals and adding some flavour, such as lemon juice, if the taste starts to suffer.