While salt is a crucial ingredient in everything we cook and eat, it is also a source of essential nutrients like sodium and iodine. But we often end up including too much salt in our daily diets and as a result risk developing lifelong conditions like high blood pressure and cholesterol. So how much salt can we have in a day? How much salt does our body need? Nutritionist and diet consultant, Dr Sunita Dube, tells us how much salt is right:
How Much Salt Do I Need? Our body needs 2300-2600 mg or one teaspoon of salt everyday. The electrolyte in the salt help balance body fluids. The sodium helps in the activation of nerves that send messages to muscles. It even assists in maintaining muscle contraction and relaxation. As experienced by endurance athletes, when the body’s salts are depleted, we fall easy prey to muscle cramps. Salt also ensures that our kidneys function properly. The iodine content in salt is needed for proper growth. And an iodine deficiency could cause thyroid problems later on. Lack of salt in the body could also cause low blood pressure as it reduces the flow of blood.
What Happens if I Eat Too Much Salt? Too much salt could raise cell pressure, causing slow blood circulation. This causes high blood pressure. It could also lead to problems like cholesterol in the future. Too much salt also causes water retention as the movement of fluids is restricted.
What Sources of Sodium Should Be AvoidedAvoid sodium in all processed foods like cheese, bread, sauce etc. Simply look at the label to check sodium content in packaged foods to know whether anything is high or low in sodium.
Foods Low in Sodium:
- Whole wheat/grain pasta
- Brown bread/rice
- Cereals and sprouts
- Crackers/digestive biscuits
- Milk
- Fresh fruits and vegetables
- Eggs and unprocessed meats
- Unsalted nuts
Make healthier choices when eating out by picking whole grain pasta and sauces that are made in-house and not mass produced. Seasonal food is always better than out of season menu choices, since the ingredients are fresh produce as opposd to packaged and preserved/canned foods, which always contain some amount of sodium. This way you can be sure that there are no added preservatives and therefore no excess salt or sodium.
Other Healthy Sources of Sodium and IodineSodium can be found in all green leafy vegetables like spinach, fenugreek, broccoli etc. Iodine can be found in foods like eggs, seafood and diary products.
Other Healthy Sources of Sodium and IodineSodium can be found in all green leafy vegetables like spinach, fenugreek, broccoli etc. Iodine can be found in foods like eggs, seafood and diary products.
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