You may have read or heard about how salt reduction for cooking and eating is best for you. However, reducing sugar intake seems to be the main focus for health professionals in recent years. I have observed it is increasingly popular to visit someone who tells you they are happy to give you additional table salt as they do not cook salty food due to health reasons.
On the contrary, you find salt on the table in most home dining tables and restaurant tables. An English breakfast is not complete without a sprinkle of salt and, in some cases, black pepper. I am hoping to answer most of the questions that people ask me about salt to help you make a more informed choice for your health and well-being.
For an adult, the daily recommended rate for salt intake is 6g, which is equivalent to 1 teaspoon of salt.
What does Salt Contain?
The main component of salt is sodium. To help you visualise what these components look like, for example, a tablespoon of salt can contain about 2300 mg of sodium and 0.48 mg of potassium. It is safe to conclude that salt is over 90% sodium chloride. Other types of salts have sodium content that ranges between 1150mg to 1900mg depending on the brand and source. Salt may contain tiny amounts of potassium, magnesium, and calcium.
“A little salt can give you life and flavour. A little more could kill you slowly”
Adaeze Obasuyi
What are the Benefits of Salt Intake?
Flavour
I remember watching my paternal grandmother cook okra soup for the first time as an 8-year-old. The aroma drew me close. However, I noticed how she sprinkled salt with her fingers on the pumpkin leaves and then took the soup off the firewood cooker. She said in Igbo, ‘The salt binds it all together and gives it a richer taste”. You may agree with me that salt does the same to your foods.
Muscle Contraction and Relaxation
Muscle contraction keeps you alive. Your heart muscles are constantly working to pump blood and every movement you make requires some form of muscle contraction and relaxation. Imagine attempting to run and your leg refuses to move. Sodium, calcium, and potassium are key minerals that support the process. However, the body only requires a small amount of sodium to perform its magic with the balancing of the electrolytes that help muscle function and transportation of blood around the body. If you suffer regular muscle cramps, perhaps your salt intake may need to be evaluated among other valid factors that increase the risk of muscle cramps.
Hydration and Body Water Regulation
Sodium and potassium are key nutrients that stabilise your water levels in your body which is essential for living. Drinking water alone will not keep you hydrated without the support of sodium and other minerals that help. However, excess salt attracts water retention as the body cleverly tries to dilute the salt by retaining water. This is why swollen lower limbs could be evidence of high salt intake. If you ever consumed tin food, bread and bacon, you probably already consumed the daily amount of salt recommended. Therefore, there is no need to seek out salt or potassium water to intentionally keep you hydrated.
Nervous System Regulation
When you speak to people who suffer nerve pain, they often describe it as excruciating beyond muscle pain regardless of the painkillers used. The nerves are so powerful yet so delicate. They are a group of transmitters that power communication in the body. The electrolyte regulated and strengthened by sodium helps keep the nerves alert to receive and send information.
What Makes Salt Harmful?
Sodium in salt increases your risk of high blood pressure. High Blood pressure is a major contributor to heart disease, stroke, and heart attack. As with anything we eat, excess salt is harmful. However, what makes preventing excess salt intake tricky is how easy it is to consume it in excess. In the UK, the highest sources of salt are in bread, tin food, and processed meat such as bacon, and other cured meats. A high percentage of the salt we eat in the UK is available through the food industry– fast food restaurants and food manufacturers.
The next time you see someone add a sprinkle of table salt to their food, perhaps go easy on the judgment and consider what the person has eaten the whole day and compare it with yours. Soon you will realise that eating tin food and processed meat might be as bad as if not worse than a little sprinkle of table salt. Please note that I do not advocate for table salt to be added to cooked foods. It is important you make conscious decisions to reduce adding table salt to your cooked meals and eating processed meats and tin foods as much as realistically achievable, and sacrificially possible for your own good.
Which Salt Is Best?
I have been asked this question a number of times. As with any other food source, I will not blacklist any salt. I suggest you decide what salt flavour you like and focus more on reducing salt intake and avoiding additional salt altogether if your meals contain a wide range of tin foods, ready-made sauces, and processed meat.
How can we reduce salt intake?
- Eat less processed meat and fish
- Eat fresh vegetables and cook your fresh vegetables instead of tin vegetables
- Avoid adding table salt to your meals, especially if you already cook with salt and stock cubes
- Wean off adding extra salt by reducing the amount slowly and regularly to give your taste buds time to adjust
- If you need potassium, iodine, calcium, and some other minerals that might be gotten from salt, aim to eat a good balanced diet. A vegetable-rich diet will give you key vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals you need compared to the tiny amounts any type of salt can give you when consumed in excess.
- Introduce a good range of medicinal spices and herbs to your food for flavour instead of depending on majorly salt for flavour. For example, ginger, garlic, turmeric, and thyme.”
Thank you for reading
Remember, you can be well in your body, mind, and spirit.
Written by Adaeze Obasuyi