13/12/2016
IS SALT REALLY BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH!
Once valued as gold, Homer called it a heavenly substance, and nowadays its regarded as one of the evils that endangers our health. Should we exclude salt from our daily diet and nutrition?
Salt isn’t anymore loved and precious matter, but it’s considered to be responsible for a lots of health issues, like high blood pressure and heart disease. But everyone agrees that salted food is better than not salty. That begs the question how did we develop a taste for something so unhealthy and is it realty unhealthy?
Hidden salt
Many will say that salt isn’t natural, that only people consume it. But, that’s not true: wild animals have ways to get natural salt resources, which they lick. They like salt, but have harder time getting to it, as humans did long time ago. Therefor we could say that excessive amounts of salt in a diet are unnatural, but how much salt is too much?!
About 70% of salt in modern diet is “hidden” salt, not only in meat products, chips or snacks, but also where you least expect it: in bread, sweets, biscuits. So how much salt is too much?
One to three spoons a day
As a study shows, published in 2013 by Institute of Medicine in USA, the recommendations for lowering salt intake less then 1 teaspoon a day, has no effect on peoples health (increases blood pressure). Study shows that 1 and a half to 3 teaspoons a day daily intake are absolutely normal dosage.
Note that it this study, the recommended amount of a one teaspoon a day should remain, because the “hidden salt” intake cannot be controlled. Also people with high blood pressure should be extra careful when consuming lot of salty foods. The thing that is most important according to the study, is that salt isn’t unhealthy and there is no reason to fully exclude it from our daily diet.
Possible side effect from excluding salt from your diet
Excluding salt from your diet can be unhealthy. According to a study done by American medical association, lack of salt intake can increase the risk of stroke, hearth attack and death. Also, insufficient salt intake in the elderly population, increase risk of bone fracture.
Conclusion is that excluding salt intake, like some “experts” suggest can be dangerous. Dangerous is the recommendation to not consume iodized salt, because we can get iodine only from salt and fish products.
Salt not only makes food taste better, but also is essential for peoples health.
