HEALTH MOTIVATION : ARE YOU REALLY SALT SMART?

The importance of salt in our day-to-day life can’t be over emphasised. Salt has been the defining item to make a large number of our eatables tastier besides being a requirement for our body as it contains sodium. We know well that the chemical name of salt is Sodium Chloride. Sodium which is present in common salt to the extent of 40% is necessary for proper muscle function and for regulating the amount of water in human body. 

If you are taking more of processed, frozen and packaged food than home cooked food, you must be aware of the facts now being discussed here to ward off any impending health issue and also to ensure better health now and always. 

Actually, processed, frozen and packaged food items contain far more salt because salt is not only used to add to taste but also as a preservative. And to say the least, consumption of excess amount of sodium through intake of salt in different ways is one of the major causes of many health problems including high blood pressure, stomach cancer, kidney stone and osteoporosis.

In fact, the average adult needs 3-4 grams of salt on daily basis. The children need even lesser amount of salt. Unfortunately, however, the average Indian consumes more than 8 grams of salt through normal daily diet.

It’s also pertinent to discuss about the quality of salt being used by common man in our country. The salt we use in our kitchen is known as sea salt as it is extracted from sea water. The raw salt that we get after evaporation of water is actually chemically cleaned and bleached. To make it more iodised for the proclaimed reason of preventing a disease called goitre, industrial iodine, not the natural iodine, is added by chemical processing. After this industrial refining process, the salt which is marketed and sold for normal consumption is found to be devoid of majority of other minerals good for human health. To put it straight, this sea salt is basically adding taste to our eatables besides being the most common source of sodium, but it’s otherwise not that good for our health. It’s also noteworthy that iodine which is necessary basically for a healthy thyroid gland can be supplemented by consumption of many natural items which also include vegetables, egg and dairy products.

Now the question is how to be Salt Smart? It’s not difficult provided you are a conscious eater. To say, daily consumption of salt in all forms- raw, cooked and processed must not be beyond 4 grams. Adequate water consumption and normal exercise should be part of your daily routine. If possible, prefer the use of rock salt, at least for home-made food and for sprinkling on food items while eating. Truly speaking, the rock salt contains a number of minerals including calcium, potassium and magnesium which are very good for human health. Moreover, it is natural and contains less amount of sodium too per serving. It is found to have amazing health benefits like improving respiratory function, pH balance of body, bone and vascular health, to name a few.  

As always, I'm keen to know what do you think on this subject. Hence, request you to post comments to share your views and experiences.

#  Published in Patna Daily

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