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Tuesday 3 December 2013

salt and your health

















Salt is a mineral substance composed primarily of sodium chloride (Na Cl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of ionic salts. Salt is essential for human life, one of the oldest and most necessary of food seasonings.
Sodium chloride is about 60 percent chlorine and 40 percent sodium. Although sodium is volatile and chlorine is toxic, together as sodium chloride they're integral to life.

Sodium: Essential in small amounts
Your body needs some sodium to function properly because it:
Helps maintain the right balance of fluids in your body
Helps transmit nerve impulses
Influences the contraction and relaxation of muscles
Your kidneys naturally balance the amount of sodium stored in your body for optimal health. When your body sodium is low, your kidneys essentially hold on to the sodium. When body sodium is high, your kidneys excrete the excess in urine.
The effects of over consumption
But if for some reason your kidneys can't eliminate enough sodium, the sodium starts to build up in your blood. Because sodium attracts and holds water, your blood volume increases, which makes your heart work harder and increases pressure in your arteries. Such diseases as congestive heart failure, cirrhosis and chronic kidney disease can occur as a result of sodium imbalance.
The African region has the highest prevalence of hypertension estimated at 46% of adults aged 25 and above, according to WHO’s Global status report on noncommunicable diseases 2010.

Sodium: What are the major dietary sources?
The average Nigerian gets about 111.6 mmol/d (~2600 mg), of sodium a day — much more than recommended. Here are the main sources of sodium in a typical diet:
Processed and prepared foods.  Processed foods include bread, prepared dinners like pasta, meat and egg dishes, pizza, cheese, soups, and fast foods.
Natural sources. Some foods naturally contain sodium. These include all vegetables and dairy products, meat, and shellfish.
In the kitchen and at the table. Many recipes call for salt, and many people also salt their food at the table. Condiments also may contain sodium. 

Sodium: How much do you need?
The world health organization recommends a daily intake of less than 5 g sodium chloride (or 2 g sodium) per day.
Generally, our sodium consumption is higher than the recommended 5 grams of salt per day.  One tea spoon of salt averagely weighs about 6 g, so your total daily salt consumption for a day as an individual should be less than a tea spoon of salt!


How do I reduce my salt intake?: Use seasonings  to replace salt when preparing meals; taste the food before adding salt if necessary; by balancing ingredients, you can prepare great and tasty meals with less salt; commit to the discipline of not adding more salt at the table; limit the quantity of processed foods you consume; read labels and check for salt or sodium levels; increase your intake of varieties of fruits and vegetables which have low sodium levels and can be good sources of potassium, good for your heart!