The New York department of health has decided to wage a war against the amount of salt Americans consume. With our love for pickles and papad, iTALK tells you why you need to watch the amount of namak you eat every day
The New York department of health has decided to wage a war against the amount of salt Americans consume. With our love for pickles and papad, iTALK tells you why you need to watch the amount of namak you eat every day
If you've already cut down on smoking, and reduced your intake of fatty food, here's your next task control the amount of salt you eat. That's what America is doing. Dr Thomas Frieden, commissioner of New York City's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, is waging a new campaign to lower sodium in foodstuffs. He's targetting packedu00a0 and processed foods, and restaurants that serve patrons foods high in sodium. This initiative will call on the food industry to develop and adhere to sodium targets for breads, breakfast cereals and snacks.
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Experts say we may be consuming almost twice the amount of salt our body requires. Although sodium is important for the body, since it helps carry nutrients to blood cells, and chloride (that kills dodgy bacteria), an excess can lead to high blood pressure, causing a stroke, even a heart attack.
Indians love their masalas, papads and pickles, all of which have a high sodium content, says Aanchal Achpalya, nutritionist withu00a0 Talwalkar gym at Bandra.
Replace salt with oregano
Some easy ways to reduce the salt in your meals
>>Avoid consuming breads, processed meat, cheese, canned vegetables, chips, papads, pickles, smoked fish, soya sauce, Thousand Island and other pasta sauces.
>>Cut down on all processed and packed foods like slimming soups and pastas. They have a high salt content to increase the product's shelf life.
>>Balance your meals by adding high potassium foods like fresh fruits and vegetables.
>>Replace salt with oregano, basil, lemon juice and garlic, when you need to sprinkle it on salads.u00a0
>>Do not use Mono-sodium Glutomate (Ajinomoto) in dishes that can taste well without it.
>>Avoid consuming peanuts, salted nuts, salted crackers and pizzas.
While dining out
>>At a Chinese eatery, avoid soups; they contain more salt than dishes like Fried Rice or Hakka Noodles.
>>At an Indian joint, opt for sabzi without red gravies.
>>When gorging on Continental, avoid pasta dishes. Pasta is made from maida, which has high salt content.
Guys who love salt can forget a good erection
Dr Ravi Kothari Ayurveda Specialist
You should consume only 6 grams of salt a day (two teaspoons) every day. This applies to people between 18 and 40 years. As you grow older, your consumption should reduce. Kids too should eat small quantities of it.
Excess salt can lead to:
Blood Pressure: Salt retains water in the body, decreasing the volume of blood in the body. Without an additional outlet, this blood exerts pressure on the inner walls of your arteries, leading to high blood pressure, possibly a stroke.
Erectile Dysfunction: Men who consume high quantities of salt may experience difficulty in getting an erection that's stiff enough for penetration.
Skin diseases like Psoriasis (red scaly patches appear on the skin) and Eczema (inflammation of the epidermis leading to recurrent dryness and skin rash).
Osteoporosis: It reduces the mineral density of bones, leading to an increased risk of fracture.
Doc's TIPS:
According to Ayurveda, there are five types of salt Table salt, Rock salt, Iodised salt, Sea salt and Kosher salt. Sindhav salt (Rock salt) is the least harmful.
Sprinkle a pinch of this salt on ginger and eat it before lunch or dinner, to aid quick digestion.
Why you should stay away from soup
If you regularly sip on ready-to-eat soups, you could be ruining your health, says research
conducted by scientist Dr Rachel Thompson, science programme manager for the World Cancer Research Fund. Soups contain over a third of the body's required salt content, that could lead to high blood pressure, stroke, heart attacks, even stomach cancer. Check prefex and labels before picking up packaged soups.
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