{"id":6094,"date":"2021-03-12T13:28:42","date_gmt":"2021-03-12T00:28:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.myfoodbag.co.nz\/?p=6094"},"modified":"2023-08-09T12:36:17","modified_gmt":"2023-08-09T00:36:17","slug":"salt-how-much-is-too-much","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myfoodbag.co.nz\/explore\/2021\/03\/12\/salt-how-much-is-too-much\/","title":{"rendered":"Salt: How much is too much?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"salt\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Salt certainly brings plenty of flavour to our foods, but can we, and are we, overdoing it on the salt front? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The chemical formula for table salt is sodium chloride (NaCl), and it\u2019s the sodium that we typically talk about when it comes to salt. Sodium is an essential element in our bodies and is responsible for a number of biological functions, from blood volume and pressure, to fluid transfer and maintaining our pH balance. We typically obtain enough sodium in our diet, from the sodium that naturally occurs in whole foods like veggies or meat proteins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In recent years the level of salt and sodium intake of most of the Western world has become a major health concern. <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The WHO (the World Health Organisation)<\/a> are calling for global dietary reductions of salt to less than 5g (2mg sodium) per day for adults, the equivalent of just less than 1 teaspoon per day. To put this in perspective, the average adult consumes 9-12g of salt per day.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Highly processed foods are a key reason for the increase in dietary sodium in the Western world today, having become a commonplace in our diets. During food processing high levels of sodium are added to help preserve the foods and super boost the flavour. Bread, processed meats, stock powders, premade sauces (particularly Asian styles that are soy or miso based), crackers and chips, brined foods and smoked foods are all typically high in sodium. Unprocessed foods do contain sodium naturally, such as fruits or meat products, however the concentration is significantly lower. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The health implications of a diet consistently high in sodium is high blood pressure. High blood pressure causes higher risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and heart attacks. These cardiovascular diseases<\/a> are the world\u2019s biggest causes of death, and that\u2019s also true right here in New Zealand. If there\u2019s a history of these medical conditions in your family it\u2019s even more important to be mindful of salt intake, and important to have regular blood pressure checks with your GP or health professional. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So how can we keep our sodium intake down?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n