Salt is an essential part of the human diet. Processed foods contain too much sodium, it’s a fact. Salt in large quantities is a killer.
Sodium chloride or salt -- is a crystalline compound that comes from the oceans. Salt can be harvested from seawater through evaporation, or it can be mined from inland deposits left by ancient oceans. Most salt we use in our kitchens and dining rooms is mined, except salt sold as "sea salt," which comes from seawater.
People who regularly eat foods high in sodium risk having diseases such as hypertension, Type II diabetes mellitus, and respiratory complications. Excess intake of sodium in the daily diet may lead to Hypertension (High blood pressure) and obesity which, in turn, may lead to a host of dietary diseases. It is well known that excess sodium leads to hypertension. The link between high blood pressure, also known as the silent killer, and heart disease is well established. Heart disease is one of the most likely causes of death in the USA.
Sodium has zero calories, so how does excess sodium lead to obesity? The majority of sodium in the diet comes from eating foods high in salt. A number of things, including eating a salty meal cause thirstiness which leads people to drink more liquids. If they choose beverages high in carbohydrates, such as beer and soft drinks it is the additional calories in the beverages, consumed that may lead to
overweight and obesity. When the calories consumed exceed those burned the excess calories are stored as white adipose tissue (WAT) and over a period of time can cause an overweight condition. Obesity is associated with: a higher risk of respiratory complications, osteoarthritis, Type II diabetes mellitus, hypertension (high blood pressure), Dyslipidemia, Gallbladder disease, and some cancers (endometrial, breast, colon).
Adults Recommended Intake
1,500 mg of sodium per day is considered an adequate intake and 2,300 mg that is about a teaspoon of salt is the upper limit.
Kids Recommended Intake
The Institute of Medicine sets the Adequate
For Children ages 2 to 3- Intakes for sodium at 1000 mg a day
For 4 to 8 -1200 mg per day
For boys and girls ages 9 to 18- 1500 mg per day
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans sets the upper limit at less than
1500 mg for children 1 to 3,
1900 mg for ages 4 to 8
2200 mg for ages 9 to 13
2300 mg for ages 14 -18
Health Canada Recommended intake
1,000 mg for children age one to three.
1,200 mg for children age four to eight.
1,500 mg for people age nine to 50.
1,300 mg for adults age 51 to 70.
1,200 mg for seniors over 70
Consuming more than 2,300 mg of sodium per day increases your risk of health problems.
Canadians consume — on average — 3,400 mg of sodium every day,
How much salt in 1 teaspoonful
1 teaspoonful contains about 6 grams of salt. 6 grams of salt contains about 2400 mg of sodium. A diet high in sodium is associated with an increased risk of high blood pressure.
How to Reduce Your Salt Intake
Replace Food foods that naturally contain sodium. An example is celery: one medium sized stalk of celery contains 35 mg of sodium. Get rid of the Salk shaker. Do not sprinkle salt on anything you eat at home either when cooking or when sitting down to eat.
- Use fresh herbs in the summer and in the winter dried ones to add flavour
- Use ground black pepper and it takes away some of the craving for Salt
- Cooking from scratch is the best way to avoid all the salt in processed foods
- Cook your own food. Don't buy processed food. It's healthier and its way cheaper.
- Cut down of the prepared meats, condiments and fast foods.
- Don't purchase canned soups they are high in sodium - make your own fron scratch and don't add salt untill you eat it.
