sodium chloride

Apr 23
2022

Are We Eating TOO MUCH Salt? | Doctor Explains How it Affects Your Health

How much salt are you eating? In today’s episode of Dr Nora, I take you through why we need salt in our diet, how much we need and what happens if we have too much.

SALT

Salt is a chemical compound made up of sodium chloride. Our bodies need sodium to maintain fluid balance and volume which is thought to be less than half a teaspoon a day. However, if we have too much sodium in our bodies it can lead to a number of negative health impacts.

Current recommendations allow the average Australian adult to consume no more than 5g of salt a day or 2300mg of sodium per day. Unfortunately it’s been reported that most adults consume 9g of salt per day which is almost double the recommendation.

HEALTH IMPACTS

Consuming too much salt over prolonged periods can cause a raised blood pressure. When blood pressure is persistently elevated and not treated this can cause strain on the vital organs of the body such as the heart, increasing the risk of heart attacks and in turn increases the risk of stroke.

HIGH SALT FOODS

Foods that are generally higher in salt include, deli meats, cheese, bread, processed meals, canned fruit or vegetables, sauces and salad dressings. Take a look at the nutritional labels, there is a line that illustrates how much sodium is in a food per 100g. A low salt option would be a food that contains under 120mg of sodium per 100g and a high salt option would be a food that contains over 400mg of sodium per 100g. It’s these higher salt foods that you should limit at much as possible.

HOW TO REDUCE DAILY SALT

Other than being mindful of the nutritional labels, actively seek labels that say ‘reduced salt’ or 'low in salt’. These options will generally have less salt than the original item but still maintain the same flavour. It’s important to know that even though they generally contain less salt, they still contain salt none-the-less, so be wary of your consumption.

You could also try 'light salt’ options which are generally are made up of both potassium and sodium chloride, in these options, there is more potassium (another chemical element) than sodium and hence allowing it to have a lower sodium content.

Instead of using salt in your food preparation you could use aromatic flavours, such as spices or curry leaves to help maintain that kick in your food.

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Take care and stay healthy 😊

Dr Nora 💉

CHAPTERS

0:18 Introduction

0:32 Recommendations