The danger of too much salts (sodium intake)

[Cheba_Mami]

The dangers of eating too much salt
Posted in Salt, Blood pressure, Heart, Nutrition on January 10, 2008
Every adult has about 250 grams of salt is his body. That’s about 3 to 4 salt shakers. Salt is necessary in the body to transfer nerve impulses, among other things. To stay healthy we need to ingest about 1 to 2 grams of salt per day. But research shows we eat a lot more, about 10 to 12 grams per day. And that’s unhealthy, because when the kidneys secrete too much sodium from the salt, they produce the hormone renin. Renin has the effect that the body holds on to moisture. The result is a dramatic rise in blood pressure. Many people die from a high salt intake, because the high blood pressure results in a stroke or heart failure.

Ready made meals and snacks contain a lot of salt, but also soups, cheese and canned vegetables. It is advised not to eat more than 6 grams of salt per day. It’s good advice, but very hard to follow, because even if you do not add salt to your food yourself, you are likely to eat more than 6 grams of salt. Salt is cheap and adds flavor, so many food producers add a lot of it to their food. A take away pizza can contain 9 grams of salt, 1,5 times the daily maximum. And a slice of bread can contain about half a gram of salt. But it is not necessary to add so much salt. There is salt without sodium, potassium salt for example. Or herb mixtures can be used to add flavor. Read more about the dangers of salt.

[New_Friend]

Nice reminders, Cheba_Mami, about watching our SALT! shukran!

On the subject of salt, I have a favorite quote to share:

"The cure for anything is salt water -- sweat, tears, or the sea."
~ Isak Dinesen (1885-1962)

A little about her:
Baroness Karen Blixen-Finecke has a priveleged but sad childhood growing up in Denmark. She married her cousin in 1914 and moved to Kenya, where they ran a coffee plantation. The marriaged ended, but she continued to run the plantation for 10 years. She was then forced to return to DK and began her life as a writer. "Out of Africa" (1937) was her most famous work, an account of Africa as she experienced it.