Salt—A slow poison
The maximum consumption of salt is through items such as pickles, chutneys, and papad. Fast food, sauces, and soups are also high on salt.
A high level of sodium or salt in the body can damage your kidneys. In persons suffering from chronic kidney diseases (CKD), excessive salt intake can push him to the stage of dialysis.
A survey conducted by our foundation, however, revealed that a majority of people are not aware of the hazards of excessive salt intake; many consume more than 10 grams of salt per day!
Below are a few ways in which you can reduce the intake of salt.
- Do not use salt while cooking. Take a measured quantity of 5 gm for the day and use only that for the food cooked; to increase palatability, use imli, kokum, ginger, or garlic
- Do not have a salt shaker on the table
- Limit the consumption of processed foods such as bread, cake, sauces, chips, noodles, and pasta
- Check food labels for sodium in all its forms. Table salt is mainly sodium chloride, but canned or packaged foods can contain other forms of sodium. For example, sodium glutamate is used as a food additive in many products
- Eat fresh meat and fruits, and not packaged ones
