You may have come across someone who is undergoing a salt reduced diet. This is quite common and there are good reasons for it. The palette is especially attracted to the taste of salt, fat and sugar. We just love salty foods, fatty foods and sweet things. Even if they are not good for us. We have heard much about too much fat and too much sugar. Well what about salt?
Like everything it is about relative quantity. Too much of anything will kill you. And too much salt is bad for your diet.Excess salt causes the body to retain water and also causes dehydration. Kind of sounds contradictory, but this is how the body works. This in turn leads to high blood pressure. Excess salt is one of the primary causes of hypertension. This is becoming more prevalent as our population ages, and we grow up on a diet of fries and highly processed foods that contain high levels of salt and other flavour enhancers (read artificial salt).
You do not need to remove all salt from your foods. It is actually impossible to eat normally without salt. Tons of foods have salt, so the main message is do not add salt. f you eat any bread and meat at all you will get enough salt.
But high levels of salt in your diet can lead toward high blood pressure. About 6 grams is the recommended daily amount. Look for natural foods, free from preservatives and flavour enhancers. More easily said than done. Reacquaint your self with your fresh fruit and vegetable grocer, butcher and whole food supplier. Avoid packaged foods where ever possible. Then you will be on the way to a salt reduced life.
