In the Northeast and North China regions, the average daily salt intake per person generally exceeds 15 grams, and it is not uncommon for it to surpass 20 to 30 grams. The physiological requirement for salt for adults is only 6 grams. Having worked in the field of nutrition for many years, I have rarely found adults who can reduce their daily salt intake to below 10 grams. This suggests that once a high-salt habit is formed, a low-salt diet becomes bland and unappetizing, making it very difficult to correct.
Dietary habits are formed from a young age, and the family is the primary environment for cultivating these habits. Research indicates that the adaptability of taste begins to form when a child is weaned onto supplementary foods, with the period before age 4 being a critical one. After age 7, the sense of taste matures, and its adaptability becomes largely fixed for life. Therefore, a low-salt habit should be cultivated from childhood, rather than waiting until adulthood to correct it after becoming accustomed to a high-salt diet.
For children under 1 year old, the daily salt intake should not exceed 1 gram; for those aged 1 to 6, it should not exceed 2 grams; and for those aged 7 to 13, it should not exceed 5 grams. At the family dinner table, most families eat the same meals, with the homemaker adjusting the salt to their own taste. Consequently, a child's salt intake will inevitably exceed their needs, and they will inevitably develop a high-salt dietary habit.
The practical method for controlling children's salt intake is to implement a "two-salt system" for one dish. The specific procedure is: when stir-frying or stewing a dish, add a small amount of salt before the dish is finished. First, serve the portion for the child, and then add a second portion of salt for the adults.
In addition, mothers should avoid using salted duck eggs to accompany a child's meal. A single salted duck egg contains 3 grams of salt, and its impact on a child's palate should not be underestimated.