Salt is one of the essential seasonings in our daily lives and cooking processes. However, most modern foods are already high in oil and salt, and people nowadays dine out more often, which can lead to excessive salt intake. So, how can we consume salt scientifically and prevent this seasoning from becoming a burden on our health?
Too much salt is not a good thing
What happens when you eat too much salt? Let's find out. Excessive salt intake may lead to stomach cancer and high blood pressure, and it can also aggravate asthma and osteoporosis. Therefore, appropriately reducing salt intake can help lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease.
In addition, eating too much salt can easily lead to wrinkles. According to experts from the French Academy of Medicine, salt exists in our blood and body fluids mainly in the form of chloride and sodium ions, which play a very important role in maintaining the body's osmotic pressure, water balance, and acid-base balance. If you consume too much salt, the sodium ions in your body will increase, causing facial cells to lose water, which leads to skin aging and, over time, more wrinkles on the face.
It is undeniable that eating too much salt affects health. However, salt is also one of the essential foods for our bodies. So, how much salt should a person consume per day to meet health requirements? According to the "Chinese Residents' Dietary Guidelines (2007)", the daily salt intake for an average person should be 6 grams, while for children it should be between 2-5 grams. For a family of three, the daily salt consumption should be about 16 grams, which amounts to approximately 500 grams per month.
When you eat too much salt, the salt content in your blood increases. A chemoreceptor in the body becomes excited, and the most direct symptom is a dry mouth. When your mouth is dry, you need to drink water. As the water enters the stomach, is absorbed into the blood, and dilutes the excess salt, it helps maintain the stability of the body's internal environment. Therefore, people with kidney disease or poor kidney function should remember to eat as lightly as possible, otherwise, it will be difficult to reduce swelling. Similarly, patients with heart failure, cirrhosis with ascites, and hypertension should not eat too much salt.
Four things to pay attention to when eating salt daily
The Chinese Nutrition Society recommends that healthy adults should consume 6 grams of salt (including the salt content in soy sauce and other foods) per day. However, salt intake is often determined by taste, flavor, and eating habits. China's salt intake has already exceeded the normal physiological needs by 10 to 25 times. A normal person would experience poisoning and edema from consuming 35-40 grams of salt per day.
1. Generally, 20 ml of soy sauce contains 3 grams of salt, and 10 grams of yellow bean paste contains 1.5 grams of salt. If a dish requires soy sauce and other sauces, the amount of salt in the food should be reduced proportionally.
2. For those who prefer a salty taste, a little vinegar can be added during cooking to enhance the umami and flavor of the dish. Therefore, you cannot judge whether the salt intake is excessive based on taste alone; using measuring tools is more accurate.
3. When cooking, adding sugar can mask the salty taste. Therefore, you cannot judge whether the salt intake is excessive based on taste alone; using measuring tools is more accurate.
4. Pay attention to reducing the intake of pickled vegetables, preserved foods, and other overly salty foods.
How can you buy real salt?
Salt is an important seasoning that we cannot do without in our three daily meals. Besides enhancing the flavor of ingredients, salt is also fundamental to our health. However, there are too many counterfeit products now, and buying bad salt will inevitably harm our health.
First, look at the laser anti-counterfeiting mark on the salt packaging. The anti-counterfeiting mark on real salt is pasted in a relatively straight position and is very clear. In contrast, the anti-counterfeiting mark on counterfeit salt is crooked and the text is blurry.
Second, you can judge the authenticity of salt by the top and bottom seals of the packaging bag. The real salt has obvious crease marks on both the top and bottom seals, and the edges of the seals do not have a distinct jagged shape. On the other hand, the seal of counterfeit salt feels very smooth and flat, with no visible creases, and the cut edges have a very obvious jagged shape.
In addition, you can also judge the authenticity of salt by the small amount of salt residue left at the top and bottom seals of the salt bag. Counterfeit salt bags are pre-produced, with only one end left open for later filling with salt, while the other end was sealed during production. Therefore, on the two seals of counterfeit salt, only one end will have a small amount of salt residue. Real salt is produced on an automated assembly line, and when sealed, both ends are sealed at the same time, so it is inevitable that a small amount of salt will be scattered on both seals.