The Dangers of Consuming Too Much Salt
It’s next to impossible to avoid salt in your diet. Used as a common preservative, it can be found in most items on the shelves of your local supermarket – and it’s easy to ignore your intake until your doctor tells you otherwise. However as we age, it’s important to be more proactive about our health, which also means being more proactive about our diet.
Research has shown that a high sodium diet can increase blood pressure and the likelihood of heart attacks, strokes, kidney disease and even osteoporosis. According to the Irish Heart Foundation ‘Many people in Ireland eat more than twice the amount of salt their bodies need. If everyone in Ireland reduced salt intake by a half teaspoon (3 grams per day), this would prevent approximately 900 deaths each year from stroke and heart attack.’
While many of these ailments also are associated with ageing, there is a strong connection between nutrition and overall health. By reducing salt in your diet, you can keep the negative effects of these conditions at bay.
Examine Food Labels
Learning how to read food labels properly can be eye-opening and life-changing. The Irish Heart foundation recommends that the body needs about 4 grams of salt each day and an acceptable maximum level is 6 grams or 1 teaspoon per day. Many people, especially men, exceed this level of salt intake and eat on average about 9-10 grams of salt per day. Simply swapping high salt foods such as tinned soup or crisps and replacing them with homemade soup or unsalted popcorn can make a huge difference to your salt intake.
Buy Fresh & Cook
The worst culprits of high salt content are pre-made foods such as instant soups or noodles, ready-made meals and packaged meats such as ham. Cooking your own meals can help cut down on your sodium intake as you know how much salt is going into your food. If you’re not used to cooking at home, there are some great websites that can help you learn how to cook and provide ingredient advice. Greatfood.ie provides easy to cook recipes including traditional Irish recipes, while Bord Bia focuses on fresh and healthy recipes that are low fat and low salt.
Bear in mind that supermarkets aren’t the only culprits of high salt foods. Many restaurants are also guilty of this, so if they don’t list low-salt items on the menu, consider ordering a salad or a vegetable dish, as they typically contain less sodium than other options.
Explore Other Flavours
There are a huge range of spices and herbs available that can add flavour to your favourite foods without compromising (and in some cases boost) your health. Herbs such as oregano, basil, garlic and ginger all pack a lot of flavour and are tasty salt substitutes. You also can try seasoning your food with fresh lemon juice, vinegar and pepper. For advice, recipes and label reading information visit The Irish Heart Foundation’s website.
If you can follow the above dietary guidelines and add some exercise into your weekly routine, you should reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular and other serious medical conditions typically associated with a high salt diet. Small changes can make a huge difference to your health in the long run.
What kind of dietary tips can you share about lowering the salt intake of elderly relatives?
