Stop! Check the Salt level: Why Packaged foods levels matter
In today’s fast-paced world, people do not pay attention to their diet. If you are also doing this, then it can prove wrong for you and you may have to face a very big disease. Nowadays, people prefer packaging food more than cooking food, but companies keep the amount of salt high in most of the packaged food so that it looks more crispy and salty and people also like it. If you are also doing this, then it can prove wrong for you.
Because, if the amount of salt is more, many different types of diseases can be detected in the body. Such as high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney damage, stroke, osteoporosis, stomach cancer and many such diseases can happen if this salt is consumed in excess. Salt mostly contains sodium chloride, which is required by the body in very small quantity. If it becomes more in the body, then it increases the risk of many diseases.
According to the American Heart Association report, an adult person’s intake of more than 2.3 grams of salt per day is not good for health at all, the ideal limit is 1.5 grams. Some studies have shown that in daily a person consumes 3.4 grams of salt which is much more than the recommended limit. It has been spotted in some areas that the salt level in the packaged food and processed food available in the market is hidden and at times it has been found that these packaged foods contain up to 75% more salt than the daily required amount.
Excessive salt intake can be dangerous for health
High blood pressure: Due to high daily salt intake, the chances of high blood pressure increases, which is also called hypertension. Due to this, the chances of heart disease, stroke and kidney problems also increase, so consume as little salt as possible.
Heart disease: Due to high salt intake, the chances of all types of diseases occurring in the heart increase, such as heart attack, heart failure and different types of cardiovascular diseases.
Kidney damage: Kidney is a vital organ of the body, whose job is to filter out all the waste fluids present in the body, but if you consume too much salt in a day, then it increases the work of the kidney and it can cause chronic kidney disease and it becomes a life threatening point.
Osteoporosis: Salt basically destroys the calcium present in the bones, this can cause osteoporosis. And because of this the bones become weak, this increases the risk of bone fracture.
Also Read: Top 10 Amazing Health Benefits of Dates: A Fully Nutrients Superfood
How to check salt content on packaged food
There are many ways to check the salt content of any packaged food. Some of the selected points are given below:
Check sodium content: While buying any packaged food, do check its nutrition level. 0.3 to 1.5 grams per 100 grams is fine but if it is more than this then it can be harmful for you.
Watch for hidden sodium: There are many packaged foods available in the market where sodium is written by different names like monosodium glutamate (MSG), baking soda, and sodium nitrite.
Compare brands: Whenever you buy any kind of product from the market, always try to compare the sodium level of different brands and try to buy the one which has the exact amount of nutrition level.
How to avoid salt intake
Read package levels: Whenever you buy any packaged food, read its item levels and try to buy low sodium or no added salt packages.
Cook at home: Home cooked food is the best, prepare any kind of food at home in which you mix very limited amount of salt and it will also be very healthy for you.
Alternatives: Instead of salt, you can try different flavours like herbs, spices, or lemon.
Reduce packaged food: Processed fruit foods like chips, frozen meals and daily meat contain a lot of salt, eat such food as less as possible and instead you can move towards whole or unhealthy food.
Disclaimer: This is just for information purpose but if you really have any kind of disorder or disease then you should consult any doctor.
