A Salt With a Deadly Weapon

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Centuries ago salt was regarded so valuable that slaves would be sold and bought using it as currency. Though a lot may have changed since then, salt continues to play a prominent role in our lives. Salt is added to foods and products to improve on taste and flavour. It increases the shelf life of products by preventing bacterial growth, is used as a preservative (which biltong lovers are most grateful for), enhances sweetness in baked goods, disguises chemical aftertastes in soft drinks, and is found in large amounts in take-aways and pre-packaged foods. 

So, why the huge concern about salt?Most people eat much more salt then is needed. Generally, as salt intake increases so does blood pressure. Because salt holds on to water blood volume is increased this in turn increases blood pressure. This makes your heart have to pump harder. If not controlled, high blood pressure may lead to heart attacks, strokes and kidney disease.

Today we focus on how to reduce salt intake, which is a good idea whether you have high blood pressure or not. Here are the Good Life’s top tips to help you in cutting back on salt in your diet- it is much easier than you may think.

Cut back on salt gradually

Just as your taste buds got used to a lot of salt, they can and will get used to less salt. So you can learn to enjoy less salt. Slowly decrease your salt use. You will soon see that as you use less salt your preference for it will also decrease, and soon enough you will even find foods too salt for you. It may take a few weeks before you get used to it, but eventually you won’t even realise how much salt you cut down on.  Your taste buds will actually adjust quicker than you think, we promise.

Limit the amount of salt you add to food to 1 teaspoon per day

One teaspoon of salt contains 2400mg of sodium. Use little salt during cooking, and use herbs and spices for flavour instead.

Taste your food before adding more salt

Sometimes it is merely out of habit that we add salt to our food, so taste food first as most foods have added salt. It may be a good idea to not put the salt shaker on the table.

Be creative and use herbs and spices to flavour your foods

• Fresh and dried herbs: parsley, thyme, coriander, rosemary, origanum, mixed herbs
• Spices: black pepper, curry, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, curry and mustard powder
• Bay leaves
• Tabasco
• Lemon rind and lemon juice
• Orange rind and orange juice
• Vinegar
• Garlic
• Ginger

Limit foods that are high in hidden salt. These foods include:    

• Some spices: chicken spice, barbeque spice, celery salt, garlic salt, onion salt, lemon salt, Aromat
• Processed meats: polony, ham, viennas, Russians, sausages, bacon, frankfurters
• Cheese: all cheeses, cheese spread, processed cheese (e.g. Melrose)
• Snacks: chips (e.g. Simba, Niknaks), salty biscuits (e.g. Tuc, salticrax), pretzels, nuts, biltong, popcorn (commercially prepared)
• Breakfast cereals e.g. Rice Krispies, ProNutro
• Take-aways and fast food
• Ready-prepared and frozen meals
• Sandwich spreads: marmite, Bovril, fish paste
• Stock: cubes and powder
• Atjar
• Tinned, cured and smoked meats and fish
• Packet and tinned soups, sauces and gravy
• Vegetables: canned vegetables, pickles, sauerkraut, olives (in brine)
• Some sauces and condiments: Worcestershire, soya sauce, barbeque sauce, pre-prepared salad dressings

Learn to read food labels

Salt is a source of sodium. Look out for words such as salt and sodium (which may be also referred to by the elemental term Na). Other words to look out for include sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), MSG (monosodium glutamate), sodium ascorbate, sodium propionate, sodium sulphate, sodium nitrate (and nitrite), and sodium caseinate.

Choose low-salt and salt-free options

These days the supermarket shelves are packed with healthier alternatives to our favourite foods. Chose food products with terms such as low salt, low sodium, reduced salt, reduced sodium, salt free, etc.

Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables

Fruits and vegetables are naturally low in salt, so increase your intake of fresh fruits (2 per day) and vegetables (4-5 portions per day).

Interesting people have different sensitivities to salt. Some people are more sensitive to the effects of salt and these are the people that have a remarkable drop in blood pressure when they cut back on salt in their diet. However, there are people who, no matter how little salt they eat, continue to have high blood pressure. For these people, look out for next week’s post on other dietary and lifestyle strategies to manage hypertension.