Is salt bad for you?

For the ancient Romans, salt was particularly precious;

it is no coincidence that the term salary, still used today to indicate the salary of an employee, was coined in those years to give a name to the remuneration of the legionaries.

The salting of foods, in addition to being necessary to better preserve some foods, therefore also has a profound cultural significance.

In-depth articles on Salt

Salt requirement

Each gram of salt contains approximately 0.4 g of sodium. Under normal conditions, an adult needs 100-600 mg of sodium per day, which is approximately 0.25-1.5 grams of salt. The diet of the Italians provides on average almost 12 grams of salt per day, exceeding the real needs by ten times. Starting from these values, the simple reduction of the sodium intake in the diet to no more than 100 mmol / day (6 g of salt) reduces blood pressure by 2-8 mmHg.

In the summer, when sweating increases, the need for sodium also increases, especially in athletes. In a balanced diet, however, it is recommended not to take more than 6 grams of salt per day.

Is Salt Bad?

If taken in excess, salt is the enemy of our health, especially in the light of the latest scientific research. In particular, excessive salt consumption can be responsible for diseases such as:

• HYPERTENSION: Salt is especially harmful for people suffering from high blood pressure. Although an organism is perfectly capable of eliminating excess sodium, taking too much salt, in the long run, favors the onset of the disease in predisposed people.
• OSTEOPOROSIS: the excess of salt favors the renal excretion of calcium, of which the diet is often poor. Calcium is an essential mineral for bones and its deficiency significantly increases the risk of osteoporosis.
• OBESITY: Those who regularly consume salty foods are at greater risk of becoming obese. Salt, as we know, has no calories but stimulates thirst which can be satisfied with sugary or alcoholic drinks. In this case it is easy to take in extra calories (about 50-150 kcal per 330 ml can), not very satiating and often not realized.

The intake of salt in the diet must be absolutely reduced even in the presence of diseases such as renal insufficiency, heart failure and cirrhosis. These diseases significantly increase sodium retention by altering renal elimination mechanisms. In a healthy individual, the metabolism of sodium works perfectly and allows for the regulation of urinary absorption and excretion in relation to the amount of salt introduced with food. For a healthy person, the intake of excessive amounts of salt is therefore not a problem even if, in the long run, it predisposes the individual to hypertension and water retention.

LACK OF SALT: sodium is an essential mineral for our body as it regulates the transmission of nerve impulses, water balance, acid-base balance and membrane permeability. A reduced intake of salt in the diet can, especially in summer, favor the onset of cramps, decreasing appetite and mental clarity.

SALT AND DIET: Packaged food is one of the main obstacles to reducing sodium in the diet. Limiting the intake of salt with food is all in all easy, just take a few simple precautions:

• do not salt the dishes.
• Use a little salt during cooking (when preparing pasta, get used, for example, to add salt when the cooking is finished; in this way the amount of salt absorbed by the pasta is considerably reduced).
• Limit the consumption of salted or processed foods (sausages, cheeses, chips, etc.).
• Limit the consumption of packaged foods.
• Enhance the flavor of foods with spices, lemon or traditional / balsamic vinegar.
• If fruit is appreciated, it can be eaten as a substitute for salty snacks.

The contribution of the sodium present in the water we drink every day is practically nil since in a liter of a common mineral water there are usually 5-15 mg of sodium.

Find out how to replace salt with a healthier seasoning; watch the video: properties and recipe for gomasio

Eating often outside the home considerably increases the intake of salt in the diet: just think, for example, of the widespread habit of restaurateurs to add salt to flavor dishes, or the almost 2 grams of sodium contained in a hectogram of raw ham.

It would be enough for the state to intervene by placing limits on the addition of salt in preserved foods, to save many lives and several million euros in national health spending every year. In England and especially in Finland, this limitation has considerably reduced death from stroke. In America, where the consumption of salt has increased by 50% in the last 15 years, the incidence of these diseases has instead sharply increased.



Flavored Salt for Vegetables, Meat and Fish

Problems with playing the video? Reload the video from youtube.

• Go to the Video Page
• Go to the Video Recipes Section
• Watch the video on youtube

Other articles on "Sale"

1. Dietary Salt
2. Integral salt
3. Hyposodic salt
4. Iodized salt
5. Diet and Hypertension, DASH Diet
6. Sodium

Other Foods - Spices Garlic Dill Cinnamon Cren Curry Daikon Broth Cube Tarragon Monosodium Glutamate Mace Nutmeg Oregano Paprika Black Pepper Green Pepper Pepper Cayenne Pepper Chilli Pepper Parsley Horseradish Rosemary Dietary Salt Whole Salt Iodized Salt Hyposodic Salt Salt Pink Himalayan Salt Mustard Tabasco Vanilla Wasabi Ginger OTHER ITEMS SPICES Categories Food Alcoholics Meat Cereals and derivatives Sweeteners Sweets Offal Fruit Dried fruit Milk and derivatives Legumes Oils and fats Fish and fishery products Salami Spices Vegetables Health recipes Appetizers Bread, Pizza and Brioche First courses Second courses Vegetables and Salads Sweets and Desserts Ice creams and sorbets Syrups, liqueurs and grappas Basic Preparations ---- In the Kitchen with Leftovers Carnival Recipes Christmas Recipes Dietary Recipes Light Recipes Woman's Day, Mother's Day, Dad's Day Functional Recipes International Recipes Easter Recipes Recipes for Celiacs Recipes for Diabetics Recipes for the Holidays Recipes for Valentine's Day Vegetarian Recipes Protein Recipes Regional Recipes Vegan Recipes