Reducing your Sodium intake

Reducing your Sodium intake

You may be advised by your doctor to reduce your sodium intake if you have high blood pressure, congestive heart disease or kidney disease. When you think of sodium, the salt you sprinkle on food probably comes to mind. Salt is in fact made up of sodium and chloride. Sodium is an essential mineral for the body. All the cells in the body are bathed in fluids that contain sodium, which helps to maintain the body’s fluid balance

Some of the sodium in your diet occurs naturally in foods. The rest comes from the salt added to foods when cooking or processing. Indian consumes as much as 10g of added salt.

How much salt can you use?

The amount will depend on your specific needs and may vary from ¼ to 1 teaspoon per day (2-5g/day)

Simple steps to cut down salt:

Since the taste for the salt is an acquired habit it is possible to reduce its intake gradually without much difficulty. Here are some general rules to keep the sodium intake within the recommended guideline.

Avoid foods preserved in salt such as dry fish and meat
Limit the use of salt in cooking
Do not keep a salt shaker on your dining table
Cut down on convenience food – cakes, biscuits, cheese, canned foods, fast food, some are high in sodium even when they do not salty
Ask for unsalted dishes when eating out
Use herbs and spices to enhance flavor of foods in place of salt.

- A dash of lime

- Onion and Vinegar

- Nutmeg, Bayleaf, Cinnamon

- Dry chillies, mustard seeds, pepper

- Coriander, mint

- Ginger and garlic

Foods to avoid or limit: (which contain high amount of sodium):

Pickles
Baked foods
Canned foods
Dry fish and meat
Papad
Cheese
Processed meats such as bacon & ham
Bottled sauces such as ketchup & soy sauce
Powdered and canned soups
MSG (Monosodium Glutamate – Ajinomoto. Apart from the sodium content, Ajinomoto is not recommended for consumption)
Salted snacks such as chips, nuts and mixture

A word of caution about salt substitutes:

Salts substitutes may contain potassium salts which are contra-indicated for persons with kidney problems. Take the salt substitute container to your dietitian for his/her advice before using the product.