Written By: Bhavyajyoti Chilukoti | Updated : June 13, 2016 10:42 AM IST
It is a known fact that increasing the intake of salt in diet can put you at a risk of hypertension and kidney disease. And the best way to deal with it is to replace regular sodium salt with low-sodium salt --Right? Wrong! According to Dr TejenderKaur Sarna, Nutritionist and Lifestyle Coach, whether it is low sodium salt or regular sodium salt, moderation is the key. Here s what our expert Dr Tejender has to say about including low-sodium salt in your diet and how to fulfil your daily recommended dose of sodium.
How much salt do we need per day?
The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of sodium is 2400 2800 mg per day for adults. As 1 gm of salt provides around 400 mg sodium, you need to add around two teaspoons of salt to fulfil your RDA of sodium. And anything excess than this can undoubtedly increase your risk of hypertension. If you are already suffering from hypertension, then you need to lower your salt intake further. Here's more on how much salt you should consume in a day.
Low sodium salt how much is too much?
Low sodium salt, as the name says, contains 30% less sodium as compared to normal sodium salt. Although the sodium content is lesser than the regular one, to make the food taste and meet your taste standards (as you are used to eating regular salt since years), you have to increase the quantity. It is the sodium in the salt that gives the food the required taste and flavour. Yes, some people can smell the food and figure out whether the food is tasty or has the perfect amount of salt based on the aroma.
For example, if you have been using a teaspoon of salt usually, then you need to add around 1.5 teaspoons of low-sodium salt to get the same taste and flavour to the food. If you calculate it, then you are adding excess salt to the food when using low-sodium salt. And hence, you end up using more quantity than required. Also, read about 5 reasons why a low-salt diet isn t healthy.
How to use salt the right way?
On an average, a typical Indian diet uses around 9 10 gm of salt, while the ideal amount is not more than three gms per day. Most people believe that adding salt imparts taste and flavour to the food and hence, cutting down on salt directly impacts the flavour of the food. Which is not true, says Dr Tejender. In fact, the less salt you eat, the healthier you can be, without compromising on the salt intake. Making simple changes in your diet like cutting down on processed foods, pickles, papads and foods rich in sodium like spinach might help. If you are already suffering from hypertension, including these five low-sodium foods in your diet is highly recommend to keep you sodium intake under control.
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