Reducing salt intakes; 10 tips

Dietary sodium often consumed as common salt (sodium chloride) plays a key role in the body in regulating blood pressure but regularly consuming salt (through dishes, natural and processed foods) above 5g /day i.e. around one teaspoon a day is associated with hypertension. As salt is a high risk factor for hypertension, which is among the leading causes of deaths globally, it is important to make sure we do not exceed this recommended amount of salt. Below are 10 tips to help consume at most 5g/day of salt a day.

For everyone

  1. Use more natural spices such as ginger, garlic, chilli, rosemary, onions, African locust bean (‘dawadawa’), grains of Selim (‘hwentia’), prekese, ‘akokobesa’ among others to meet your taste preference instead of salt.

 2. Cut down and if possible avoid the use of processed spices such as cubes and seasoning powders because they often contain salt in high amounts. 

3. If you have to use salt in cooking, always measure. Do not pour directly into the dish being prepared using the eye as a regulator because you are likely to add more than is needed.

     4. In some countries such as Ghana, salted fish (‘koobi’, ‘momone’) and salted meat (salted pig feet, ‘kako’) are used in cooking. These are high in salt and should you need to use them then;

a.    Soak them in water overnight before use.

b.    Boil them in water before use. Remember not to use the stock.

c.    Use small quantities and/or do not add salt to the dish being prepared.

5. Do not add salt to food at the table as it is injurious to health.

6. Eat and/or use small quantities and if possible avoid processed food products such as processed meat (bacon, ham), crisps as they are high in salt.

7. Read food labels to know the amount of salt (dietary sodium) contained in the food. On food labels, the salt in the food is captured as sodium (at most 2g of sodium intake per day).

For Parents

8. Babies and children under 11 years require lower amounts of salt than the adults. Give your child(ren) a healthy start by

a.    Not adding salt or processed spices to meals being prepared for them as it can be injurious (their kidneys are not able to cope with high intake of salt) to their health. In other words prepare their meals separately.

b.    As salt habitation i.e. the association of salt to taste and hence preference for high salt food is developed during childhood, help kids not to develop a salt habitation by not giving them foods such as crisps

On Hypertension

2   9. Hypertension has no symptoms to help in early detection and treatment so;

a.    Regularly check your blood pressure. It should not be equal to or above 140/90mmHg 

b.    Hypertensive patients or people with high blood pressure should seek advice from a health professional as they require assistance (special diets, medication etc.).

Take home message

10. ‘Food taste’ is not equal to the salt in the food, some naturally occurring foods, water, processed foods contain dietary sodium (salt), and all the salt you will consume in a day should be at most 5g or around one teaspoon. 

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In the Superior Court 

  

       Facts: WHO

       Photo credit : www.everwell.com

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In the Superior Court

IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF HEALTHY LIVING

IN THE HIGH COURT OF NUTRITION

PLANET EARTH

AD 2013

SODIUM CHLORIDE
(affectionately called SALT)                                          PLAINTIFF/APPLICANT
VRS
THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION                    DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT
(Al-So called WHO)

MOTION ON NOTICE

TAKE NOTICE that Quarrelsome & Partners, Lawyers for and on behalf of  the Plaintiff/Applicant herein shall move the Honourable Court for an order of Injunction to stop the Defendant/Respondent herein whether by themselves or their agents, workmen, servants, assigns and all other persons, natural or otherwise claiming through them,  from spear-heading, propagating, facilitating, encouraging or otherwise engendering by any means whatsoever attacks on the semi-good character and high reputation of the Plaintiff/Applicant pending the final determination of the issues between  the parties in terms of this motion paper and the supporting affidavit.
Court to be moved on……..the ……day of ……..2013 at 9.00 in the forenoon or so soon thereafter.

DATED AT SALT-TOWN  CONDOMINIUM THIS …15..DAY OF …July…2013.

SUPPORTING AFFIDAVIT

I, SODIUM CHLORIDE of Salt-town Estates solemnly swear to this affidavit and state that:

1. I am the Applicant/Deponent and I swear to this affidavit on matters which are within my personal knowledge and experience or have otherwise been brought to my attention in the course of my usage in soups and industries.
2. For centuries, I have served mankind very well. From being used in cooking meals to preserving food, to being used in food and other product processing. I gladly play my roles. My work doesn’t stop here.
3. I continue to play roles in your body as well. For instance inside the body, my first name, Sodium regulates blood pressure.
4. How I do this would require me giving you a physiology lecture which I bet you are probably not ready for.  If you however insist on knowing more, I recommend WHO, FSA, CASH etc websites to read.
5. I love to read everything readable, listen to everything listenable and watch everything watchable and it was during these activities I came across stories that have saddened my heart leading to the present lawsuit against WHO.
6. Do you know CASH, WASH, PWASH, AWASH? I am not really bothered about the first letters of the acronyms. What bothers me is the last three letters ASH, Action on Salt and Health. So whether it is consensus or world, the fact that actions are being taken on me is worrying.
7.  I play good roles especially concerning health, regulating blood pressure. So why would groups, countries, organization take actions on me?
8. Do you know this year, most health awareness campaigns worldwide are on salt? It is one thing to get the world’s attention with good deeds but it is another when it is for the wrong reasons.
9. A good campaign to educate the world about my true character is not an abomination to me and I may support it sometimes.
10. PARTICULARS OF A FRIENDLY CAMPAIGN

a)     Sodium regulates blood pressure. Hence Sodium’s regulation of your blood pressure is a direct response to the amount of Sodium and me you take into your body.
b)     The more of me consumed, the more I put pressure on your blood regulation believing you want it, judging from your heavy intake of me.
c)      For instance, when you consume more than a teaspoonful of me a day (5g/day), you increase the amount of my first name, Sodium in your body. It then puts more pressure on your blood regulation and when this continues your blood pressure becomes elevated.
d)     The unintentional activity of Sodium elevates your blood pressure beyond the normal range. I must however say, other factors contribute to elevated blood pressure but it looks like my activity is the highest of all the risk factors.
e)     This elevated blood pressure predisposes you to hypertension, a major risk factor of cadiovascular diseases.
f)       You know, one in three adults worldwide is hypertensive. I know you would doubt me because the one in three adults you meet show no sign of hypertension. This is because hypertension unlike other diseases has no symptoms making it very dangerous.

1. The WHO and others intensify educative campaigns on the nitty-gritty of                   my  true character to point out my usefulness and harmfulness.
2.  All persons beware that they consume salted nuts, chips, pizza, chicken, fries, cereals and many more on their own volition and at their own peril.
3.  It is only just and equitable that this honourable court orders the WHO and others to refrain from attacking my character and person for the hypertension, heart attacks and sudden death of persons who consume me without restraint.
4.  Just imagine, how can you complain: “ waiter! There is soup in my salt!” and turn around to blame me? That is injustice.
5. I solemnly swear.

DATED AT QUARRELSOME & PARTNERS CHAMBERS, SALT-TOWN THIS…DAY OF….2013.

Credit: Augustine Kidisil and Irene Danquah

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