Appraisal of Salt from Diet Angle

We all consume salt as a part of our dietary habit mainly to enhance the taste. A common myth is in its place that off take of salt will increase the blood pressure. Not at all, if it is consumed in measured quantity of one and half tablespoon for cooked foods per day for four diets. On the contrary, it is benevolent for health. Various parts of the body namely heart, lever, kidney and adrenals glands require salt for proper functioning. Salt is having pros and cons and in all, it has a tremendous useful role for daily diets.

We will examine what harm salt can do and what is all the usefulness.

Harm:

1. Salt is a stress food and it certainly energize the sympathetic nerve.
2. Salt preserves the water content of the body. Excess consumption of salt beyond the recommended limit preferably by a dietitian, or doctor increases the risk of high blood pressure.
3. Salt sucks the calcium of the bone and causes damage.
4. Salt causes problem to flash out the unwanted ingredients of the body and because of this, level of uric acid goes up and also chance of development of gout will be there.
5. Excess consumption of salt damages the kidney function.

Usefulness:

1. Salt is very useful for function of nerve cell.
2. Patient of low blood pressure must consume salt to the prescribed limit, specified by a doctor.
3. Salt is equally useful to reduce cold. Sinus congestion feeling particularly for the people who are prone to cold is get eradicated by use of salt.
4. For dry cough with coughing at equal interval, if very low quantity of salt is kept in the mouth for a while, enough relief is visualized.
5. With use of salt, blood vessels and cell are contracted and keep our body warm. Because of this, we take little more salt during winter.

What are the possibilities to reduce the usage of salt?
During cooking, usage of salt should be proportionate to the requirement of taste. It should be used sparingly. During breakfast and snacks, there is not much of the use of salt but while lunch and dinner, specific attention is to be made not to consume salt from the salt shakers. In fact, dining table should not have this at all.
Style of cooking is to be changed. One has to try with low salt recipe. Foods can be prepared with different herbal based spices.
Lunch or dinner must include carrots, broccoli, cucumber, corn in the form of salads. These vegetables will have low sodium and low fat.
Consumption of pickles, tomato soup, and vegetable soup may increase the level of fat as it contains high sodium and from the menu of the food, these are to be eliminated to the extent possible.
Substitute of salts are to be used. Table salt and potassium chloride and other mineral based salts should be included in diets. Now-a-days, herbal based salts are available which can be used.
To minimize the consumption of frozen foods, packaged foods. Because these foods contain high sodium. If at all, these foods are to be taken, then low sodium based is to be consumed.

From above, it is proven supported by research that salt is to be definitely consumed but with limitation and self disciplined tongue.