Low Sodium Diet: How To Cut Down On Salt And Choose The Right Foods

Dr.Rupali Dutta

Salt is associated with not only food but a number of revolutions, from the famous Dandi March of our country to the French revolution. Without salt our food is flavourless and we cannot preserve our food. Without sodium our body cannot survive! It is needed to maintain the volume of our blood, the acid -base balance, transmission of nerve impulses and for normal cell function. This mineral, considered rare, is now freely available thanks to modern technology and food processing. Historically, man as the gatherer hunter did not need salt for his food; the sodium content of natural food - from cereal grains to pulses, meat, vegetables and fruits - met the demands of his body. We do not really need to add salt to our food to meet the body's sodium requirement, but when we became settlers and farmers we developed a taste for the mineral and since then we have slowly increased the content to a point where it is now becoming a health concern.
http://m.food.ndtv.com/health/low-sodium-diet-how-to-cut-down-on-salt-and-choose-the-right-foods-1737178

WHO recommends a salt intake of less than 5 gm/day, which is less than 2gm of Sodium/day. ICMR states that the body needs between 1.1 to 3.3 g of sodium or 2.8 to 8.3 g of Sodium Chloride aka salt per day to function. The actual intake is about twice this amount worldwide. The increase in sodium intake is linked to urbanization and an increased quantity and frequency of processed food intake.

High salt intake, a primary source ofsodium in our diets, is linked to Hypertension, an increased risk of cardio vascular diseases and stroke. Low sodium diets are also recommended for people suffering from heart failure, renal failure and cirrhosis of the liver.