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Salty

Most of us consume more salt than required

Salt as a killer is a uniquely modern phenomenon. Controlling salt intake is one of the primary measures for preventing and treating hypertension. Current recommendations allow no more than 2400 mg of dietary sodium per day and around 6000 mg of common salt. However, even the most health conscious person ends up consuming more salt than necessary or safe. But how does this happen?

The modern processed-food industry revolves around salt. Biscuits contain salt, so do bread, cheese, pickles, cured meat, dried fish, jams, tomato ketchup, pizzas, samosas and, virtually, every other Indian snack.

Even foods that do not contain common salt often contain baking soda, which is another rich source of sodium. This way, even sweet-baked foods have appreciable amounts of sodium. Some soft drinks contain sodium citrate.

With all this salt stashed away in foods, maintaining a limit on how much we consume is not easy. Avoiding processed foods, along with limiting salt at the table, is the most logical way to limit dietary sodium. Keep a tab on the salt on the food labels.

Eat fruits and vegetables in plenty . Avoid fatty foods . If you are cooking processed foods, add a sliced potato to the pot, which will leach out some of the excess sodium in the dish.

Eat regular meals as much as possible because even small snacks contain a hefty chunk of the day's sodium intake.

RAJIV M

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