Keeping an Eye on Salt Intake

(Health, Wellness and Awareness 110: Image by moritz320 from Pixabay)

"Krack, Krack, Krack", This is the sound that chips lovers always compose. But, before you open the packaging of the next salty chips that you have, maybe you should read this first. You might never know that your salt intake is already crossing the threshold and is compromising your health and wellness.

(Health, Wellness and Awareness 110: Image by max leroy from Pixabay)

In today's modern world, salt is present in almost every processed food that we consume daily. From chips, instant cup noodles, stuffs in fast-food restaurants, salt is there. But why should we be concerned about salt in foods that we eat? Well, simply because for one reason - everything too much is bad. 

(Health, Wellness and Awareness 110: Image by Bruno /Germany from Pixabay)

Before I discuss the impact of salt in our overall health, let us tackle what salt really is. Basically, salt is made up of sodium and chlorine that when combined becomes "Sodium Chloride". Salt has many forms and uses, but I will just focus my discussion on edible salt. It usually comes in a granular form used as preservative and seasoning. Without salt, our dishes from appetizers up to the main course would be unenjoyable. However, in our daily consumption of salt or sodium, it seems that most of us are unaware of the amount that should be consumed on a daily basis. 

According to the SFGATE, "The United States FDA recommends that individuals consume no more than 2,300 milligrams {about 1 teaspoon o salt} of sodium per day, and that certain groups limit intake to 1,500 milligrams per day". Too much intake of salt can lead to cardiovascular disease such as hypertension, and also kidney disease. But, our body needs salt as it is considered as a factor involved in fluid balance (the amount of water lost from the body must equal the amount of water taken in) and as an electrolyte to help the nerves and muscles function properly. 

(Health, Wellness and Awareness 110: Image by Dian Minchev from Pixabay)

As we consume salty processed foods, it would be better if we check the nutritional value in the packaging, particularly the sodium content and based on what has been discussed, you just have to remember the numbers when it comes to daily sodium intake (no more than 2300 mg). Most importantly, drinking an adequate amount of water is very significant because it will be the job of our kidney to filter out excess salt from the blood and expel through urine as part of our body's detoxification process.

(Health, Wellness and Awareness 110: Image from Wikipedia)

Let us all spread awareness to always achieving a high quality of health and wellness. Sharing is where it will always start.