How much salt did you consume yesterday? Have you any idea? Do you think it's important? Actually, it's very important indeed, and for the sake of your health you should always be aware of the amount of salt you consume.
The recommended daily allowance (RDA) of salt is 4g and a maximum of 6g. Most of us consume in excess of 12g, and we don't know we're doing it. So where does it all come from? The main culprit is processed food and in particular fast foods and ready meals. They do the most damage.
Why do manufacturers add so much salt to their products in the first place? Because it helps to increase the shelf life of the product and enhance the taste. Salt is everywhere, from baked beans to cereals and candy, hardly anything escapes. Alarmingly we get over 25% of our salt intake from white bread - and that includes burger buns and bagels sandwiches and rolls.
How well did you breakfast today? If you had a full cooked breakfast with eggs, hash browns, bacon, sausage etc., it's very likely that you have already consumed more than half your daily salt intake. Even if you started the day with a cup of coffee and a muffin you could have consumed over 25% of your RDA.
What is the problem with salt? Salt in the right quantities is absolutely fine, in fact we need salt to survive. Salt does several useful things. It helps to keep the concentration of fluid in our body at the right level and it plays an important role in the transmission of electrical impulses and in the absorption of nutrients by our cells.
What happens when we eat too much salt? It causes us to retain too much fluid. When this happens you feel bloated. It also increases your blood pressure causing hypertension which can lead to heart attack and stroke. Too much salt is not good.
Salt helps us to put on weight. Thirst is one reason, another is that the signal your brain receives to let know that you're thirsty is virtually indistinguishable from the signal for hunger. All too often we answer the call for thirst with more food - and usually high calorie food at that. The result is weight gain.
We all need to get out of the habit of eating too much salt and learn the habit of knowing how much salt there is in the food we eat. It's not difficult to do. It's an essential slim habit we all need to learn.
The recommended daily allowance (RDA) of salt is 4g and a maximum of 6g. Most of us consume in excess of 12g, and we don't know we're doing it. So where does it all come from? The main culprit is processed food and in particular fast foods and ready meals. They do the most damage.
Why do manufacturers add so much salt to their products in the first place? Because it helps to increase the shelf life of the product and enhance the taste. Salt is everywhere, from baked beans to cereals and candy, hardly anything escapes. Alarmingly we get over 25% of our salt intake from white bread - and that includes burger buns and bagels sandwiches and rolls.
How well did you breakfast today? If you had a full cooked breakfast with eggs, hash browns, bacon, sausage etc., it's very likely that you have already consumed more than half your daily salt intake. Even if you started the day with a cup of coffee and a muffin you could have consumed over 25% of your RDA.
What is the problem with salt? Salt in the right quantities is absolutely fine, in fact we need salt to survive. Salt does several useful things. It helps to keep the concentration of fluid in our body at the right level and it plays an important role in the transmission of electrical impulses and in the absorption of nutrients by our cells.
What happens when we eat too much salt? It causes us to retain too much fluid. When this happens you feel bloated. It also increases your blood pressure causing hypertension which can lead to heart attack and stroke. Too much salt is not good.
Salt helps us to put on weight. Thirst is one reason, another is that the signal your brain receives to let know that you're thirsty is virtually indistinguishable from the signal for hunger. All too often we answer the call for thirst with more food - and usually high calorie food at that. The result is weight gain.
We all need to get out of the habit of eating too much salt and learn the habit of knowing how much salt there is in the food we eat. It's not difficult to do. It's an essential slim habit we all need to learn.
About the Author:
A Well known speaker, writer and commentator on diet and health matters, Henry John's special subject is permanent weight loss and behavior change. He is committed to helping people who have weight problems achieve permanent weight loss. If you would like learn more about how to lose weight permanently visit www.slimhabit.com
0 commentaires:
Enregistrer un commentaire