According to the report of the Central Ground Water Authority, the salt content in Delhi's ground water is higher than normal. Of the samples analyzed, more than 25% of the samples were found to contain saline water. Delhi is second only to Rajasthan in this regard, with 30% of its samples containing saline water. Apparently, people generally use this water for drinking and cooking. This means that people living in these areas of Delhi and Rajasthan are consuming more salt than they need.
This situation is not only in Delhi and Rajasthan. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), almost everyone in the world consumes twice the daily recommended salt intake. About 19 lakh people die every year due to diseases caused by excessive salt intake.
That's why today In 'health water' We will talk about what happens if you eat too much salt. You will also learn that-
- How much salt should be eaten per day according to WHO?
- What happens to the body if we eat too much salt?
- How can we reduce the amount of salt in food?
People are consuming twice as much salt as they need According to the World Health Organization, a healthy person should consume less than 5 grams of salt (less than 2000 mg of sodium) per day. While almost everyone around the world eats more than 10 grams of salt per day.
According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), an adult in India consumes an average of 8 grams of salt, which is 3 grams more than the standard set by the WHO. It harms our health.
Millions of people are dying every year due to excess salt consumption. A pinch of salt changes the taste of our food. A little too much salt can spoil the taste of food. The World Health Organization says that this salt also spoils the taste of health. Eating too much salt can cause high blood pressure. It also increases the risk of heart disease, gastric cancer and kidney disease. All these diseases invite death.
Too much salt is the enemy of the heart and kidneys
- Eating too much salt increases the amount of sodium in our blood. The body needs more water to dilute it. Drinking more water increases blood volume. It increases the pressure on blood vessels and heart.
- Our body knows that excess salt is harmful to the body. Therefore, the kidneys immediately start filtering to balance it. He has to work harder in this work. As the amount of salt is doubled, its work is also doubled. When the kidneys are tired from working, they release salt into the blood.
- It increases blood volume. Blood pressure increases. In this condition, the heart has to work harder for pumping. As a result, the risk of heart disease and stroke increases.
- This can lead to kidney stones and also increases the risk of kidney disease.
According to naturopathy, our entire diet should come from plants. While the salt we use in food does not come from plants. For good health, one should stop eating salt or eat less of it.
It is necessary to reduce salt in food We are constantly talking about how much salt is in our food. In such a situation, the question must be coming in your mind that the amount of salt while eating is not too much. This is because our taste buds have developed with a high salt diet since childhood. That is why it seems normal to us. When it is more than the body needs and it is constantly harming us.
If the use of salt is gradually reduced in the daily diet, the taste will not make much difference and it will become a habit according to its taste. Wafers, ketchup and sauces contain more salt than food. Apart from this, fast food also contains more than required salt. Therefore, it is important to avoid them first.
Understand in the graphic what 5 things need to be kept in mind for this.
Vegetables and legumes already contain salt
- We don't need to add salt to vegetables or pulses either. It naturally contains salt. In fact, nature prepares everything in such a way that we don't need to add anything to it. However, if something must be added for flavor, herbs like coriander and oregano can be added.
- All the salt you need to stay healthy comes from fruits and vegetables. Understand this way, if a person eats half a kilo of fruits and vegetables a day, it fulfills the salt requirement of our body.
- Eating salad can be a good option for this. Cucumber, tomato, carrot and seasonal fruits can be kept in it. All these items contain enough salt.
- Include green leafy vegetables, spinach, cabbage, cauliflower, onion, tomato etc. in your diet. It also contains salt. Similarly, beans also naturally contain salt.
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).
