How to reduce salt intake

This is the 3110th article of Da Yi Xiao Hu

Clinical intervention treatment for hypertension has confirmed that when salt intake increases, blood pressure rises. Therefore, 5 grams of salt intake per day is enough for healthy adults (including the salt in soy sauce and other foods). The main component of salt is sodium chloride, which is widely present in various tissues and organs in the body, regulating body water, enhancing neuromuscular excitability, maintaining acid-base balance and normal blood pressure function.

If you want to reduce your salt intake, you must first consciously correct the bad habit of adding too much salt and soy sauce because the taste is too salty, and control the total amount of salt intake every day. The Shanghai Municipal Government once gave salt control spoons to all residents in the city. One flat spoonful of salt is 2 grams, which can give you a perceptual understanding of the weight of salt. If you have a kitchen food scale, it would be even better. You can weigh the amount of salt with the salt spoon you usually use, so that you know how much salt to put in when cooking.

Generally, 20 ml of soy sauce contains 3 grams of salt. If the dish requires soy sauce and sauces, the amount of salt should be reduced accordingly.

In addition, you can reduce the amount of salt by increasing the use of other condiments. People who are used to eating salty food can add a little vinegar when cooking to improve the freshness and flavor of the dishes and help themselves adapt to lighter foods.

Adding sugar when cooking dishes will mask the saltiness, so you cannot judge whether there is too much salt by tasting alone. You should use a measuring tool for more accuracy.

In addition, pay attention to reducing the intake of pickles, pickled products and other overly salty foods.

Author: Shanghai Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Jenny Zhu