Be ‘salt of the earth’ but eat less salt

Salt is an essential mineral substance and the tissues of the human body require it for normal functioning. Sodium in salt is necessary to conduct nerve impulses, contract and relax muscles, and maintain the proper balance of water and minerals. It being an essential mineral is reflected by the idiom “salt of the earth,” referring to persons who are deemed most worthy of emulation.

The level of sodium must only vary within a certain range. Low levels (hyponatremia) and high levels (hypernatremia) are potentially serious and if these are not promptly corrected, they can cause possible life-threatening consequences.

Although normal kidney functioning ensures that our blood levels of sodium remain within the normal range, our dietary intake of salt-laden food can greatly determine the consequences on our health.

Unfavorable effects

It is well-known—but not adhered to—that too much salt raises the blood pressure, and tremendously increases one’s risk to develop strokes and heart attacks. There are other unfavorable effects, including bone softening or osteoporosis, increasing one’s susceptibility to fractures; kidney problems which would require dialysis in the late stages; and all sorts of gastrointestinal problems including stomach cancer.

There is convincing data showing that people who eat salty food excessively have a shorter life span than those who eat salty food less.

Japan taught us a very convincing lesson on this. In the 1950s, the incidence of strokes in Japan reached alarming levels, prompting the government to take urgent action. The salt intake of the Japanese was very high then, and through a concerted multisectoral program which included a lot of public education, the Japanese reduced their salt intake by half. This reduced the average blood pressure of the population by 18 mm Hg, and the rate of stroke was cut down by 80 percent. The average life span in Japan also increased significantly.

If we can do the same in the Philippines, this could translate to more than 50,000 lives being saved annually.

WHO recommendations

The World Health Organization recommends that adults should only consume less than 2,000 milligrams of sodium or 5 grams of salt per day. The average Filipino diet is nowhere near this level. It is around 12-15 grams per day.

We usually recommend cutting down on salt used in cooking and to remove the salt shaker on the table. But these sources only constitute 20 percent of the salt one usually takes in. The bulk—around 80 percent—of the salt being consumed come from processed food and food we order in restaurants.

We hope that the Philippine Food and Drug Administration will push through with its move to require all food manufacturers, restaurants and food outlets to put prominently on the label or on the menu the amount of sodium and other substances in the food products they manufacture or serve. This will enable the consumer to make an intelligent choice whether or not to buy their products.

Some soups, for example, (and this includes instant noodle soups) contain more than 1,000 mg of sodium per cup. Pizza pies can have 400 mg to 1,200 mg per slice. So if one eats two slices, he or she has already exceeded the recommended daily sodium intake.

We should cut down on other rich sources of sodium such as anchovies, bacon, cheese, gravy granules, ham, olives, pickles, prawns, salami, salted and dry roasted nuts, salted fish, smoked meat and fish, soy sauce, stock cubes and yeast extract.

Well, we can still be the “salt of the earth” without eating too much salt.