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Salt (sodium chloride, normal kitchen salt) is naturally present in our body and in many foods, therefore it can never be “eliminated” from our diet and our life; if it were possible, we would get ourselves into trouble.
But nevertheless our intake of salt must often be controlled. The World Health Organization states that the ideal dosage of salt is 1 gram per day, while in advanced countries, the average daily intake is almost 15 grams per day.
An excessive amount of salt can immediately be seen in cases of hypertension. A person who eats too much salt retains too much water, has swollen ankles, tends to keep things inside (liquids, but also emotions) and most of all, has troubles breathing (asthma). The premenstrual syndrome is a good example of temporary excess of water and those who experience it know that they can lose up to a kilo of liquid from one day to the next.
What does “control your salt intake” mean?
If we have a big load of salt in our body that swells us up, weighs us down, hardens our arteries and makes breathing difficult, it's time to get rid of it. It would be risky to wait. It's important to realize that many prepared foods, even unsuspected ones like sweets, contain quantities of salt that we really ought to avoid. It's true that 100 grams of ham contain 5 grams of salt, but did you know that 100 grams of bread contain 4 grams?
How to manage the salt diet
Especially at the beginning, the salt control diet requires a healthy dose of skepticism towards all pre-packaged foods. Whether you're buying canned beans or panna cotta, it's important to read the contents labels. You need to foresee a few days of adaptation before your sense of taste becomes attuned to the new taste levels.
Sometimes, after a person has reduced salt for health purposes, they don't go back to using it because food tastes better; you immediately feel more tonic, you breathe and walk better, your shoes fit and your waist bands are looser.
Suggested diets
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