Nusret Gökçe's "salt bae" photo, in which he sprinkled salt on meat, made a lot of noise last year. Unfortunately, salt is a substance that can be very harmful if used in this way.
Salt... The white substance that has always been popular since the beginning of human history until today... In ancient Rome, legionaries were paid with salt. One of the important income items of the states was the salt tax. In those times when storage conditions were not like today's, salt was also used to preserve and transport food. As you can see, salt is almost as valuable as gold - sometimes even more. Well, is it the same for our body?
Salt is one of the elements that should be included in the diet of all people. The sodium mineral contained in salt facilitates the transportation of nutrients and oxygen, allows nerves to transmit messages, and helps our muscles function. So, how much sodium should we take daily to fulfill all these? Less than 500 mg per day. That is, less than a quarter teaspoon (2.5 grams of salt contains 1 gram of sodium). In addition, someone with healthy kidneys has excellent success in preserving the salt the body needs. The World Health Organization recommends consuming less than 5 grams of salt, or less than one teaspoon, per day. In our country, the average amount is 3 times this, that is, 15 grams.
So what does excessive salt intake cause in the body?
Over time, excessive salt intake causes high blood pressure (hypertension), which hardens and narrows the blood vessels. it could be. Blood and oxygen flow to important organs is reduced. So the heart has to work harder to pump blood throughout the body, which increases blood pressure. Increased pressure on the kidneys causes damage to them. Some substances released from damaged kidneys also increase blood pressure even further, causing a complex chain.
Excessive salt consumption increases the risk of heart failure. Regardless of this, excessive salt intake in patients with heart failure may cause fluid accumulation in the lungs and respiratory failure. High salt consumption is also harmful to the brain. A recently completed study has shown that more than normal dietary salt intake has a detrimental effect on memory and thinking speed.
The amount of salt we consume What should we do to reduce food intake?
- We should prepare our meals ourselves as much as possible.
- We should stay away from processed foods.
- We should prepare small portions.
- We should read the product contents on the packages of the ready-made foods.
We said that salt is not completely harmful. In cases where there is a lot of tingling and pain in the throat, such as pharyngitis, if you mix half a teaspoon of salt in a glass of water and gargle, you will see that your pain decreases. Of course, being careful not to swallow the water. :)
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