Salt, a vitally important mineral, has been used since ancient times to prevent food spoilage and to add flavor.
Although the dates when people started using salt are not very precise, it is very early for mankind to meet salt. It is thought to go back to ancient times. Salt deposits are mentioned in China, suggesting that salt was produced in BC. It has been determined that salt was used and traded in written documents belonging to the Hittites living in our land. Salt also shaped trade by creating important caravan routes. In fact, in some periods, salt was even used as money. While the salt paid to the soldiers as a wage in the Romans was called "salarium", this word turned into the word "salary" (which can be translated into Turkish as salary-wage), which is still used in English today. On the other hand, it is mentioned in some religious texts as a symbol representing sacred values. In some societies, salt is presented as an object so important that it cannot be betrayed or sinned. In today's Turkish, the adjective "salty", meaning "expensive", is still used as an expression of value.
Chemically, salt is the general name given to chemical compounds resulting from the reaction of acids and bases. . Sodium Chloride salt, popularly known as "table salt", is expressed with the symbol "NaCl". According to the Turkish Food Codex Salt Communiqué, salt is salt produced suitable for consumption from raw salt, the main ingredient of which is sodium chloride. Pure salt consists of approximately 40% Sodium and 60% Chlorine.
While the daily salt need for normal individuals is between 3-7 grams (5 grams on average), research conducted in our country shows that this amount is 3-3 grams. It has been determined that we consume twice as much salt. 5 grams of salt roughly corresponds to 1 teaspoon of salt, and this amount can be provided with natural daily consumed foods and beverages without adding salt to meals. In this respect, it is said that our country is among the countries that consume the most salt in the world. Although it is known that high amounts of sodium consumption causes health problems, in many parts of the world people consume much higher amounts of salt than they should. excessive salt The main reason for its consumption is the high amount of salt in frequently consumed foods. Most of the sodium consumed comes from processed foods, not from the salt added to meals at the kitchen table. Processed foods account for 75% of sodium intake. Traditional foods with high salt content, such as canned foods, tomato paste, pickles, cheese and bread, have high salt content.
In some people, the kidney's salt excretion capacity may be limited and excessive salt intake may lead to hypertension. It may lead to hypertension or at least failure in the treatment of hypertension. It is claimed that the number of patients with high blood pressure in our country, which was 15 million in 2004, increased to 18 million in 2008 and that salt consumption played an important role in this increase. Studies have found that blood pressure increases by around 8.2 millimeters of mercury for every 6 grams of salt intake. It is thought that reducing the salt in the diet by 1 gram can lead to a 5% decrease in strokes and a 3% decrease in heart attacks in people with hypertension. However, different data have emerged recently. There is data showing that the development of hypertension in those who consume low sodium may not be related to salt consumption and that restricting salt consumption in this group will not be beneficial. As a result, it is claimed that a general salt restriction in the whole society would not be both appropriate and beneficial. In addition, recently there have been studies claiming that excessive salt reduction causes various health problems. For this reason, consumption of less than 3.5-5 grams of salt per day has begun to be questioned in international medical treatment guidelines. In the conferences held for this purpose, information was also obtained regarding the harmfulness of low salt consumption in some patient subgroups (diabetes, heart failure, kidney failure). As an alternative, it has been suggested to develop strategies to increase the potassium-containing diet. It has been emphasized that there is a need for better quality information about the benefits and harms of a low salt diet.
Considering that "excessiveness and tefrit", as the old saying goes, that is, more and less is not good, we can make the following practical suggestions. ;
5 g (1 tea spoon) daily salt consumption should be the target value,
If eating outside the home, low-salt foods should be preferred,
When buying ready-made food, let's always check the salt content in the package,
Let's reduce the amount of salt when preparing food at home.
Adding salt without tasting the food and salad should be avoided. Spices such as parsley, mint, thyme, dill, fennel, basil or basil can be used instead of salt.
Pickles, ketchup, tomato paste, pickled cheese, olives, soy sauce, salad dressings, etc. Foods have high salt content. Stay away from these foods or consume them very rarely.
We should increase the diet rich in potassium, such as fruits and vegetables.
As a result, salt remains popular today as an important mineral. In terms of health, a positive relationship between salt intake and cardiovascular diseases has been demonstrated. It has also been shown that by reducing salt intake, the treatment of various cardiovascular diseases, especially hypertension, is easier. In this way, the economic burden is also reduced. However, information about how much salt should be reduced in which patients is still not clearly defined.
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