World Hypertension Day: Why and how you should reduce your salt intake

Representational ImageAccording to WHO about 98 million people die every year due to hypertensionrelated complications Hypertension is considered a silent killer producing heart disease kidney failure and strokes About 35 percent of world population above the age of 25 suffers from hypertension One of the important strategies to lower hypertension in the population and its complications is reducing salt intake Developed countries like Finland United Kingdom Australia and Canada have been actively campaigning for the reduction of salt intake in the population In these countries there has been a close association between government and NGOrsquos for this purpose Finland was the first country to show an enormous health benefit by reducing salt in the diet Not only the populationrsquos health improves there is also a great benefit in saving health expenditure related to heart revascularization and dialysisHow does eating salt lead to or cause hypertensionEating salt increases the amount of salt in your blood which ruins the balance of electrolytes and other vitamins and minerals in your body This imbalance reduces your kidneys ability to filter out toxins from your body It also reduces your kidneys ability to get rid of excess fluid from your body This results in high blood pressure due to excess fluid in your body that exerts pressure on the blood vessels leading to the kidneysHow much is too muchDr Umesh Khanna Senior Nephrologist and Secretary of Amar Gandhi Foundation said ldquoThe WHOrsquos recommendation of salt intake from all sources is less than 5 grams per day Salt or sodium is present in natural food it is added while cooking and also used as a preservative for processed food Considering the rapid economic growth that is happening in our country with urbanization and increased demand for processed food it is imperative that we act at the earliest to control the salt intake of the Indian populationrdquoWhat happens when you reduce your salt intake ldquoSalt or Sodium in various forms has been used as a preservative for several thousand yearsIt enhances the taste prevents the growth of harmful microorganisms and can improve the texture of food Taste is often a habit and high salt intake can saturate the taste buds If you lower salt intake for 2 weeks you can start appreciating low salt intake and other tastesrdquo says Dr Umesh KhannaWhat are the most common hidden sources of salt one should keep an eye out forDr Umesh Khanna said ldquoSodium in various forms is used as a flavouring buffering anticaking leavening thickening and stabilizing agent The biggest culprit is in baked goods especially bread and instant noodlesrdquoHow can a person start to reduce their salt intakeHere are a few tips by Dr Umesh KhannaGet used to low salt to allow the taste buds to recover Not only does reducing your salt intake affect your blood pressure and other health parameters it also helps you taste foods betterEat fresh food when possible Since processed foods are packed with high levels of salt switching to fresh and natural foods is the best way to reduce your daily salt intakeAdd less salt in cooking With high amounts of salt added to food your taste buds become immune to the level of salt and you will eventually need more salt in your food to bring out the taste you are looking for Gradually reducing this amount will help you give up the high salt habit one step at a time And since your taste buds will eventually become more sensitive to salt content in food dishes made with low salt will start to taste as delicious as one with high salt contentDo not add extra salt while atthe table A common practice in India is to provide a little bit of salt on the side of onersquos plate while eating and to provide a salt shaker for one to spice up their soups By stopping this practice you can reduce your salt intakeUse herbs and spices as flavouring agents Ditch the salt and use herbs and other natural flavouring agents to your dishes that will help enhance the flavour while reducing your salt intakeDr Umesh Khanna MD DNB Nephrology Lancelot Kidney amp GI Center Karuna Hospital amp Asian Heart Institute He is the Chairman Mumbai Kidney Foundation Trustee Sapiens Health Foundation Secretary Mumbai Nephrology Group and the Secretary Amar Gandhi FoundationCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates