We all know that salt is widely used in cooking because it enhances the flavor of a dish, but how many people know how much salt should be consumed per day so that its effects are not harmful?

It’s important to have an idea and be warned that too much salt is being consumed these days.

Did you know that our salt intake is significantly higher than that recommended. The Belgian consumes an average of 10.5g of salt per day, while the WHO recommends a daily dose of 5g in order to be able to meet our physiological needs.

It’s amazing to say that you ingest so much salt in one day. And according to the doctor in biology and salt specialist, Pierre Meneton, in his work “Salt, a hidden killer”, he tells us that 90% of the daily intake comes from processed products that we ingest, dishes prepared and especially the bread for the Belgian. You should know that salt, due to its very low cost and the fact that it enhances the taste of food, is used everywhere by the food industry. Which brings us to be more careful about what we eat and above all to favor fresh and unprocessed products. The remaining 10% comes from the salt that is added to the table or when cooking.

But what is salt?

Salt is composed of sodium chloride. One gram consists of 600 mg of chlorine and 400 mg of sodium. However, sodium is useful for the body because it allows cells to communicate with each other but also it helps to maintain their hydration level. However, it also increases high blood pressure.

Also, did you know that it’s not an innate taste like sugar. His appetite is acquired over time. The more you give young salt the more it will grow. We are the only living creatures to consume salt added or that it is naturally present in natural products.

Salt is often used for its preservative power, which keeps food longer.

Another thing to know about salt is that it is a quality marker. Often, the more salt in a food, the lower its quality. Salt is one of the 4 elements of the negative component used in the calculation of the Nutri-Score. A product rich in salt will therefore have great difficulty in receiving the letter A or B in calculating the Nutri-Score.

The effects of salt

Now let’s turn to the effects of overconsumption of salt, which are numerous.

Too much salt is harmful first of all because it causes high blood pressure but also cardiovascular problems such as enlarged left ventricle.

Too much salt consumed can also cause water retention, which causes swelling and increases the risk of cellulite.

It can also more easily lead to kidney stone formation and potentially lead to stomach cancer.

Salt is linked to other diseases such as osteoporosis. In fact, if you consume salt it promotes the elimination of calcium in the urine. However, who says less amount of calcium says osteoporosis.

How to reduce its consumption?

• Avoid resale: the best thing is not to bring the salt shaker to the table
• Replace salt with other seasonings such as spices, aromatic herbs
• Limit consumption of prepared and processed products but also bread, cold meats and cheeses.
• Read the labels carefully