What is the recommended daily intake of salt? Explanation of salt reduction goals and how to control the salt content of meals without unreasonableness
“Salt” is one of the essential nutrients for the human body, and is also related to the taste of food.
However, too much salt can lead to health risks, and water retention can also affect your appearance, including swelling. The average salt intake of Japanese people is higher than the target, so reducing salt intake is one of the issues we want to be aware of.
Here, we will explain how to reduce salt intake and how to control salt in your diet for a healthy lifestyle, as well as foods you should be aware of.
Salt intake goal
The standard for controlling salt in the diet is the guideline for the appropriate amount of salt per day.
According to the Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese (2020 version) by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the recommended daily salt intake is less than 7.5g for men and less than 6.5g for women. However, from 2020, the amount of salt for both men and women has been set at less than 6 g per day to prevent hypertension and chronic kidney disease (CKD) from becoming severe. The Japanese Society of Hypertension recommends a daily salt intake of less than 6g.
However, according to the “Overview of the 2019 National Health and Nutrition Survey,” the average amount of salt consumed by Japanese people per day is 10.9 g for men and 9.3 g for women, and the recommended value is Not far. On average, men need 4.9g and women need 3.3g less salt.
Let’s start by being conscious of controlling salt intake
If you want to control the salt in your diet, start by figuring out how much salt you have in your regular diet.
If you check the nutritional information on the food label, even the food you buy casually may contain a significant amount of salt. If you eat a high-salt meal for lunch, adjust it for dinner. If you eat out, check the salt content label.
Also, keeping salt, soy sauce, sauces, and other seasonings containing salt out of reach at the dining table is the first step to controlling salt intake. Don’t add any seasonings, try to eat just the seasoning when cooking, and don’t increase your salt intake.
How to control salt in your diet
Here’s how to actually control the salt in your diet. All of them are easy to do, so please give it a try.
Avoid side dishes and processed foods that contain a lot of salt
Avoiding foods high in salt is the easiest way to control salt in your diet. Foods that are high in salt include:
・Side
dishes Some side dishes use salt to bring out the flavor of the food or to increase its shelf life. For example, pickles and tsukudani. If you want to control the sodium in your diet, stock up on these foods as little as possible.
・Processed foods
Sausages, hams, chikuwa fish cakes, kamaboko and other meats, and processed seafood foods also contain a lot of salt. If you want to control the amount of salt in your diet, adjust by reducing the frequency and amount of food you eat.
・Dressing
The amount of salt varies depending on the taste. Look carefully at the display and choose.
・Ramen and udon
Ramen and udon contain a lot of salt. If you eat it, you can control the salt intake by leaving the juice.
Gradually reduce the amount of seasoning used
Just because you want to reduce the amount of salt in your meal, if you suddenly reduce the amount of salt, you may feel unsatisfactory and not enjoy your meal. It is a good idea to reduce the amount of salt little by little and try to get used to the light taste.
Use low-salt seasoning
Food manufacturers sell low-sodium soy sauce and miso. By using such seasonings, along with devising ways to make dashi stock effective, it is possible to control the salt content of meals without changing the usual menu.
take in calcium
Potassium has the function of discharging sodium and maintaining an appropriate amount of water in the body, so it is a good idea to actively take it. Foods that contain potassium include spinach, avocado, garland chrysanthemum, bananas, hijiki, and peanuts.
*This is not a feature of the final product.
Tips for keeping your salt intake under control
Salt control is effective only if you continue. For those who used to eat whatever they liked, foods with adjusted salt content may feel bland and lose the enjoyment of eating. Loss of appetite increases the risk of not having enough energy to maintain good health.
Let’s be conscious of the following three tips to “continue while having fun” controlling salt intake.
Use sourness, spiciness, and aroma
If you find yourself unsatisfied with your meal after adjusting the salt content, use the sourness, spiciness, and aroma of other foods and seasonings.
Curry powder with a spicy flavor, shichimi (seven spices) and black pepper with a spiciness, and other spices are well-incorporated into your cooking to provide just the right amount of stimulation and a sense of satisfaction.
The accents of the soba sauce and the condiments used in gyoza dipping sauce add depth to the low-salt diet, just like the spices. Ginger and shiso have the advantage that the finer they are chopped, the more their aroma and flavor stand out, and a small amount of them will bring out the flavor of the dish.
Make the dashi soup work well
Using the umami of the dashi stock is one of the tricks I want to keep in mind so that I can enjoy controlling the salt content while continuing.
Glutamic acid, inosinic acid, and guanylic acid are the umami components of dashi. Glutamic acid is an umami component that is abundant in kelp, vegetables, cheese, miso, and soy sauce. Inosinic acid can be obtained from meat and fish, and guanylic acid can be obtained from dried mushrooms. The synergistic effect of umami is enhanced by combining glutamic acid with inosinic acid or guanylic acid, rather than using only one umami component, so please try it.
Enjoy fresh seasonal foods
Vegetables and fruits have a period called “season” when they are most delicious. Seasonal foods have a strong taste of the ingredients themselves, so you can feel the strong taste even if the seasoning is light. It will also be an opportunity to rediscover the deliciousness of the ingredients.
Easy salt control with frozen home delivery bento
If you think that you should be careful about salt content, but you are too busy every day and it is too much trouble, why not try a simple frozen delivery lunch box first?
Nichirei Foods Direct’s Frozen Delivery Bento ” Trial Set of 4 Meals for Those Who Want to Reduce Salt Content ” is delicious and satisfying, with a salt equivalent of less than 2.0g. You can have delicious meals with salt content controlled just by heating.
The average nutritional value of the four meals is 226 kcal of energy and 1.5 g of salt equivalent. Even so, the reason why word of mouth is gathering that it is “delicious” is because of the ingenuity in food selection and cooking. The flavors of the ingredients are brought out and seasoned with spices and sourness to bring out the deliciousness, so you can use it as a reference for cooking at home. This set is recommended for those who want to feel happy with their meals while keeping calories and salt in mind.
Please see the following page for Nichirei Foods Direct’s frozen home delivery lunch boxes.
Continuing salt control is important!
If you continue to control the salt content, you will get used to the light taste and have time to enjoy the taste of the ingredients and the taste of the soup stock. Don’t be too greedy from the beginning, start with “what you can do, within the range you can do”. Even if you only care about the salt content of eating out at lunch, the way you deal with food and the salt contained in your food should change.
Frozen home delivery lunch boxes are useful when you have a busy day, when you feel troublesome, or when you feel that the variety of dishes is limited. Don’t try to do too much on your own, but take advantage of professionally prepared meals to keep your salt intake under control.
What is the recommended daily salt intake?
According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the recommended daily intake of salt is less than 7.5g for men and less than 6.5g for women. However, the amount of salt for both men and women is set at less than 6g per day to prevent the aggravation of hypertension and chronic kidney disease.
Any tips for controlling salt intake?
In addition to adjusting the amount of meals, it is also important to reduce the amount of seasonings used and to incorporate potassium from spinach, avocado, garland chrysanthemum, etc.
Welcome to my blog. My name is Muhammad Hassaan. I am a blogger and have a knowledge of five years of blogging. I also belong to the field of health as a D pharmacy student. That’s why I am running this health blog. I am very much interested to read articles on health and love to share information with other people and also get information from them. If you have any questions you can ask me through the contact us page. Thanks for Visiting us and Have a great day.
