Salt Diet To Avoid Stroke and Heart Disease

Although it is needed by the body, consuming too much salt or sodium can actually increase blood pressure. So that salt intake is not excessive to interfere with health, do a salt diet. For those of you who want to go on a salt diet, avoid consuming fast food because these foods contain high salt. In addition, there are also several types of food that should be limited to avoid excess salt. Among these are frozen foods, snacks and processed meats, canned soups, cheeses, cereals, and bread.

Benefits and Dangers of Salt

Actually salt contains sodium, one of the substances that the body needs. Its function is to control blood pressure, maintain fluid levels in the body, and help the work of muscles and nerves (sending nerve impulses from the brain throughout the body). However, if consumed in excess, it will increase the risk of high blood pressure (hypertension), which can eventually lead to stroke or heart disease. When the body has excess salt, the kidneys will adjust fluid levels in the blood, causing blood volume and pressure to increase. This makes the heart have to work harder to supply fresh blood to the body. In addition, high salt levels can also cause a buildup of fluid in the body in patients with congestive heart failure, cirrhosis of the liver, and kidney disease, as well as causing neurological dysfunction. This is the reason why a salt diet needs to be done for a healthier life.

How to go on a salt diet

If every food we consume contains salt, imagine how much salt is piled up in the body. Even though the maximum amount of salt intake recommended per day is only 6 grams. This amount is recommended for children aged 11 years to adults. Of course, the smaller the age of the child, the less amount of salt that can enter the body. Therefore, go on a salt diet in the following way:

• Reduce the use of salt when cooking.
• If buying processed foods, read the product packaging label. Choose foods with sodium levels (sodium) whose foods are very low in sodium contain less than 35 mg / serving, while low sodium is 140 mg / serving.
• Eat more fresh foods, such as vegetables and fruits, because they have a natural salt content. If you want to eat meat, choose fresh meat rather than processed meat like bacon or sausage.
• When cooking, you can replace salt as a spice in cooking with ingredients such as pepper, garlic, ginger, chili, lime, fennel, tomato, paprika, oregano, celery.
• If you eat at a restaurant, ask to reduce the amount of salt, flavoring, or sauce.
• Limit the use of seasonings or sauces containing sodium such as soy sauce, salad dressing, tomato sauce, mustard, and others.

Although intake is reduced by following a salt diet, don't let the body become deficient or not even get salt at all. If the level of salt in the blood is too low, the body can experience hyponatremia with symptoms such as changes in mental conditions, headaches, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and muscle cramps.