Alternative Therapies and Health News

A little bit of salt adds taste to your food and your taste buds is what is commonly assumed which may not be quiet true. In addition, did you ever know that salty foods can be dangerous for kids too? So, as salt can be considered as an imperative ingredient of almost all foods, it could be one of the impeding factors for health.

Top 8 Salt Myths
Listed below are some top 10 myths associated with salt:

• You’re not eating salty foods because you’re not adding any to it: The biggest myth of all times is that you aren’t eating salty foods because you don’t add salt to foods. Experts opine that much salt is already contained in the foods you buy like – soups, cereals, biscuits, etc. Sometimes some foods can contain more than the required daily intake of salts.
• Foods are tasteless without salt: Much of this really depends on how your taste buds have adapted to the levels of salt used in foods. Therefore, it is not so that foods become tastier with salt; salt less foods or foods prepared with limited salt can also be tasty.
• You can measure the levels of salt in a food because it tastes salty: No, this is another absurd belief that people store in their minds. Experts opine that there are some foods that contain high levels of salt but do not taste salty because of the high levels of sugar contained in them. In addition, people can become used to a kind of food with high levels of salt and wouldn’t realize till somebody ate it for the first time.
• Too much salt can affect only older people: The next salt myth is associated with age. Experts explain that salt is dangerous for the young hearts too. Though diseases like stroke and heart attack generally affect the old, high salt levels can trigger high blood pressure even when you are as young as 20 or 30 years.
• Posh salt is safer than table salt: Salt contains sodium chloride. Experts opine that it is the sodium which leads to the increase in blood pressure levels. So, whether you pick up salt from an expensive store or through normal grains, cereals, etc, salt invariably contains sodium.
• Much of salt is lost from your body in summers because you perspire so much: Some people believe that under such situations it is important to increase the intake of salt. Experts say NO, there is no need for increasing your salt intake during summers because a minimal amount of salt is lost through perspiration. Instead, you should be drinking plenty of water to keep yourself hydrated.
• Reducing the levels of salt intake would mean starving the body from it: Experts say NO. Instead, they are of the opinion that it is difficult to limit the intake of salt because it comes in various forms that cannot be restricted like sauces, cereals, biscuits, etc.
• High blood pressure can be assumed: NO, say experts. High blood pressure cannot be assumed just by the amount of salt you think you maybe consuming but needs to be detected.

Most of the time people are oblivious about the levels of salt in their body. For instance, about one-third of England’s population is reported to be suffering from high blood pressure, which means about 29.5% women and 31.7% of men. Keep a watch on your regular salt intake and ensure that you kids learn from you too.

“Taste” however, is a subjective experience and not much can be done about that. Even then try encouraging good eating habits so that your kids don’t indulge in salty and unhealthy foods too often.