Do you know how much salt you consumed yesterday? Do you ever give it a second thought? If you don't, you should. For the sake of your health, you need to know your enemy!
Have you any idea how much salt you should eat? Our recommended daily allowance (RDA) is 4g and not more than 6g. It doesn't sound a lot - and it isn't. Most of the salt we eat comes from processed food. The salt is added by man - and he has a lot to answer for. Ready meals and fast foods are the main culprits.
What's the point of adding so much salt to our food? It's very simple really. It helps prolong the shelf life of the food and enhances its flavour. The more we eat, the happier the food manufacturer and supermarket owner. Salt is absolutely everywhere. It's in our breakfast cereal, candy, baked beans, very little escapes. What is surprising is that we get more than 25% of our salt from bread, rolls, bagels and buns.
Many of us kick start the day with a good breakfast. What did you eat today? If you had bacon, eggs, hash browns and sausages, or some similar combination, you will have consumed more than half your daily RDA of salt. Even a cup of coffee and an American muffin will use up a quarter of your allowance.
What is the problem with salt? Salt in the right quantities is absolutely fine, in fact we need salt to survive. Salt does several useful things. It helps to keep the concentration of fluid in our body at the right level and it plays an important role in the transmission of electrical impulses and in the absorption of nutrients by our cells.
Where salt becomes our enemy is when we consume too much of it. It causes our body to retain too much water. Our bodily fluid increases and we become bloated. We also feel thirsty. This makes us drink more - which just adds to the problem. Too much fluid and we run the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Too much salt also helps you to put on weight. It makes you feel thirsty and makes you want to drink more - which just compounds the problem. It's easy to see why it is important to know how much salt you consume. There's another problem. The signal our body sends to our brain when we are thirsty is very similar to the one it sends when we are hungry. Most of us mistake the signals. We answer the thirst signal with food - usually high-calorie food containing sugar and salt. The result? Weight gain.
We all need to become much more aware of how much salt we consume. It's important for our health and for our weight. We need to develop the habit - the slim habit - of eating less salt. - 16004
Have you any idea how much salt you should eat? Our recommended daily allowance (RDA) is 4g and not more than 6g. It doesn't sound a lot - and it isn't. Most of the salt we eat comes from processed food. The salt is added by man - and he has a lot to answer for. Ready meals and fast foods are the main culprits.
What's the point of adding so much salt to our food? It's very simple really. It helps prolong the shelf life of the food and enhances its flavour. The more we eat, the happier the food manufacturer and supermarket owner. Salt is absolutely everywhere. It's in our breakfast cereal, candy, baked beans, very little escapes. What is surprising is that we get more than 25% of our salt from bread, rolls, bagels and buns.
Many of us kick start the day with a good breakfast. What did you eat today? If you had bacon, eggs, hash browns and sausages, or some similar combination, you will have consumed more than half your daily RDA of salt. Even a cup of coffee and an American muffin will use up a quarter of your allowance.
What is the problem with salt? Salt in the right quantities is absolutely fine, in fact we need salt to survive. Salt does several useful things. It helps to keep the concentration of fluid in our body at the right level and it plays an important role in the transmission of electrical impulses and in the absorption of nutrients by our cells.
Where salt becomes our enemy is when we consume too much of it. It causes our body to retain too much water. Our bodily fluid increases and we become bloated. We also feel thirsty. This makes us drink more - which just adds to the problem. Too much fluid and we run the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Too much salt also helps you to put on weight. It makes you feel thirsty and makes you want to drink more - which just compounds the problem. It's easy to see why it is important to know how much salt you consume. There's another problem. The signal our body sends to our brain when we are thirsty is very similar to the one it sends when we are hungry. Most of us mistake the signals. We answer the thirst signal with food - usually high-calorie food containing sugar and salt. The result? Weight gain.
We all need to become much more aware of how much salt we consume. It's important for our health and for our weight. We need to develop the habit - the slim habit - of eating less salt. - 16004
About the Author:
A Well known speaker, writer and commentator on dieting and health matters, Henry John's special subject is permanent weight loss and behavior change. He is committed to helping people with weight problems achieve permanent weight loss. If you would like know more about how to lose weight permanently visit www.slimhabit.com
