Salt In Your Diet

2 Pages 559 Words

SALT IN YOUR DIET
Salt- is it a good substance or a bad one? That is a question that crosses a lot of minds. Salt is about 40% sodium by weight. Salt just like all substances can be good or bad. The best thing is to be moderate and not intake to much salt each day.
What is salt used for? Salt is the world’s oldest food additive. People use many salts in food processing, cooking or at the table. Salt not only gives food a “salty” taste but it also brings out natural flavors and makes food acceptable. Salt also makes the food safer protecting it from the growth of microorganisms. This is called preservation. Salt creates a hostile environment for microorganisms, which makes it harder for them to grow.
Salt content in food is found in two ways- the natural salt already in the food and the salt added to food. Salt is great way of preserving food. I the days of explorers such as Christopher Columbus they added salt to food to preserve it on their long voyages. Today, we don’t have a need to preserve our food, but in order to preserve their food, canned food companies still add a lot of salt
Our bodies need salt in the way that it helps us regulate blood volume and pressure. Slat also helps keep our muscles and nerves in top-top shape. Although it may be helpful in some ways to much salt can also be harmful. Salt is linked to high blood pressure, heart disease, and heart attacks. This is because sodium thickens the blood. As a result of sodium’s ability to retain water, it is linked to obesity. Water retention will accumulate in the ankles and midsection and will be mistakenly thought of as fat. Those who practice medicine agree that no more than 1 ¼ teaspoons salt or 2400 milligrams of salt should be consumed each day. Drugs can contain large amounts of salt especially, over the counter drugs. Some drug companies are now manufacturing low-sodium drugs due to customer demand.. They must also print the sodi...