By Saya Norm
THE history of salt dates back to prehistoric times when humans realized it’s value in preserving food and enhancing the flavor. In ancient times, salt was highly valued commodity, and it was used as a form of currency in some cultures. The Romans, for example, paid their soldiers in salt, which is where the word ‘ salary’ comes from.
The importance of salt in food preservation cannot be overstated. Before the invention of refrigeration salt was used to preserve meat, fish and other perishable foods. In fact, many traditional foods, such as salted fish, pickles and cure meats are still popular today because of the role that salt plays in preserving them. In addition to its culinary uses, salt has also been used for medicinal purposes. In ancient times, salt was used to treat a variety of ailments from sore throat to toothache. Today, salt is still used in some medicinal treatments for severe diarrhoea and vomitting, such as saline solution for intravenous drip and oral rehydration salt.
At present, salt is an essential ingredient in many foods, and it is used for a variety of purposes including food preservation, food processing, seasoning and even as a deicer for roads in cold climates. Many forms of mineral salts can be found in many types of natural foods such as seafood, meat, poultry, dairy products, vegetables and legumes. Salt is also contained in natural and processed foods such as canned foods, cheese and bread. We eat various kinds of foods (including natural and processed foods) daily thus salt is inevitable. Salt (Sodium chloride) has many health benefits.
Sodium regulates the body’s fluid balance. It helps balance the amount of fluid inside and outside of cells, which is important for maintaining blood pressure and preventing dehydration. It is also important for nerve and muscle function. It improves digestion, helps the electrolytes balance in the body, and enhances the flavour of food thus makes enjoyment of food.
Although the table salt has many health benefits, it also has ill effects when it is taken in excess. That is why health professionals recommend that to consume no more than 2,300 milligrammes of sodium per day for adult.: which is equal to about one teaspoon: one gram of sodium chloride contains 40 per cent of sodium. Even though there are recommendations and health alerts, many people are consuming more than six-gram of table salt with or without noticing.
Overeating of salt comes mostly from restaurants and fast-food. A 2010 study of 20 sitdown and 65 fast-food restaurants showed that average sitdown meals contained roughly three-quarters of a teaspoon. The same study found that 40 per cent of restaurant menu items exceeded 1,500 milligrammes of sodium versus 18 per cent of fast-food items. Most Myanmar restaurants overuse sweet seasoning powder (monosodium glutamate) and it is also a sodium-rich ingredient which may harm the health of consumers.
According to the World Health Organization data, most people consume between nine and twelve grammes of salt a day or around twice the recommended maximum. Health authorities said that 75 per cent of salt we consume comes from processed foods (in Myanmar it may be dried fish, salted fish in dry and wet forms and pickles) including cooking sauces. Foods generally considered low in salt contain less than 120 milligrammes of sodium per 100 grammes of food. Although sodium levels in processed foods vary in different brands, the range is so huge. For example, tinned tomatoes can vary from no sodium to 300 milligrammes per 100 grammes of tomatoes.
It is sure that excess salt intake may harm the health but there is no way to tell how much salt is in our dish. That is why many developed countries tried to make laws to list salt amount of food products as well as the menus of restaurants. In developing countries like Myanmar actually need such a law because most food makers neglect the salt content. And also, Myanmar citizens should change their mindset of preferring salty taste (chin-ngansat).
Excess salt consumption has many bad effects. One of them is weight gain. A 2015 study found that eating just one extra gram of salt each day increased the risk of obesity in children by 28 per cent and in adult by 26 per cent. Salt makes food tastier so children may eat more because it tastes good. And because salty foods make thirst, children may be reaching for high-calorie soft drinks instead of water. Higher salt intake makes frequent trips to the bathroom. Some studies showed that people over 60, who reduce their salt intake by 25 per cent decreased the numbers of times they got up to urinate in the night on average from 2.3 to 1.4 times.
Also, a diet high in salt can increase the risk of stomach cancer. Reducing salt intake would drop 19 per cent of stomach cancer worldwide. The most important health threat of salt is wreaking havoc on blood pressure. Sodium leads to small spikes in blood pressure for people who don’t already have hypertension and large spikes people who do. In fact, hypertension is the key driver of several cardiovascular problems, including heart attacks, strokes and coronary artery diseases. Besides, sodium causes blood pressure to increase more later in life.
It also particularly damages the health of people over 50, over weight or having diabetes on the other hand, excess sodium threatens kidney health. Sodium likes to grab onto calcium before it’s flushed out of the body through urine and the extra urine calcium can form into crystals. Eventually it leads to kidney stones.
To maintain the proper health, we must reduce daily salt intake. Some people think that sea, rock and pink salts are better to reduce sodium and use those expensive ones as an option. According to the leading dietitians, switching to more expensive seasoning won’t positively affect health. To reduce the consumption, the food must actually be low in sodium. In developed countries with sodium regulation Law, consumer can read the nutrition label and avoid. Countries without such a law like Myanmar, people need the help of taste buds. Salt reduction is beneficial for health and its effect is even greater in lowering blood pressure of Asian and black populations due to genetic difference. If individuals were able to reduce their salt consumption as recommended, it would substantially reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and immature mortality. It only takes about six weeks for our taste buds to adapt to lower-salt foods. Salt is essential for our health, however, it also has some ill effects thus top your salt with great caution.
