What is the Recommended Salt Consumption Limit

Bumisuka.com – What is the Recommended Salt Consumption Limit. When cooking food, most people will add salt along with other spices. Not only food that is processed directly, salt is also found in other foods, such as snacks.

If you often eat foods high in salt, it is very possible that the amount of salt intake exceeds the recommended limit. So, what is the recommended salt intake limit? Here’s the explanation!

1. Get to know sodium

The American Heart Association (AHA) explains, sodium is a mineral that is naturally found in some foods. Besides naturally occurring in foods, sodium can also be added during the food manufacturing process, for example by adding salt.

Salt contains the minerals sodium and chloride. The sodium content in salt is as much as 40 percent, while the rest is chloride. One teaspoon of salt contains about 2,300 milligrams (mg) of sodium.

2. Excess salt intake is associated with increased blood pressure

Sodium is an essential nutrient for the body. The body needs sodium to function normally. Sodium is needed to maintain the balance of body fluids. In addition, sodium also plays a role in maintaining muscle and nerve function.

However, the amount of sodium that the body needs is not too much. Excessive sodium intake is not good for the body. As mentioned by the World Health Organization (WHO), excessive sodium intake is associated with increased blood pressure.

3. Where does salt intake come from?

WHO explains that sodium is naturally found in various foods, such as milk, meat and shellfish. However, sodium is also often added to processed foods.

Generally processed foods contain high amounts of salt, for example processed meats, cheese, snacks, instant noodles, and others. In addition, processed foods are also often consumed in large quantities, thus increasing the amount of daily salt intake.

Apart from coming from processed foods, salt is also often added in the form of table salt during the cooking process to enhance the taste of food. Apart from table salt, sodium is also found in monosodium glutamate (MSG), a food additive.

4. The importance of paying attention to the salt content in packaged foods

Sodium is often added during the food manufacturing process. For example, packaged or processed foods often have sodium added during the production process. If the amount of sodium in food is not considered, then the salt intake consumed can exceed the recommended amount.

Therefore, it is important to read and compare salt content when choosing certain types of food. As much as possible choose products that contain a lower amount of sodium.

5. Limit recommended salt intake

The WHO recommended salt intake limit is less than 5 grams or less than 1 teaspoon per day. In addition, it is also recommended that the salt consumed has added iodine because it is important for brain development in fetuses and children.

In Indonesia, the recommended limit for salt has also been regulated by the Indonesian Ministry of Health, which is a maximum of 1 teaspoon of salt per day. This amount contains about 2,000 mg of sodium.

The recommended amount of salt intake is a maximum of 1 teaspoon of salt per day. This amount includes the salt content in all types of food consumed during the day. It is important to choose products that contain lower salt by reading the amount of salt content in these products.