Scary Truths About Salt

Salt is a vital electrolyte needed in the body to maintain metabolic reactions such as proper fluid balance, nerve impulse transmission and aid in the contraction and relaxation of our muscles. Basically, we can’t live without it. One of the scary truths about salt is that insufficient amounts in the diet can have some serious effects on the body, impairing nerve impulses and delaying signaling to and from the brain.

Did You Know?

At GourmetFuel, we create all our meals with the Scary Truths About Salt in mind. We flavour all of our dishes with fresh herbs and spices and use little to no added salt knowing the detrimental effects that it can have on the body. Nearly all of the salt in our meals is natural salt already in the ingredients used. For example, our Flaked Cajun Salmon with Asian Greens contains 2.2g of salt per portion, however, most of this salt is naturally occurring in the salmon itself or is from the tamari!

Scary Truths About Salt: Risk Factors

One of the Scary Truths About Salt is that an excess intake can have some smaller impacts on our bodies including fluid retention, bloating and ankle swelling. However, more major implications can also arise, with tonnes of evidence emerging in recent years indicating that a high salt diet is a primary factor in the development of high blood pressure.

High blood pressure is a major risk factor in the development of cardiac related diseases such as heart attack and stroke, but also in the development of other health issues such as Type 2 Diabetes and Kidney Disease.

Ways to reduce your salt can be achieved when out eating, shopping and from home. Here are our top tips:

Eating out:

• Taste your food first before adding salt
• Opt for black pepper, herbs and spices to flavour meals instead of salt
• Choose fresh, non-processed foods from the menu
• Avoid cream or milk based soups/sauces – choose tomato-based versions instead
• Cut down on processed meats and cheeses such as rashers, blue cheese and halloumi
• Ask if the sauce/dressing can be served on the side
• Choose spicy foods if possible – they tend to use less salt.

Food Shopping:

• Review your shopping list and avoid buying highly processed, convenience and canned foods
• Buy low salt alternatives of the same products
• Consider making a homemade version of the product if possible – it may also be cheaper
• Make an effort to educate yourself on food labels and pay more attention to them when out shopping.

At Home:

• Avoid adding salt to dishes when cooking
• Use spices and herbs to improve flavour like garlic, black pepper and paprika;
• Avoid serving table salt
• Reduce the amount of shop bought stocks and gravies and try to make suitable homemade alternatives.

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