Reducing salt in your diet can save your life. Magdalin Cheong, Head/Deputy Director, Department of Dietetic and Food Services at Changi General Hospital (CGH), explains why and highlights the amount of salt in everyday foods and seasonings.
Sodium is essential for your body. It helps regulate fluid balance, blood volume and blood pressure. Your muscles and nerves also need sodium to work properly. However, your body needs only a small amount of sodium.
The recommended amount of sodium intake is less than 2,000mg per day, equivalent to one teaspoon (5g) of salt.
But most Singaporeans are consuming up to 8.3g of salt daily on average. This comes from the salt and sauces that are added during food processing and meal preparation.
Why is reducing sodium intake important?
Excess sodium acts like a sponge and retains water in your body. This, in turn, leads to an increase in blood volume and raises your blood pressure. Hence, excessive sodium intake is a key risk factor of
high blood pressure, which increases the risks of
stroke,
heart attack,
heart failure and
kidney failure.
Studies have shown that when daily sodium intake is reduced in people who have kidney, heart and liver problems, their conditions improve.
Magdalin Cheong, Head/Deputy Director, Department of Dietetic and Food Services at
Changi General Hospital (CGH), a member of the
SingHealth group, shares the sodium content for common foods and seasonings.
Read next page for
tips on how to reduce sodium in your diet.
Ref: N18
