What is a good salt reduction method for snacks that stretch your hands while you are at home?

Corona s damage often spends more time at home and often reaches out too salty instant foods and snacks. Taking too much salt can lead to life-threatening disea...

Jul 14,2020 | Camille

Corona's damage often spends more time at home and often reaches out too salty instant foods and snacks. Taking too much salt can lead to life-threatening diseases. I looked for a good salt reduction method.

According to a survey conducted in May by the National Cardiovascular Research Center (Suita City, Osaka Prefecture), 61% of the 434 people said that the frequency of snacking has increased since the declaration of emergency caused by corona.

There are many cases where the number of snacks to be picked up while working from home and processed foods to be applied to the knob of the house drinking increases. In general, these foods are high in salt and lead to the oversplit.

Originally, Japanese people had a high salt intake, and according to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's National Health and Nutrition Survey (2018), the daily salt intake amounted to 11 grams for men and 9.3 grams for women. The Japanese dietary intake standards (2020 edition) set the daily salt intake standard for 18 to 49 years old as 7.5 grams for men and 6.5 grams for women. We need to reduce salt.

Why is salt reduction essential? "Too much salt can cause a variety of diseases, including high blood pressure, kidney disease, osteoporosis, and stomach cancer," says Norihide Fukushima, director of transplant medicine at the National Cardiovascular Research Center. High blood pressure can cause life-threatening diseases such as angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, stroke, and renal failure.

The reason why it is difficult to reduce salt is that once you get used to the strong taste, you will not be able to feel delicious in a light taste. It's not easy to break away from the strong taste, but let's continue to eat the right amount of salt for a week. "At first, even if you are not satisfied, you will gradually become more sensitive to taste, and you will be able to enjoy the taste of the ingredients by utilizing the flavor of dashi," suggests Yuka Munemoto of the Center's Nutrition Management Office.

Especially at home, it's important to know how much salt the taste of the dish is right now. Mr. Munemoto advised, "It is a good idea to make dishes that you are used to making on a daily day by weighing the seasonings firmly, referring to the recipe with the salt label." The level of salt in each household can be understood when it is measured.

In addition, Mr. Hideaki Akagawa, Director of the Business Promotion Office of the Center Karushio, said, "It is important to continue reducing salt. It is necessary to devise ways to make use of low-salt foods and to make small salt delicious." Especially for the elderly, attention is essential because the amount of appetite decreases by making its light taste, and the amount to eat decreases, and it may lead to a decrease in muscle strength.

The key to deliciously reducing salt is to make use of the flavor of other ingredients. Add acidities such as vinegar and lemon juice, or add an accent to the taste with flavored vegetables and spices. "Using seasonal ingredients and freshness that condense the flavor of the ingredients themselves also leads to low salt reduction" (Mr. Munemoto)

In addition, there is also a device to reduce the salt itself. First of all, noodles such as soup and ramen are made up to once a day. Paste products such as kamaboko and processed foods such as ham are high in salt, so it's a good idea to cut them thinly and boil them down. It's also important not to put seasonings on the table to prevent families from adding salt or soy sauce too salty dishes.

There is a mistake which tends to fall, too. Because it is a salt-reducing product, do not use it more than necessary with peace of mind. Mr. Akagawa points out that "it is important to take in salt while being aware of the total intake of salt."

In order to encourage the discharge of sodium, there are people who actively take potassium, but be careful. Mr. Fukushima points out that "in the case of people with impaired renal function, such as the elderly, taking too much potassium can lead to heart failure."

Salt reduction is important, but there are things to watch out for in summer. If you drink a lot of water or sweat in the heat and lose salt, you may get hyponatremia. When you sweat a lot, you want to properly replenish the salt with an oral rehydration solution containing salt.

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