As the "first of all flavors", salt provides sodium ions to maintain the osmotic pressure and acid-base balance of extracellular fluid, and plays an important role in maintaining the stress of nerves and muscles and regulating physiological functions. However, excessive salt (sodium) intake can cause high blood pressure and increase the risk of stroke, stomach cancer and all-cause death. Reducing salt (sodium) intake is the simplest and most effective way to prevent hypertension and cardiovascular diseases.
The salt intake of mainland residents is generally too high. According to the Report on the Status of Nutrition and Chronic Diseases in China (2020), the average daily cooking salt per capita is 9.3 grams, much higher than the recommended daily salt intake of no more than 5 grams for adults. Therefore, it is recommended that residents should cultivate a light taste, reduce salt intake, no more than 5 grams per day, and eat less high-salt (sodium) foods.
1 Reduce salt in daily cooking
Reducing the use of salt, condiments and preserved foods in daily cooking is an important part of reducing total salt intake.
Use a salt spoon or salt jar to control the amount of salt used for cooking each meal. The amount of salt used in cooking should not be calculated at exactly 5 grams per person per day, not only considering the composition of family members (the recommended amount of salt for children is lower than that of adults), but also considering the salt content of condiments, daily snacks, ready-to-eat foods, etc. If you use a lot of condiments, you should reduce the amount of salt used in cooking. It is also necessary to control the use of condiments with high salt content, such as soy sauce, various sauces, oyster sauce, monosodium glutamate, chicken essence, fermented bean curd, etc. In addition, if you want to eat salty dishes, you can also make them, but other dishes should be lighter to achieve total control.
Choose fresh ingredients and use less pickled or smoked ingredients. When using mustard, pickles and pickled foods as cooking ingredients, rinse and soak them in water, or blanch them in boiling water before cooking.
Choose steaming, roasting, boiling and other cooking methods. When cooking, the natural taste of the ingredients should be preserved as much as possible, and cooking methods such as steaming, roasting, and boiling should be used. Cook dishes with a pinch of vinegar or use natural seasonings such as peppercorns, star anise, chili, green onions, ginger, garlic and more to taste. When eating barbecue, use less sauce and more cumin, lemon, garlic, etc. These methods can be used to enhance the flavor without adding too much salt. In addition, by adding salt before hot dishes are taken out of the pot or before cold dishes are eaten, the amount of salt can be reduced while ensuring the same saltiness. Adding sugar when cooking dishes can mask the salty taste, so be careful to keep sugar to spare.
2 Learn to identify foods high in salt
Sodium is widely found in food, but the content of sodium in natural foods is not high, such as 1.0~21.5 mg of sodium per 100 grams of cereals, 3~180 mg of vegetables, 0.7~55.6 mg of fruits, and 36.7~84.2 mg of meat. High-salt (sodium) foods are generally processed foods, which refer to the nutrient reference value of more than 30% sodium in 100 grams of solid food, i.e. more than 30% sodium in the food label, and more than 300 mg of sodium in 100 ml of liquid food, i.e. the nutrient reference value of more than 15% sodium in the food label.
The national standard "General Principles for Nutrition Labeling of Prepackaged Foods" (GB28050-2011) clearly stipulates that nutrition labels must indicate the content values of energy, protein, fat, carbohydrate and sodium, and the percentage of nutrient reference values (NRV). Therefore, you can choose products with low sodium content according to the nutrition facts list on the outer packaging.
3 How to reduce hidden salts
Salt may also be hidden in some foods and condiments that don't taste salty, such as instant noodles, somen noodles, nuts, bread, biscuits, salad dressings, peanut butter, plum and other convenience foods and snack foods. The salt hidden in these foods should not be overlooked.
Baked goods often have a high salt content, such as bread in the production process, in order to control the growth rate of yeast, enhance the gluten of flour, improve the taste and inhibit bacteria and preservation, etc., salt is often added. In the process of making biscuits, in order to make them loose and porous, sodium bicarbonate is added, and its sodium content is not much lower than salt. In order to strengthen the gluten, salt is also added to noodles such as dried noodles, ramen, and dumpling wrappers. During the production process, more salt and sugar are added to the preserved fruit to enhance the flavor.
When choosing food, don't be confused by the taste, pay attention to the nutrition facts list, look at the sodium content value and the percentage of the nutrient reference value (NRV), choose products with lower values, and avoid falling into the trap of hidden salts.
4 How to change the heavy taste
If the taste buds have Xi heavy taste, the meal is too light, it will feel bad, so it is still difficult to change the heavy taste that has been developed. However, everyone should be fully aware of the health hazards of high salt intake, constantly strengthen their health concepts, and take the initiative and consciously change the cooking and eating Xi habits, which is the most important thing to change the heavy taste.
In addition, the following tips can help you gradually Xi the low salt light taste.
Develop a salt reduction plan and take it step by step. Use a quantitative salt spoon or salt shaker to measure the amount of salt used by individuals or families per meal and per day, and then reduce 5%~10% per meal on this basis (less 5%~10% salt will not affect the taste of the dish), after adapting to 2~6 weeks, then reduce it by 5%~10%, and then adapt to it for 2~6 weeks...... This is done gradually, gradually reducing the intake, allowing the taste buds to feel and adapt to the natural flavors of different foods, and the need for salty flavors will gradually decrease over time.
Use the flavor of the food itself to enhance flavor and reduce the dependence on salty flavors. Use the rich flavor of vegetables, fruits or natural spices to cook or mix with light-tasting foods, such as green onions, ginger, garlic, shiitake mushrooms, coriander, peppers, tomatoes, lemons, peppers, spices, cinnamon, five-spice powder, etc., to add flavor and flavor to dishes and reduce the dependence on salty taste. Choose more fresh ingredients, fresh fish, shrimp, vegetables and other ingredients contain their own fresh fragrance, with a little salt or even no salt will be delicious.
Health is the most important guarantee for a happy life, a little lighter taste, a little more health, a little more happiness. I hope that everyone will establish a sense of salt reduction, cultivate a light taste, and reduce the burden on health.
Source: Public Health magazine
Author: Liu Ailing, an expert of the National Health Science Popularization Expert Database and a researcher at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Curator: Yu Yunxi, Wang Ning
Editor: Chen Xiuchao