©Alva Carpenter
Just as there are many people who crave sweet foods, there are also many people who crave salty foods, such as chips, crisps, salted peanuts, and even fast food.
After consuming salty foods, we often feel thirsty and bloated. Sweet cravings may be physiological, but salt cravings are usually learned. The more salt you eat, the more you want.
The United Kingdom Food Standards Agency recommends that the daily consumption of salt should not be more than:
- 6 grams per day for adults,
- 5 grams for 7 – 14 year-olds,
- 2 grams for children aged 1 – 6 years
A teaspoon of salt weighs 5 grams. Most of the salt we eat comes from processed foods such as bread, ready-made meals, soups, and breakfast cereals. The body needs small amounts of sodium, which is found in salt, but excessive amounts over many years can lead to several health problems.
High Blood Pressure
Too much salt can contribute to high blood pressure by causing the body to hold on to water. This increases the volume of blood so that the heart has to work harder to push the blood around the body. An American study found that combining salt restriction with a diet rich in fruit and vegetables and low fat food had a significant effect on lowering blood pressure. Anyone with high blood pressure should seek a doctor's advice.
Osteoporosis
Too much salt may also affect the strength of your bones, because it increases the rate at which you lose calcium.
Fluid Retention
For the average person, cutting salt intake by half would result in about 3 pounds of fluid loss, according to Professor MacGregor, a dietary expert, based at St George’s Hospital, London.
Cut down on salt
The problem is not so much one of what we consume but what is 'hidden' in processed foods like bread, cereal, meat products and ready-meals, so that it can be tricky to stay within the recommended 6g of salt a day. Skilled label reading is the key to solving the problem; manufacturers may try to avoid stating salt content by listing sodium instead.
Where is the Hidden Salt?
Baked beans – a typical serving contains up to 2 grams of salt.
Ready made meals – curries and Chinese meals tend to be the worst. One supermarket lamb Biryani contains 5 – 6 grams of salt.
Bread – one slice can contain an average of 0.5 grams. Those people at high risk of heart disease should eat bread made with lo-salt.
Crisps/Chips – can contain up to 1 gram of salt on a single packet.
Instant or packet soups can seem like a healthy option but many contain up to 2 grams salt per packet and that’s a lot. Why not make your own soup and keep it in the fridge. For my own super soup recipe email me at soupwg@naturalhealthlines.com.
If you are used to a diet high in salt, and decide to cut it back, do so gradually. If you reduce too quickly, you may trigger cravings.
Weight Watch:
Don't Skip Breakfast
Do you think that if you eat breakfast, you'll be tempted to go on a binge the rest of the day? If you eat mostly simple carbohydrates like sweetened cereals, doughnuts, pancakes, and the like, then you might just find yourself getting hungry soon after breakfast. These heavy carbohydrate foods are non-filling and exit your system quickly. However, if you choose foods high in fibre – but also containing some protein or a bit of fat, you will probably be better satisfied and less likely to be tempted to binge. Some suggestions for breakfast foods that fill you up and stick with you:
- egg on whole-wheat or rye toast
- high-fibre cereal with skim milk and fruit.
- a fruit shake made from a skim milk or frozen non-fat yoghurt base and fruits such as strawberries, bananas, or pineapple – puréed in your blender.
Recipe of the Week
Eggplant Bharta
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 tbsp. oil
1 medium onion, cut into long slices
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp ginger powder
½ tsp cayenne powder
1 tsp cumin powder
½ tsp cinnamon powder
⅛ tsp black pepper
½ tsp turmeric powder
2 medium tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium eggplant, cut into 1-inch pieces
½ tsp sea salt (or salt)
3 tbsp. chopped cilantro
Method
Heat oil in a saucepan, add onion and sauté for 2 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. Add ginger, cayenne, cumin, cinnamon, pepper and turmeric powder and sauté for an additional 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook 2 minutes. Add eggplant, salt and cook for 10 minutes or until eggplant is well cooked. Garnish with chopped cilantro.
Ask Alva
I am 51 years old woman and I weigh 86 kilos. My height is 5' 3”. I have an apple-like stomach, which I wish to reduce. I go for walking five times a week for half-an-hour. Can you suggest a diet to reduce my weight? Mrs H M.
Well done for walking! You have a BMI of 33 so you really do need to start to lose some weight for your health. I would advise you to speak to your pharmacist about taking Actrim and joining the Actrim Slimming Club. You could do the mini-morning workout, which is good for the circulation. Make sure that when you walk, you do so at a brisk pace; a leisurely stroll is no good to anyone. A good way to make sure you keep to a good pace is to count your steps. Many people in the Gulf eat too much oil and fat. So cut out fried food and watch how much oil goes into cooking. Instead of pouring oil from the bottle directly into food, measure it into a spoon first – that way you’ll realise how much oil you are using. Only allow yourself one treat a day.
Keep reading my column as you will find that it contains many good tips, and keep trying! Alva