Say goodbye to salt: Experts recommend to change it for these alternatives that are better for you
The advice on salt has changed over the years. Here’s the latest.
The World Health Organisation have released new guidelines on the amount of salt people should consume. The incredibly popular mineral is a staple ingredient for many recipes the world over, but too much consumption can have a negative effect on health.
Too much salt can cause high blood pressure, which can lead to a plethora of deeper consequences, such as heart disease, stroke and kidney disease, among other conditions. The WHO estimates that 1.89 million deaths occur globally each year that can be put down to eating too much salt.
As such, the organisation recommend consuming no more than 2g of salt daily. They add that “the global mean intake of adults is 4310 mg/day sodium (equivalent to 10.78 g/day salt) (1)” - more than double the World Health Organization recommendation for adults of less than 2000 mg/day sodium (equivalent to < 5 g/day salt, or approximately one teaspoon).
Salt alternatives explained
The main lower-sodium salt substitute, according to the WHO is called potassium-enriched salt: this is salt where some of the sodium chloride has been replaced with potassium chloride.
Potassium is essential for a balanced diet and is precisely what makes fruit and vegetables so healthy; many don’t get enough of it and even less people notice the difference to regular salt when it comes to appearance and taste.
However, potassium-enriched salt (also called low-sodium salt, potassium salt, heart salt, mineral salt, or sodium-reduced salt) can cause problems to people with kidney issues, which is something to keep in mind.
It’s also more expensive than regular salt, meaning that the product may be more difficult to access for those with lower incomes or who live in poorer countries.
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Nevertheless, potassium-enriched salt is certainly the way forward when it comes to advancing our understanding of keeping a balanced diet, and it’s certain that if you have the means and the access to this salt-a-like mineral, it should be on next week’s shopping list.
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