Lots of diets are now online but you need to know what is ideal for you. Not all diets are to loose weight. Some are to prevent worsening of certain disease conditions.
Those with cardiac issues, such as hypertension (high blood pressure) are advised to partake of a low salt diet. This does not go down well with most people. So it is ignored. The reason behind the low salt is quite simple. Where sodium (salt) goes, water follows.
Sodium is actively involved in fluid balance, maintenance of blood volume and pressure. Diets that are high in salt (sodium) can cause fluid retention resulting in edema (swelling) in the hands and feet and even around the lungs. Patients that have been diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure are thus advised to strictly adhere to a low salt diet.
Low salt diet is not only meant for patients with cardiac issues. Nooo, others partake of the joys of a “salt less” meal! Anyone suffering from edema (swelling) of hands/feet or other parts of the body will definitely benefit from diets low in sodium. Patients with liver disease, kidney disease, lymphedema, or even high cholesterol have also been shown to benefit from such a diet.
It is said that the body needs only a quarter of a teaspoon of salt every day. Imagine that! ¼ of a teaspoon. Tell that to (add name of favorite fast food joint here)!
Adding other flavors and spices to your food can take away the feeling of “Ughhhh! What?! No salt?!” Our sense of taste starts with the taste buds on our tongue. Theses buds (cells) then send information to the “taste center” in the medulla (area in the brain that sits on top of the spinal cord). From here signals are sent to the amygdala and the thalamus which then alerts the portion of the brain that interprets and stores the information.
It then stands to reason that one can "build" on flavors, so that with each bite...your taste buds experience sensation upon sensation of texture, of sweetness, of bitterness even sourness. We in Nigeria are blessed with herbs, fruits, vegetables and all sorts of creepy crawlies. Some are edible. Some are not.
Next time you are getting ready to cook….be adventurous. Try adding fruits to the meal. Build on the sensory experience of taste. I made a stir fry sauce with PawPaw once. My Mother thought I was crazy considering it was her birthday meal. If I do say so myself…it was GOOD!Add more vegetables, more spices but definitely less salt.
For the less adventurous, low sodium “salt” actually exists. There are even spices that are used as salt substitutes. Be aware that not all foods taste salty but most foods contain sodium. Look at the sodium content on the packaging of the foods.
And oh, just for fun, take a look at the sodium content in “no –sugar” foods. Mmm hmmm. See….. if they don’t get you with sugar, it’s the salt!
Dr. Okogwu-Nwoye
Internal Medicine Specialist
The Roding Medical Centre Ltd
