Salt at the table, the key word is moderation: the 10 rules for health

Salt is the fundamental food in the life of human beings. But we certainly shouldn’t abuse it. The World Week for the reduction of salt consumption, until May 19th, promoted by the ‘World Action on Salt, Sugar and Health’ (Wassh), an association that aims to raise awareness among the population on the limits of daily salt consumption, is the opportunity to remember with 10 tips how to behave at the table and what to choose at the market to avoid the abuse of salt. “The key word is moderation with salt, only in this way can we achieve the happy mix of taste and health“, he explains to Adnkronos Salute the immunologist Mauro Minelliimmunologist and professor of ‘Fundamentals of dietetics and nutrition’ at Lum University.

Here are 10 tips from the expert

1) “Salt is even spoken of in the Bible – more precisely in the Gospel – when Jesus, addressing his disciples, invites them not to lose the flavor of salt, without which everything would be tasteless. Salt as wages, or the remuneration in remote times. Salt as a precious element, so much so that it was the object of a state monopoly, available in those retailers that older people remember due to the sign ‘Salt and Tobacco'”;

2) “Salt as a primary condiment completely free of calories, but a good source of mineral salts. Chemically known as ‘sodium chloride’ – explains Minelli – due to the two minerals that mainly compose it, salt is actually a mixture of various other minerals, although present in traces. The type of salt, the different obtaining procedures, refining and post-extraction modifications are elements that affect the micronutrient content”.

3) “There are numerous types of salt present on the market. A first distinction must be made between sea salt, obtained by evaporation from sea water in special establishments called salt pans and subsequently refined in order to eliminate impurities, and rock salt or the salt extracted from mines, which does not need to be refined and which, therefore, is richer in minerals including iodine”;

4) “Another thing is iodized salt, also very widespread, deriving from the addition of iodine to sea salt which after refining has lost, with the impurities, also its iodine content which is fundamental in the metabolic processes of the human organism and indispensable for guarantee the regular functioning of the thyroid – he adds – A further distinction is that which contrasts ‘fine-grained’ salt with ‘coarse-grained’ salt”.

5) “Then there are the numerous types of salt differentiated on the basis of their peculiar color which can vary from the pink of the Himalayan salt, whose color is attributable to the presence of iron, but also of zinc and copper, to the red of the Hawaiian salt even more loaded with iron and much loved by chefs for the chromatic shades it gives to dishes – underlines the immunologist Minelli – The black salt from Cyprus is enriched with vegetal charcoal, while the gray salt from Brittany owes its color to a type of clay present on the bottom of the salt pans, capable of nourishing the salt giving it a greyish color. The blue salt of Persia, rich in magnesium and calcium, owes its color to sylvinite, a mineral extracted from the salt mines of Iran. and potassium”.

6) “Particular attention must be paid to the quantity of salt consumed daily, given that it is no coincidence that the World Health Organization has set a maximum limit which, in healthy adults, should not exceed 5 grams per day – remember – The The main reason for this limit is represented by the high sodium content, an important factor in regulating the osmotic processes that occur in the human organism, the requirement of which is in any case limited to within 2 grams per day as the Italian population, who is largely accustomed to consuming more than 10 grams of salt per day, would be rather non-compliant, it could be useful to use low-sodium salt in cooking or to reduce the quantity in the pasta water”.

7) “This would allow us to lower the risks associated with excessive or, in any case, unbalanced consumption of salt – and therefore sodium – among which hypertension stands out, which in turn generates cardiovascular pathologies, vision disorders and cerebral stroke On the other hand, it is well known that hypertension has effects on the entire vascular network of the human body, potentially compromising the functionality of important and highly vascularized organs such as, for example, the kidneys level of the latter, among other things, an overload of work can also occur aimed at eliminating excess sodium which, in turn, will further compromise the functions of these strategic organs. Be careful with salt during pregnancy and in cases of retention water. A limitation of salt consumption is also necessary in the case of dental caries and osteoporosis, considering the ability of sodium to induce the release of calcium from teeth and bones”.

8) “On the other hand, there are many and different beneficial functions of salt taken in moderation in humans, starting from the contribution of iodine, an important fundamental component in metabolic processes and indispensable to guarantee the regular functioning of the thyroid. But very relevant – warns Minelli – salt also contributes to the transmission of electrical impulses in the brain, and its effective antibacterial action, a quality on which the consolidated practice of preserving various ‘salted’ foods is based”.

9) “It is advisable to greatly limit the intake of salt by those patients treated with anti-hypertensive drugs belonging to the ace-inhibitor family”, he suggests.

10) “This is how the call to moderation also comes from salt, the key word for obtaining the happy mix of taste and health”, he concludes.