No one can eat just one!

Ananya Save

Aah! I am sure you all remembered the famous advertisement for chips. Do you ever wonder why we cannot stop on one or two chips..but aim to finish the entire pack?

Potato chips in bowl

Yes, you guessed it right. The salt content in the chips lingers in the mouth, wanting us to have them more. Taste is a tricky business &salt is a precious ingredient. Believe it or not.

How does it work?

Salt enhances the sweetness in food, balances the sour and bitterness of the food. thus adding salt creates magic and enhances the taste.

How precious is this ingredient?

Diwali is a festival of lights and celebration. To invite Goddess Laxmi (goddess of prosperity) at our home, salt is often purchased during Diwali.

As salt was used as currency in olden days, it is still believed to bring prosperity.

Is Salt important to us?

Of course, yes!

Salt is a combination of sodium & chloride that helps regulate water in the body and also regulates blood pressure. Also, all our nerve impulses are carried out by sodium in the body.

Extremely less sodium consumption leads to dehydration & low blood pressure in the long run.

But every coin has another side too.

High sodium is also the prime cause of hypertension. One needs to be careful while choosing foods if diagnosed with hypertension or high blood pressure. High blood pressure is a silent killer as there are no specific symptoms for many. Fatigue, headaches are some of the confusing symptoms that one can easily miss out on. Hypertension starts affecting all the organs in the body.

Precaution is always better than cure. So let us figure out the invisible sources of salt.

Our packaged biscuits may taste sweet but the hidden ingredient that enhances the sweetness or flavor is salt.

The habit of licking the leftover crumbs from a chips pack that is loaded with salt- throw it away.

Adding three to four types of sauces in a single sandwich or noodles takes away your weekly quota of salt consumption. Even the packaged noodles are salted.

The ideal consumption recommended is 5 g per day per person

To save money on fresh fish, many people consume dry fish just for their flavor. But this could incur more money on medications as dry fish has loads of salt which acts as a preservative.

Jams & pickles are famous for their salt content too.

The people of Konkan and south India would agree on the quantity of salt being added to kokum and tamarind to make it last for many years. The older the tamarind, the better is the taste.

Our packaged soups is another unhealthy way to consume excessive salt.

Canned or tinned food products, that are usually labeled as stored in brine is nothing but saltwater.

Next time when you venture into any of the above habits, remember this blog and act accordingly.

Ananya Save