More dangerous than trans fats and sugar
Doctors constantly remind us of the harmful effects on the body of unhealthy fats and excessive sugar in the diet. However, there is still hidden salt in most patients' diets. Thus, it is eaten too much, even by those people who have got rid of saltines in the kitchen and refused to add salt to their food.On a daily basis, we consume a spice that is destructive to blood vessels and often we are not even aware of it - up to 80% of the salt consumed day after day is precisely from hidden salt.
"As an endocrinologist, I most often talk about the dangers of fat and sugar. But often in the diet of most of my patients there is a lot of salt. Its excess provokes hypertension, that is, it increases the risk of heart attack and stroke," writes endocrinologist, MD Zuhra Pavlova.
So, it is enough to look into the fridge to find there a "powerful source" of the very hidden salt. And it is not even about sausages, and store semi-finished products, various snacks, broth cubes - everything is clear with them. It is worth remembering that any canned food, no matter meat or vegetable, contains a lot of salt, warned Zukhra Pavlova. The same salt in excess can spoil such a useful product as sauerkraut.
"Salt is also present in canned fish (however, in the case of seafood, such as saury, the benefits of unsaturated fatty acids exceeds the harm of salt)," the endocrinologist clarified.
To prevent an overabundance of salt in the diet, it is important to carefully read the composition of products - if the salt is stated at the beginning of the list, it means that there is a lot of it. Give preference to food labeled "low sodium" or "no added salt."
"Instead of salt, try adding lemon juice, ginger, dried (or fresh) onions and garlic to salads," the doctor recommended.