It’s Salt Awareness Week (Thursday 14 to Wednesday 20 March), and – an annual education and awareness drive around the domino effect of salt-heavy foods and the very serious health implications.
It is a particularly pertinent topic in the Mother City, where non-communicable diseases such as hypertension and diabetes are prevalent.
Of the nearly 4 000 new hypertension cases diagnosed at City of Cape Town clinics between April 2022 and March 2023 49% were younger than 45.
Too much salt in one’s diet increases the risk of hypertension, which in turn increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
In addition:
- Many foods already contain salt (referred to as sodium on food packaging);
- The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends no more than 5 g (one teaspoon) of salt daily, or 2 000 mg of sodium.
“It’s a fact that salt and seasoning in general makes anything taste better, but not at the expense of our health,” said Mayco Member for Community Services and Health Councillor Patricia Van der Ross. “Our salt intake doesn’t come only from the salt we add to food while cooking, or while eating. Many products already contain salt, like some spices, bread, cereal and even the sauces we put over our food, to name a few. So essentially, we need to start paying more attention to the labels on food items to check for the salt content, and make more informed choices, but also start thinking of different ways to flavour our food that are kinder to our bodies, and the burden of disease in our city.”
According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of South Africa salt is added to packaged and processed foods for taste, texture and preservation, and even foods that do not taste salty can be high in salt.
The Heart and Stroke Foundation of South Africa advises consumers to:
- Compare similar products or different brands to choose foods lower in sodium;
- Consult the list of ingredients to see if the product contains salt or another form of added sodium, in the event that a product does not display a nutritional information table;
- Use herbs, unsalted spices, garlic, ginger, lemon and vinegar to flavour foods;
- Limit the intake of very salty foods like take-aways, soup powder, polony, sauces and salty spreads;
- Taste food before adding salt; and
- Remove the salt shaker from the table during meals.
For more information and guidance on reducing your salt intake, visit your nearest City Health facility or visit the City’s website: https://bit.ly/3IAeEK6
