Nepalese eat a lot of salt: how much is necessary for health?

If we don't have salt, our every bale will be salty. And, our tongue directly rejects this type of food. It simply means, salt has seduced our tongue.

The presence of salt in lentils, vegetables, meat and pickles is considered mandatory. How much salt are we eating daily? Hardly they will account for it. Because we are eating salt 'according to taste' in every gram.

Dal Bhat in the evening-morning, masham in the afternoon, chowmin, noodles, samosas, chaat, sitan sometimes. There is a certain amount of salt in all food. Doctors warn, "If the amount of salt is high, it will harm your health."

So what is the right amount of salt?

Another question that arises with this is, is salt necessary for the body or not? What happens when you leave the salt suddenly?

How much salt is necessary?

According to modern health science, salt is very necessary for our body. We need 5 grams of salt in 24 hours. However, according to Ayurvedic and Eastern science, we also get salt from various natural foods. However, some amount of salt is necessary for the body.

According to a survey conducted by the Nepal Health Research Council two years ago, Nepalis consume more salt than they need. A survey was conducted on more than five thousand people in the age group of 15 to 69 years.

What nutrients are in salt?

Salt is a type of chemical element. It has some subtle elements. Salt mainly contains sodium and chloride.

We use more salt. It maintains the amount of sodium in the body. The elements found in salt also play a special role in keeping muscles, nerves, fluids etc. in balance.

Some amount is needed to control the flow of blood pressure. Also, it helps to keep the nerves and muscles active. Sodium plays an important role in exchanging information between body parts.

What happens when you leave the salt suddenly?

We have become more dependent on salt. If you leave it for a few days, it will be difficult, if you leave it for a day or two, your blood pressure will drop, and then if you leave it for a few more days, your body will lose strength, and if you continue to leave it, then you will faint.

But even if the animals do not eat salt, they look strong. Because of this, they replenish their salt from natural foods. Almost all fruits contain sugar and vegetables contain salt. After cooking, we add more salt to it and eat it. Even the naturally obtained salt is made harmful by further cooking.

Amount of salt

On an average, we are consuming 10 grams of salt when we eat 2-3 vegetables including pulses, vegetables and pickles in a bowl. Because we eat different types of food by making more than one vegetable and pickle, in which salt is used according to taste.

It seems that the picky eaters are using up to 20 grams of salt in two servings. Consuming too much salt is harmful to health.

Nowadays, the trend of using junk food as a snack is increasing, so we are eating more salt in it. According to the World Health Organization, almost 3.5 million people die in a short period of time due to excessive salt consumption.

Excessive use of salt damages the kidneys, heart, digestive system, body pressure and bones. Apart from that, salt also damages the skin. Problems such as reducing the shine of the skin, increasing infections, reducing the immunity of the skin, and causing allergies may occur.

How much salt does the body need?

The World Health Organization says that less than five grams of salt per day is necessary for the human body. If it is more than that, it will harm the health.

Salt cannot be considered mandatory. Because, those who do yoga, meditation and sadhana are healthy even without eating salt for a long time.

It is better to avoid junk food and high salt foods as much as possible. Various studies are being done on how much salt to eat. But doctors say that too much salt is harmful for health. It does not seem necessary to use a lot of salt because it is obtained from natural foods for the nutrition given by salt.

Nepali people usually eat 6 times more salt than prescribed. Therefore, to control it, you can put the necessary salt in one vegetable and reduce it or not put it in the other.

What happens if you don't eat salt?

As the body needs salt, it should not be done without eating. Eating less but quitting suddenly is not an option. Instead of using salt, more emphasis should be placed on natural salt obtained from vegetables.

But patients with heart disease and high blood pressure should not add salt. Due to the presence of diuretics in the blood pressure medicine, the salt goes more. The body is asking for what it needs. How much salt the body needs depends on the body.

What happens with excessive use of salt?

Excessive use of salt damages the kidneys, heart, digestive system, body pressure and bones. Apart from that, salt also damages the skin. Problems such as reducing the shine of the skin, increasing infections, reducing the immunity of the skin, and causing allergies may occur.

Kidneys, lungs and liver filter the blood. As the salt goes directly into the blood, when it is too much, all the three organs get tired. As a result, the body demands more water than it needs. According to that, the body is not able to rest due to eating and passing through urine.

When eating salt, it should be made in the Himalayan region as much as possible. The habit of eating such salt will benefit the body.

Too much salt causes heart problems: MK Piya, Cardiologist

The amount of salt depends on the environment in which a person grew up, the diet they are already eating. Even if the body needs salt daily, it should be eaten according to the body's demand. Do not add salt. Instead of salt, we can get it from other sources. People who exercise a lot, people who work in the fields need salt according to their work. Less salt is needed for people who do less physical exercise.

We get salt from natural foods such as yams, potatoes, and vegetables, but even the pocket foods available in the market contain some salt, which is harmful to health.

Since salt is essential for our health, it is not harmful if we eat it in balance for health. Its excessive use only harms the body. People with high blood pressure and heart disease should eat less salt.

Patients with high blood pressure should not add salt after eating vegetables as much as possible. Eating with added salt is considered harmful from the health point of view. Because of high blood pressure, once you sit down to eat vegetables, you should not add salt.

If a person who eats salt does not eat salt, there is a possibility of lack of strength in the body, fainting, and nausea, while consuming too much salt causes problems of blood pressure and heart disease.

Eating too much salt causes high blood pressure, heart attack, kidney problems. This does not mean that salt should be left out completely, but salt is actually an important nutrient for the human body.

What is the standard of the World Health Organization?

According to the standards of the World Health Organization, newborns to 6-year-old children need 90 micrograms daily, children 6 to 12 years old 120 micrograms, pregnant and lactating mothers 250 micrograms daily, and adolescents and adults need 150 micrograms of iodine daily.