Easy ways to manage salt intake suggested by FSSAI

How much salt is too much? This question may have different answers depending upon the taste, preferences and health conditions.

But no matter how health conscious you are, there are days when we end up adding excess salt to our meals just to accentuate the taste or as a part of culinary habit. However, this practice may seem normal, but it can lead to an increase in the blood pressure, hypertension and can aggravate kidney related issues.

According to studies, excess of salt can dilate the blood and can eventually weaken the immune system. Apart from that, using too much salt can create an imbalance in the sodium and potassium levels in the body. If you too are habitual to adding excessive salt to your diet, here are a few essential hacks by FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) to keep salt intake under control.

This is undeniably a brilliant way to balance the intake of salt and curb the urge of adding extra salt to your meal. Going for natural seasonings can not only accentuate the taste but will also keep your salt in check. As per FSSAI suggestions, replacing salt with natural seasonings like lemon powder, amchur powder (dry mango powder), ajwain (carom seeds), black pepper powder and oregano is an easy way of replacing salt intake under control.

Yes, this is one tip that helps in managing excess intake of salt. As per the FSSAI tweet, “instead of adding salt to your food while cooking, try adding it at the end. This way you will end up using less salt in the process of cooking.”

Foods like pickles, papad, sauces, chutneys and namkeen have hidden salt in them. So, if you have underlying health issues you must avoid them.

There are foods that don’t require the addition of extra salt like rice, dosa, roti and puri while cooking or it will camouflage the natural sweetness of the grains as suggested by FSSAI.