Nutrition

Salt is the main source of sodium in our diet. In addition to the salt we use for cooking or seasoning, many of the processed foods that we buy contain a high amount of salt. Almost 80% of the salt we consume, estimated at 10 grams per day on average, comes from bread, cheese, sauces, cold meats and pre-cooked food. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends consuming less than 5 grams of salt per day and gives some advice on how to control and reduce our salt intake. For example, we should always read the label of the products we buy and choose those that contain less salt, we should not always put a salt shaker on the table, and we should avoid sauces and limit the use of salt to a fifth of a teaspoon when we cook. Reducing our consumption The WHO, in collaboration with the governments of different countries, has set itself the objective of reducing salt consumption by 30% by 2025. Salt consumption is strongly linked with high blood pressure and, consequently, with a risk of cardiac pathologies and cerebrovascular accidents in adults, considered to be the main cause of premature death today. A review of the literature analysed several studies that followed a total of 177,025 participants for periods between 3.5 and 19 years. This review has found evidence of a direct association between salt intake and the incidence of vascular pathologies. Specifically, this study concludes that a high salt intake results in a 23% increased risk of cerebral stroke.