It is essential to opt for salt free foods in order to prevent the risk of heart diseases. We enlist foods containing less amount of salt.
Sodium is one of the most essential nutrients required by human beings in order to carry out certain important functions in the body. It is essential for proper functioning of the muscles like contraction and relaxation.
It is also one of the components present in the fluids of the body like blood. It helps in maintaining fluid balance in the body. It is also essential for generation and transmission of nerve impulses in the body. But, excess of it can be harmful.
Effects of Excess Salt on Health
The daily required amount of sodium is usually obtained from common salt, which is a commonly used food additive. However, there is also large amount of sodium found in several processed foods in the form of preservatives and flavor enhancers.
A large number of people consume large amounts of processed, salty, and fried foods, which increase the sodium levels in their body. One may not be aware, but, excess sodium is directly related to hypertension or high blood pressure. Excess salts in the body do not get washed out from the body, thus, increasing the amount of salt in the blood.
This puts a pressure on the heart and makes a person prone to several heart diseases. Secondly, excess salts in body and blood also impairs the normal function of kidneys. Therefore, it is advised to limit the intake of salts in the body.
List of Salt Free Foods
● All fresh vegetables and fruits (except seaweed kelp, celery, beet, collard, spinach, olives).
● Unprocessed and fresh fish, poultry, and eggs.
● All varieties of rice and pasta (except ready-to-eat and pre-seasoned ones)
● No salt containing pie and pumpkin fillings.
● Milk, sweet butter, sour cream, ice cream, salt free mayonnaise, and margarine
● Sugar, honey, jams, jellies, syrup, etc.
● Beverages like beer, wine, coffee, tea, flavored drinks, iced tea, etc.
● Mustard, sugar, vinegar, cocoa, olive oil, canola oil, coconut, all varieties of unsalted nuts and seeds, etc.
● Jelly, waffle cones and syrup, chocolates and all chocolate based sweets, applesauce, fudge bars, sherbet, fresh smoothies, etc.
Avoid processed and canned foods as they are more likely to contain sodium, salts, and other preservatives. One needs to be careful when buying or consuming canned or processed poultry, deli meat, etc. Chips, popcorn, ketchup, cheeses, etc., are a total no-no.
It is also advisable to buy fresh and raw vegetables and fruits rather than the processed ones to gain all the essential nutrients and avoid unnecessary intake of salts. Also, one should check the labels of all the foods before buying them and look for 'salt free' as it stands for no salt foods.
On the other hand, 'no salt added' or 'low sodium' means no excess salt added during processing. This may not mean that the product is salt or sodium free.
These foods should be opted over other foods in order to reduce the risk of high blood pressure and heart diseases. Lastly, one should always remember the old clichéd saying, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!" Take care!