Consume less salt for a healthier lifestyle
The metro urges residents, especially youngsters, to eat less salt.
There has been a recorded increase in the number of young people being diagnosed with hypertension and high blood pressure in Ekurhuleni in recent months.
Ekurhuleni health practitioners have attributed these worrying developments mainly to a high-level intake of salt.
During National Salt Awareness Week (which took place between March 12 and 18) the manager for non-communicable diseases for the metro, Angie Ndhambi, strongly urged residents, young and old, to adopt the recommended daily intake limit of 5gs of salt as part of their lifestyle.
“Families should ensure that they remove salt shakers from their dining tables to ensure that the young members of their families use less salt and allow their taste buds to adapt to foods that are not seasoned with salt,” Ndhambi said.
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The health practitioner further stressed that adding raw salt to cooked food is more detrimental and can lead to high blood pressure, which is a leading cause of cardiovascular disease.
However, this non-communicable disease can be prevented by adopting the following lifestyle changes:
• Using herbs, spices, garlic, chillies or lemon to season food instead of salt.
• Staying away from takeaways such as fried chicken as they have large quantities of salt.
• Eat more fruits and vegetables as they contain minerals.
• Check food labels and consume foods with less sodium.
Ekurhuleni residents are strongly urged to take action in fighting non-communicable diseases and to visit their nearest primary healthcare facilities across the city.
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