HEALTH experts have warned people not to use lots of salt during National Salt Awareness Week from Tuesday, 16 to Tuesday, 22 March.
Salt is the major factor that increases blood pressure and is therefore indirectly responsible for many heart attacks and strokes annually.
According to the experts, cardiovascular disease (CVD) claims more lives than all forms of cancer combined, and according to SA’s leading provider of cardiovascular (CVS) medication, medicine sales related to heart and blood pressure conditions are at an all-time high.
Mariska van Aswegen, spokesman for Pharma Dynamics, said annual medicine sales for CVS conditions are sitting at R3,1-billion, about 23 percent higher than five years ago.
“Although there are many risk factors, our salt intake could triple our risk of developing heart disease or having a stroke. Our bodies need salt to function optimally, but many of us just eat too much of it.”
She said SA’s salt consumption could be as high as 40 grams a day, which is way above the World Health Organisation’s recommended intake of less than five grams a day.
“When it comes to our discretionary salt consumption, which is the amount of salt we add to food ourselves, it is as high as 40 percent a day. In most other Westernised countries, the discretionary use of salt is in the region of 15 percent.
She added that it is high time that South Africans woke up to the dangers of excess salt consumption and make healthy eating part of a healthy lifestyle.
“More than 80 percent of heart diseases can be prevented if we consume less salt.”
According to international health guidelines, adults should try to make sure their daily intake of salt is no more than five grams a day and children need even less.
As part of Pharma Dynamics’ ongoing education campaign to help curb the growing incidences of cardiovascular disease, it has made several resources available free to the public. These include the popular Cooking from the Heart cookbook series, which comprises more than 100 flavourful breakfast, lunch, snack and dessert recipes which are low in salt and sugar and have all been given the Heart and Stroke Foundation SA’s stamp of approval.
People can access any of the Cooking from the Heart recipes free via www.cookingfromtheheart.co.za.
The cookbooks also offer practical ‘swap it’ tips, such as replacing salt with fresh herbs and spices or lemon for flavour, and provides useful health advice including how to eat more fibre, interpret food labels correctly, pack healthier lunchboxes and cook more healthily.
