Dietitians have revealed why you eat too much salt without realizing it, and how you can lower your levels with a few quick and easy swaps.
Susie Burrell, from Sydney, and Leanne Ward, from Brisbane, are the co-hosts of the popular health podcast The Food Bankwhich aims to dispel myths surrounding diets and healthy eating and explain how to get the best results.
In the latest episode, the pair discussed salt and how the average Australian eats double the recommended daily amount.
Susie and Leanne said too much salt makes you feel tired, bloated and bloated every day.
Dietitians have revealed why you eat too much salt without realizing it, and how you can lower your levels with a few quick and easy swaps (Susie Burrell and Leanne Ward pictured)
According to Susie, while many of us think we’re on top of our salt consumption, it can actually “really slip in” without us even noticing.
“I have cases where clients do their weekly weight checks and they’ll be disappointed if they feel like they’re on track with their diet and eating really well, but the scale won’t budge,” she said on the podcast.
“Every time I say to them, did you eat something salty the night before, they say yes.”
Susie said it might be dumplings or sushi or Mexican, but these meals cause the vast majority of us to put on a few pounds of liquid weight, thanks to the amount of salt in these foods.
“In terms of how we feel in our gut every day and whether we’re puffy or bloated and what our skin looks like, it’s worth thinking about the salt in our food,” Susie said.
According to the American Heart Association, you should aim for no more than 2,300 mg per day, but the average Australian eats about 10 grams per day, Leanne stressed.
The easiest way to lower your salt content is to analyze the labels and avoid using multiple sauces at once (stock image)
The easiest way to lower your salt content is to analyze the labels.
“Bread or cereal can contain 300mg per serving, which is probably a fair amount,” said Leanne.
“But if it goes towards 600 mg, then you have to think that’s too high.”
The most spicy and salty foods out there are packet soups, sauces, two-minute noodles, processed meats and wraps, and Leanne said these can contain “more than 1,000 mg per serving.”
“Asian sauces like hoisin and soy sauce are especially bad,” Susie said.
“If you’re making a stir-fry, you can add hoisin, sweet chili, and soy to a stir-fry. Before you know it, it can add up to too much salt. It’s much better to stick to one species.’
The dietitians also recommended reduced-salt products, including soy sauce and ketchup, which can save you valuable sodium.
Be careful with your wraps, especially “those big white ones, which can contain up to 800 mg of sodium — this is just way too high,” Susie said.
Another way to reduce your salt consumption is to eat more potassium, which can be found in fresh fruits and vegetables.
“The more fresh fruits and vegetables you consume, the more you buffer and reduce sodium in the body,” said Susie.
Consider munching on some celery or some cucumber to “flush the salt out of your body.”
Finally, keep eating out to a minimum to avoid excess salt and, as a rule of thumb, choose fresher ingredients rather than processed ones.
“Using a pot of passata for your spaghetti bolognese is much better than ready-made spagbol,” added Leanne.