Posted Jan 10, 2010
Cologne, Germany (dpa) – Reducing the amount of salt consumed with food is best done gradually, advised Germany’s Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG). This makes it easier to get used to the natural tastes of foods, which can be healthily enhanced with fresh or cooked herbs.
A diet too high in salt can cause hypertension, the IQWiG noted. It said studies had shown that simply cutting one’s salt intake by a few grams daily could lower blood pressure.
People who want to eat less salt need to know which foods contain a lot of it. Fresh and unprocessed foods tend to be low in salt, whereas processed foods – including ready-to-serve meals, potato chips, salt-cured meats and numerous cheeses – are usually high in salt.
The IQWiG pointed out that a gram of salt is contained in each of the following items: a 30-gram portion of cheese spread, two pieces of sliced cheese weighing a total of 60 grams, a 500-gram cup of yogurt, a half-litre of milk, a 30-gram slice of salami and 25 grams of marinated herring.
Internet: www.iqwig.de/institute-for-quality-and-efficiency-in-health.2.en.html .
Date: Dec 7, 2009
