The official recommendation from the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration is a maximum of 5-6 grams of salt per person per day:
– 5-6 grams of salt is equivalent to about a teaspoon. Therefore, it is a good idea to visualize it during the day, so you always have a sense of how little it actually is, says Anne W. Ravn, who is a clinical dietitian at Aarhus University Hospital.
But the vast majority of our salt intake is actually difficult to spot and thus also difficult to control yourself. This is what Jonas Astrup, who has a master’s degree in Food Science, says:
– A lot of the salt we consume, we get from processed foods such as bread, cheese, cold cuts and ready meals, ie the food that we do not make from scratch, he says.
Therefore, it may be a good idea to moderate the intake of these particular foods.
In addition, you can experiment with reducing your salt consumption gradually when, for example, baking or cooking:
– Systematically weigh the ingredients, and then cut down on the salt by, for example, 5-10 percent for each time you bake, until you reach the point where the bread still tastes terrific, but contains significantly less salt, advises Jonas Astrup.
And when cooking hot food at home, it is a good idea not to salt during the actual cooking:
– Do not salt the potatoes or rice when you cook them – put it on first when you sit at the dining table, and then save it there too, advises Anne W. Ravn.
If you do not want to bake your own bread, you can look for certain labels on the food, she explains:
Items that have the orange whole grain label and the green keyhole label are approved as having a reduced salt content. This applies to everything from bread to muesli and other breakfast products, says the dietitian.
Another good piece of advice is to include a lot more vegetables and fruits in your diet. Anne W. Ravn suggests that half of one’s plate at each meal consists of just that.
And then you can take advantage of all the different textures and basic flavors. Because it will in the long run be able to entertain and distract the mouth from discovering that you get less salt than otherwise, says Jonas Astrup:
– Use both sweet, sour, bitter and umami in most of your meals, and focus on getting textures and textures in play, he says and continues:
– Make use of something creamy, crispy and crunchy. You can do this by boiling one thing, frying another and pickling something third. And top up with fresh herbs.
And Anne W. Ravn agrees:
– Instead of putting salt on the tomato food, you can add some basil instead. In this way, you nuance and optimize the taste in a different way than enhancing the taste with salt, she explains.
/ ritzau focus /
Source: The Nordic Page