A diet that is too rich in salt can help create hypertension and increase the risk of developing certain cardiovascular and kidney diseases, kidney stones, osteoporosis and is also associated with a higher risk of stomach cancer.

For this reason its consumption must be kept under control, taking into account that the sodium – the main component of salt – we add when we cook is only 36% of what we consume on average in a day, as underlined by Sabrina Oggionni, dietician at Humanitas Gavazzeni Bergamo: “More than 50% of the quantity of sodium we take comes from processed products, such as ready-made products. Often this mineral is contained in unsuspected foods, such as biscuits, cereals or rusks, so it is better to always look at the label before buying them, taking into account the fact that often values vary even between foods belonging to the same category “.

Types of salt

There are four types of salt:

• Refined, resulting from a process of refining salt extracted from seawater (marine) and mines (sweetening)
• Iodate, i.e. enriched with iodine, the consumption of which is recommended to everyone
• Wholegrain or crude, which has not undergone any refining process
• Hyposodic, in which part of sodium is replaced by potassium.

Tips for limiting salt consumption

These are the tips for consuming less salt:

• Restrict the use of seasonings such as nuts and sauces
• Use alternative foods such as spices, aromatic herbs, lemon and vinegar to flavor foods
• Do not place the saltshaker on the table, to avoid adding it.
• Salt the cooking water for pasta and rice after half the cooking time.
• Do not salt children’s meals until they reach the age of one year and get used to salty foods.

“We must gradually get used to consuming salt less – concludes Dr. Oggionni – to recondition our palate, which may be accustomed to an excessive flavor. A short period of abstinence is enough to stop feeling the need for it “.