It’s World Salt Awareness Week! This year’s event is from the 16th to the 22nd of March, 2015. This week usually tries to draw attention to the large quantities of salt that we usually consume in our foods, sometimes without even knowing!

Salt is important for our cells to function normally but too much can lead to high blood pressure and there appears to be some link between excessive salt intake and kidney stones, kidney disease and even obesity.
So, if you’re one of those who routinely reach for the salt shaker before you taste your food, this may be just the right time to re-think that! If you’re not in this group, don’t shout ‘Hurray’ just yet. Salt is contained in so many foods we eat, that if you’re not very meticulous about reading labels or even just knowing what foods are high in salt, you probably consume more than you need. Here are a few examples:

• Our dry fish in Nigeria (and I daresay other parts of Africa) are dried and preserved with salt.
• Dried meat
• The chicken cubes or other food seasoning cubes we use to cook
• Ketchup
• Bacon, sausages
• Pizza…Ahah! Yep, you’re wolfing down loads of salt with every bite…but I’m almost sure you knew that! 😉
• Salted nuts…when buying nuts, go for the unsalted variety. And remember that the nuts should be taken by handfuls and not by the bottle or pack or bowl 😀
• Try reading the packs of cereals before you buy. In fact generally do this for all packed foods…compare one with another and always choose a less salty variety.
• Always rinse out foods in cans like sweet corn etc to get rid of unwanted preservatives and of course, salt.

Remember that not eating salty food does not mean you’re eating boring food. Use spices like peppers, ginger, garlic, curry and herbs like parsley, our scent leaf etc to put that extra pizzazz into your food. Trust me, after about a week of training, your taste buds will get used to this new reality. This is particularly important for children because if they are not introduced to very salty foods when they are young, then it’s easier for them to stay on the straight and narrow road when they are grown.

So, kick all that excessive salt out of your diet and live healthier. Remember that if you ncan taste the salt, it’s probably too much!
Have a great weekend, people 😀