If you suffer from high blood pressure or other heart health problems, your doctor has probably recommended that you reduce the amount of salt in your diet.
I asked Naazneen Khan, a registered dietitian and nutrition, health and wellness manager at Nestlé South Africa, to explain the role of salt in our diet as well as for some guidelines on how to keep the amount of salt we eat in check.
Naazneen explained that the chemical name for table salt is sodium chloride, meaning it is made out of two parts – sodium and chloride.
The sodium part of the salt has important implications for health. Although sodium is involved in regulating the fluid balance in the body, too much can cause complications such as high blood pressure, which can lead to a stroke or heart attack.
Besides making food taste good, salt is used to preserve food and is often hidden in foods under other names such as monosodium glutamate, sodium alginate, sodium sulphite, sodium caseinate, disodium phosphate, sodium benzoate, sodium hydroxide or sodium citrate. That is why it is so important to read labels when buying pre-prepared foods.
The recommended daily allowance for salt is 6g, which is just over a teaspoonful.
You may feel that food tastes bland without tons of salt sprinkled on it, but Naazneen says it is a question of retraining your taste buds.
Saltiness is actually an acquired taste. If you slowly cut back on the amount you sprinkle over your food, your taste buds will adjust accordingly.
After about three weeks, you won’t miss the salt and your taste buds will get used to the natural taste of food.
More tips for reducing salt in your diet
* Think fresh – most fresh foods are naturally low in sodium.
* Use spices instead of salt when cooking.
* Pay attention to condiments – they are usually very high in sodium.
* Boost your potassium intake – these will help lower your blood pressure.
* Try not to eat too many packaged or pre-prepared foods, these are high in sodium.
BARLEY AND ROASTED TOMATO RISOTTO
Serves 4-6
350g vine tomatoes
15ml olive oil
dried oreganum
1.2 litres of low-salt vegetable stock
30ml olive oil
1 onion, chopped
60ml white wine
500ml pearl barley
45ml chopped basil
15ml chopped thyme
60ml grated Parmesan cheese
Put the tomatoes in a roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle over oreganum. Roast at 180ºC for 10-15 minutes until the skins start to burst. Remove and set aside.
Bring the stock to a simmer.
In another pot, heat the olive oil and fry the onion until soft. Add the wine and cook until it is evaporated. Add the barley and cook for a minute.
Add about 125ml stock and cook until absorbed. Keep adding the stock in 125ml increments, cooking each time until the liquid is absorbed before adding more.
Cook until the barley is tender. Remove from the heat and stir in the tomatoes, reserving a few for garnishing.
Mix in the herbs and the Parmesan cheese.
Serve garnished with tomatoes.
* To make salt-reduced stock, use half the quantity of stock powder or liquid to the quantity of water required.
SPICY MEDITERRANEAN FISH CASSEROLE
Serves 4
30ml olive oil
10ml chopped garlic
1 large red onion, sliced into wedges
1-2 red chillies, seeded and chopped
1 red pepper, cut into strips
1 large bulb of fennel, thinly sliced
400g can of chopped tomatoes
125ml water
45ml chopped thyme
5ml sugar
700g firm white fish , cubed
50g black olives, drained, rinsed and pitted
Heat the oil and fry the garlic, onion and chilli until soft.
Add the pepper and fennel and fry for a few minutes.
Add the tomatoes, water, thyme and sugar and bring to a simmer.
Cook for 10 minutes until sauce has thickened.
Add the fish and olives and simmer until fish is cooked, about 5-8 minutes.
Season lightly and serve immediately.
SWEET POTATOES AND ROASTED BANANAS
Serves 4. These are high in potassium and will help lower blood pressure.
4 orange sweet potatoes, scrubbed
3 bananas, peeled and halved
45ml orange juice
3ml ground cinnamon
2ml ground cardamom
a pinch of nutmeg
a pinch of chilli flakes
45ml brown sugar
chopped coriander to garnish
Prick the potatoes and place on a baking tray. Roast at 180ºC for 30-40 minutes or until very soft. When cooked, cool slightly, halve and scoop out the flesh.
Place the bananas on the tray and roast them for 10-15 minutes until soft. Remove.
Add the orange juice to the pan and mash the bananas with the juice.
Add to the sweet potatoes with the spices and sugar. Mix well.
Spoon into an oven-proof dish and return to the oven for 10-15 minutes until hot. Serve sprinkled with coriander.
APPLE AND BLUEBERRY MUFFINS
Makes 12
500ml bran-enriched self-raising flour
125ml oats
125ml unrefined white sugar
10ml ground cinnamon
125ml light olive or rapeseed oil
2 eggs
125ml skim milk
125g blueberries
1 apple, cored and diced
icing sugar for sifting
Combine the flour, oats, sugar and cinnamon and mix well.
Combine the oil, eggs and milk and stir into the dry ingredients.
Carefully fold in the blueberries and apple.
Divide the mixture between 12 paper-lined muffin cups. Bake at 180ºC for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Remove and cool.
Lightly sift icing sugar on muffins and serve. - The Star