You're aware that it raises
blood pressure, causes obesity and heart disease but did you know it salt does have quite a few benefits?
Speaking to
dietitian, nutritionist and spokesperson of the Academy of Nutrition
and Dietetics, Isabel Maples, she points out that there are some advantages of salt that we often overlook:
Leavening
- in
yeast breads, sugar helps the yeast grow, and salt keeps it in check. This
balance is important to get the right leavening results in baking.
Nutrient
- though
sodium and chloride that make up salt are essential nutrients, salt can also be
s source of iodine, which can be added to salt to make this nutrient more
available in areas where iodine stores in the soil are minimal.
Certain cheeses has just the right amount of salt - pic supplied.
-
salt is essential for cheese making. It helps in ripening cheese but also it’s
needed for the texture, flavour, quality, shelf-life and safety of cheese.
Food preservation
-
salt keeps food safe, like cured meats or salt in canning. With a salt water
solution called a brine, salt draws water out of the food, so there’s less
moisture to grow food spoilage microbes.