Healthy Eating = Healthy Living\u2026 The Implication of Sugar and Salt \nIntakes to Our Health<\/b><\/font>
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\nTo eat healthily we should eat more fruit \nand vegetables, eat more fibre, cut down on fat, cut down on sugar, and \ncut down on salt intake. The best way to get all the vitamins, minerals \nand nutrients that we need is to eat a wide variety of foods. No one \nfood can provide us with all we need. To make sure your diet is as \nhealthy as possible you should look at your fibre, fruit and vegetable, \nfat, sugar and salt intakes. Some foods should only be eaten \noccasionally. <\/font>
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\nThese 'extra foods' (sometimes called junk food) are \nfoods like potato chips, chocolate, cakes, lollies, soft drinks and \nsome takeaway food like hamburgers and hotdogs. These foods are usually \nlow in nutrients and high in salt, sugar or fat. They are 'extras' to \nbe enjoyed occasionally. If these foods regularly replace more \nnutritious and healthy foods in your diet, you are likely to become \noverweight and may develop vitamin and mineral deficiencies and other \nhealth problems. You can have 'extra foods' occasionally. We all enjoy \na 'treat' now and then and it's okay to have some of these foods now \nand then as an extra. <\/font>
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\nHow often you have them depends on your weight, \nage and how active you are. But you should keep to small amounts. If \nyou are overweight and want to lose weight, you should limit these \n'extra' foods to no more than every second day \u2013 and then only if you \nhave a nutritious and balanced diet and you are physically active. If \nyou are active and not overweight, you could probably have one or two \n'extra foods' a day \u2013 as long as you've had your daily requirements of \nmeat, dairy, fruits, vegetables and cereals. <\/font><\/div>\n
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Salt<\/b><\/font>\n<\/div>\n
Convenience \nfoods usually contain high amounts of salt. The body needs some salt. \nHowever, too much salt in the diet has been associated with an \nincreased risk of high blood pressure, which is a known risk factor for \nheart disease and stroke. A maximum salt intake of no more than 5g of \nsalt per day is recommended for adults with normal blood pressure. <\/font>
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\nMany \nMalaysians consume double this amount each day. Less than 20 per cent \nof our salt intake comes from salt we add to our food. Cutting back on \ntakeaway foods will help reduce your salt intake. It is estimated that \nour current intake of salt is about 12 times greater than the amount \nour bodies need. As much as 75 per cent of salt in our diet comes from \nprocessed foods, 15 per cent from salt added during cooking or at the \ntable, and 10 per cent occurs naturally in foods. Reducing our intake \nof salt from 9 gm a day to 6 gm a day (which is still much more than \nthe body needs) can reduce the number of people dying from strokes by \n22 per cent and those dying from heart attacks by 16 per cent. <\/font>
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\nHalt! \nCut down on your salt<\/b><\/font>
\nSodium plays a vital role in the body\u2019s \nfluid balance, as well as being involved in muscle and nerve activity. \nHowever, almost all of us consume far more than we need and this can \nlead to long-term health problems. Our current intake is about 9 gm a \nday and latest guidelines suggest that we should reduce this by \none-third, to a maximum of 6 gm, although our bodies actually need far \nless. High salt intake is almost certainly a major factor in the \ndevelopment of high blood pressure. <\/font>
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\nOne in five people suffer from high \nblood pressure, which significantly increases the risk of both stroke \nand heart attack, the most common causes of deaths in the new \nmillennium. Several studies from all over the world have shown that \nreducing salt intake can produce a fall in blood pressure and it is \nestimated that this could prevent more than 34,000 deaths a year in UK \nalone. <\/font>
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\nRecent studies also suggest that high intakes of salt can cause \nleaching of calcium from the bones and may increase the risk of \nosteoporosis (brittle bones). High salt intake can also aggravate \nasthma and cause water retention. <\/font>
\n<\/font> \nTips to reduce salt intake<\/b><\/font> \n<\/b>Use \nless salt in cooking and at the table. If you gradually reduce the \namount, after about four weeks you will actually prefer less salty \nfoods. Use herbs, spices and other flavourings such as lemon juice \ngarlic and mustard instead. Check food labels and use fewer processed \nfoods and ready-made meals. Try to make foods such as soups and sauces \nyourself. Cut down on salty snacks such as peanuts and crisps. When you \ndo eat crisps, buy low-salt ones. <\/font>
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Sugar<\/b><\/font><\/p>\n
\nFoods like soft drinks, \ncordials, biscuits, cakes and lollies have high sugar content. Although \nsugar has not been directly linked to developing heart disease or \ndiabetes, there is evidence that a high sugar intake may contribute to \nthe development of overweight and obesity. In Malaysia, soft drinks \nhave become among the most popular beverages. <\/font>
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\nTheir consumption has \nincreased by 30 per cent in 10 years. Ten years ago soft drinks were \navailable in 375ml cans. Now they are commonly sold in 600ml bottles, \nwhich provide at least 12\u201315 teaspoons of sugar. Studies suggest an \nassociation between increasing consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks \nand the development of childhood obesity. <\/font>
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\nThat's why eating foods and \ndrinks with high sugar content should be limited. Problems caused by \ntoo much sugar: High sugar intakes have been associated with: <\/font>
\n\u00b7 Tooth \ndecay <\/font>
\n\u00b7 Decreased levels of good cholesterol <\/font>
\n\u00b7 Increased levels of \nblood fat associated with diabetes and heart disease <\/font>
\n\u00b7 Childhood \nobesity. <\/font>
\n\u00b7 Suppressed immune system. <\/font>
\n\u00b7 Upseting the body's mineral \nbalance. <\/font>
\n\u00b7 Kidney damage. <\/font>
\n\u00b7 The risk of coronary heart disease. <\/font>
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\nOne of \nsugar's major drawbacks is that it raises the insulin level, which \ninhibits the release of growth hormones, which in turn depresses the \nimmune system. This is not something you want to take place if you want \nto avoid disease. An influx of sugar into the bloodstream upsets the \nbody's blood-sugar balance, triggering the release of insulin, which \nthe body uses to keep blood-sugar at a constant and safe level. Insulin \nalso promotes the storage of fat, so that when you eat sweets high in \nsugar, you're making way for rapid weight gain and elevated \ntriglyceride levels, both of which have been linked to cardiovascular \ndisease. Complex carbohydrates tend to be absorbed more slowly, \nlessening the impact on blood-sugar levels. <\/font>
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\nModeration is the key<\/b><\/font>
\n'Extra foods' may have higher levels of fat, salt and sugar, but \nthey still contain nutrients and can be considered as a small part of a \nhealthy diet. A general rule of thumb is to eat fresh, healthy foods \nabout 90 per cent of the time, and indulge in the extra foods no more \nthan 10 per cent of the time. [b]Things to remember [\/b] Fast foods, \ntakeaway, lollies and chips are typically high in fat, salt or sugar. \nThey should be considered as extras to your usual diet. Spend your \nmoney wisely. Choose the healthy option when eating out or having snack \nfoods. 'Extra' foods can be enjoyed occasionally as part of a healthy \ndiet. <\/font><\/div>\n