Less Salt for Healthier Meals

Less Salt for Healthier Meals

Malaysian cuisines are known for their rich flavours, thanks to their unique and delicious sauces, dips,sambal, marinates and seasonings. However, many of them contain high amounts of salt.

That’s not to say that salt is bad for us. Salt contains sodium, which is needed in small amounts by our body to maintain healthy muscles (which include our heart), nerves and blood pressure. It is only when we eat excessive amounts of salt that we put ourselves at greater risk of getting high blood pressure and related problems such as heart diseases.

Fortunately, we can reduce the amount of salt in our favourite foods, and still enjoy the rich flavours that we love.

Tips for reducing salt in meals

• Less is more. When preparing meals, use less salt, sauces (such as soy sauce, oyster sauce, tomato sauce) and other flavour enhancers such as monosodium glutamate (MSG) and stock cubes.
• Go natural. Enhance the flavour of your dishes with lemon or spices (such as garlic, tumeric and curry powder) instead of salt.
• Fresh foods are better. Processed foods may contain high amounts of salt compared to fresh fruits, vegetables and meat.
• Eat less salty foods. Foods such as fast food, jeruk, salted fish, salted eggs, and salted vegetables should be eaten in moderation. Preserved foods can be soaked in water before cooking to reduce their salt content.
• Read food labels. Use the Nutrition Information Panel (NIP) or the Guideline Dietary Amounts (GDA) on food packages to choose foods with low sodium content, ie not exceeding 0.12g per 100g (for solid foods) or 0.06g per 100ml (for liquid foods).
• Go less salt when eating out. Ask for your dishes to be prepared with less salt.