Salt, or sodium chloride, provides one of the five basic tastes, and one that consumers love— saltiness and salt contributes both flavour and functionality in a wide range of applications. Not only does salt make foods taste salty, but it aids in food preservation and food safety, offers a variety of functionalities in a range of applications, and contributes other taste properties that are not easily replicated by other available ingredients. Sodium itself, is a very potent inhibitor of off-tastes, particularly the bitter tastes, and so, one of the reasons salt is added to so many different foods is because it helps reduce the off-tastes, the bitter tastes, and thereby enhances other tastes. Researchers suspect there is at least one other mechanism that accounts for the sensory properties contributed by salt, salt also improves mouth feel in foods by increasing the thickness and body of foods, and makes them taste richer. In meat products, it solubilizes protein and enhances hydration. In cheese, it helps regulate enzyme activity and also enhances texture .Salt / sodium is a vital part of the cheese making process, as it controls moisture, texture, taste, functionality and food safety It controls the yeast activity in yeast-leavened breads and also strengthens gluten so doughs are more machinable. Salt exerts a preservative effect in foods because it lowers water activity. Although few foods today are preserved by salt alone, in some products salt is considered one of the multiple hurdles used to reduce microbial activity in foods.

SOURCES OF DIETARY SODIUM

In developed country diets, a large proportion of the sodium ingested is added (as sodium chloride) in food manufacture and foods eaten away from the home. James, Ralph & Sanchez-Castillo (1987) and Mattes & Donnelly (1991) estimated that for the United Kingdom and USA, about 75% of sodium intake was from processed or restaurant foods, 10– 12% was naturally occurring in foods and the remaining 10–15% was from the discretionary use of salt in home-cooking or at the table. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, USA more than 40 percent of sodium intake in USA comes from 10 food categories—breads and rolls; cold cuts and cured meats; pizza; fresh and processed poultry; soups; sandwiches such as cheeseburgers; cheese; pasta dishes; meat-mixed dishes such as meatloaf; and salty snacks like chips, pretzels and popcorn.

Statistic Canada’s study revealed that the biggest culprit for high sodium intake in Canada is pizza, hamburgers and hotdogs, responsible for 19.1% of Canadians’ total sodium intake. Other sources include soups, pasta and dairy products. Processed foods are responsible for 77% of a person’s total sodium intake, and so to meet those recommended sodium intake values, it is important that people with hypertension cut back on those high-risk foods.

CONSUMPTION OF SALT / SODIUM in INDIA:

The World Health Organisation has recommended a daily intake of 5gm of Salt per day per person or 2400mg of Sodium per day per person. This is the norm considered for the Indian population. Based on the study carried out by Mrs. Mini Thomas and Dr. E. Kannan, Associate Professor, Dept of Clinical Nutrition & Dietetics, PSG College of Arts & Science, Coimbatore, following can be concluded is the overall consumption of Salt or Sodium among Indians in the Indian Sub-continent.

1.       Salt Used in home foods / Cooking and consumed through homemade foods is 8 gms per person per day or 3680 mg of Sodium per day.

2.       Salt Consumed through processed foods or restaurant foods are low in India as the Processed Foods Industry is in its infancy stages and not fully developed nor processed foods has gained acceptance among Indian Consumers. From the Study it is evident that families under study consume packaged foods as meal accompaniment or as evening snacks. Hence assuming that the Urban Indian Consumers consumes on an average of 100gms of processed or baked foods then the daily intake of Sodium will be approximately 500 mg of Sodium per person per day which is equivalent to 1.10 gms of Salt per day per person.

3.       The last source of consumption of Sodium is through the naturally occurring sodium in the foods. Indian consume leafy vegetables, vegetables, eggs and various forms of Dairy products such as paneer, curd, cheese and milk which contain the naturally occurring sodium. From the study we can safely assume that from such foods Indian consumers consume approximately 400 to 450 mg of sodium which is equivalent to 900 mg of salt.

Average Salt / Sodium consumption in India vs WHO Guidelines

Hence from this study it becomes evident that the Indian Consumers consume a total average of 10 gms of Salt per day per person which is twice the recommended WHO Guideline on Salt / Sodium consumption for human beings in India.

INDIAN COOKING:. Indian Cooking uses lot of Spices, Tomato, Tamarind, Onion etc as the base for the Curries / Meals due to which the requirements of the salt in cooking goes up. There has to be drastic changes in the Cooking habits such as the following:

1. Salt should be added as the last ingredient while cooking. The Indian habit of tasting the recipes in between cooking makes one add more salt. Initially the food should be allowed to cook with the salt that is available naturally in these foods and then the required salt should be removed.

2. While boiling Vegetables it should be no salt boiling or the residual water after boiling should be discarded as this water contains the residual left out from cooking.

3. Indian Cooking should move from boiling to steaming, to grilling or microwave cooking as this requires little salt.

4. Replace salt with herbs and other seasoning wherever possible so as to mask the low salt taste.

5. Usage of Lite Salts (salts with lower sodium content should be used).

6. The taste of salt requirements is when the fool rolls over the tongue while chewing in the mouth. Hence if salt is added last then the sodium remains on the surface of the food and then the low salt cooking tastes normal. Except for the salty taste, the body adjusts easily to eating less salt. As the taste buds adjust, the desire for salty tastes will decline.

7. Develop Children’s taste towards the low salt foods and they should be made to reject foods with high salt content.

INDIA REQUIRES A NATIONAL MISSION ON REDUCTION IN SALT CONSUMPTION.

In USA as per the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, USA, reducing sodium content by 25 percent across the 10 major food categories that contribute high sodium intake, could reduce daily sodium intake by 11 percent, or approximately 360 mg. This is significant, considering a slash in daily sodium consumption of 400 mg has been projected to prevent 28,000 deaths annually, along with saving $7 billion in health-care expenditures.

The projected benefits of sodium reduction are substantial. Several studies have estimated the societal benefits of population-wide sodium reduction. In the most recent and comprehensive set of projections, it has been quantified that the effects of 400 mg/d to 1200 mg/d reductions in sodium intake on a variety of relevant outcomes. A national effort that reduces sodium intake by 1200 mg/d should result in 60,000 to 120,000 fewer coronary heart disease events, 32,000 to 66,000 fewer strokes, 54,000 to 99,000 fewer myocardial infarctions, and 44,000 to 92,000 fewer deaths, and save 194,000 to 392,000 quality-adjusted life-years and $10 to $24 billion in healthcare costs annually.

Even if average sodium intake is reduced by just 400 mg/d, the benefits would still be substantial and warrant implementation. Accomplishing population-wide sodium reduction is similar to achieving other lifestyle modifications, in that a substantial public health approach will be required to facilitate environmental changes that support changes in individual behaviour. Indeed, the need for an effective public health approach is even greater for sodium reduction than other lifestyle modifications. For example, in contrast to cigarette smoking, where usage is evident and deliberate by the consumer, the sodium content of our diets is not readily apparent.

As the processed foods industry advances in India – upto more than 75% of consumed sodium will come from processed Foods. Even those who read labels are often left without realistic alternatives to high-sodium foods, and eating out has increased consumers are subjected to excessive sodium intakes from routinely served, processed foods. Some food items are extremely high in sodium. However, from a public health perspective, the problem of excess sodium intake largely reflects the cumulative intake of common foods that are only moderately high in sodium. Hence, any meaningful strategy to reduce sodium intake population-wide must involve the efforts of food manufacturers, food processors, and restaurant industries, a strategy that is being successfully implemented in other countries. For example, the United Kingdom has a vigorous salt reduction campaign, which has resulted in an estimated population-wide reduction in sodium intake of 10%.

Hence for Lowering the Salt Consumption in India – we need a National Mission with a four-pronged approach ( CRMR ) to form the base for a comprehensive policy:

1. Communication – establishing and evaluating public awareness campaigns.

2. Reformulation – setting progressive salt targets for reformulating existing processed food and engaging with the food industry in setting standards for new foods.

3. Monitoring – surveying population salt intake, progress of reformulation, and effectiveness of communication.

4. Regulation – engagement with industry, including regulation, to create a level playing field so as not to disadvantage more enlightened and progressive companies.

Hence, with the above recommendations, a milestone in controlling hypertension across the country and priority with a gesture of creating awareness and conducting hypertension screening camps, we can have a horizon of hope to prevent the most devastating life disease – hypertension in India.