Nutrition is a science
Fruit and more;
be healthy by following
the advice of
the experts
Watch your weight and always lead
an active lifestyle
Eat more cereal, pulses, fruit and vegetables
Fats: choose the quality
and limit your intake
Consume sugar, cakes and sweet drinks in moderation
Drink plenty
of water
every day
What about salt? Less is better
Alcohol: if you do drink, limit your intake
Vary your diet often
Well-being
Fruit Team
Fruit recipes
Retailer's guide/
References
News

What about salt? Less is better
An excessive consumption of salt can favour arterial hypertension, especially in people who have a predisposition for it. High quantities of sodium raise the risk of heart diseases and blood vessel and kidney illnesses, due to an increase in arterial pressure and for other reasons besides. A high consumption of sodium is also associated with a higher risk of stomach tumours, a greater loss of calcium in urine and, therefore, probably a greater risk of osteoporosis, too. Consequently, reducing one’s salt intake is an important preventive measure and a cure for many people. Recent studies have confirmed that an average consumption of salt below 6 g a day, which corresponds to about 2.4 g of sodium, is a good compromise between satisfying the palate and preventing risks linked to sodium.
Advice:
  • Progressively reduce your use of salt both at the table and in cooking.
  • Choose iodine-enriched salt rather than common salt.
  • Do not add salt to children’s food for at least the first year of life.
  • Limit your use of condiments that contain salt (stock cubes, ketchup, soya sauce, mustard etc).
  • Flavour food with aromatic herbs (garlic, onion, basil, parsley, rosemary, sage, mint, oregano, marjoram, celery, leak, thyme, fennel seeds etc.) and spices (pepper, chilly pepper, nut meg, saffron, curry etc.).
  • Use lemon juice and vinegar to add flavour to food.
  • When they are available, choose products with a low salt content (bread without salt, tinned tuna with a low salt content etc).
  • Only occasionally eat processed food with a high salt content (savoury snacks, crisps, olives, some cheeses and salamis).
  • If you do moderate exercise just drink water to replenish the liquid lost through sweating.
(taken from “GUIDLINES FOR HEALTHY ITALIAN NUTRITION” – Ministry of Agricultural and Forestry Policies and INRAN Italian National Institute of Food and Nutrition Research – 2003)