Don’t buy packaged foods without checking the salt content: Here’s why

Chennai: Did you know that about 80% of our salt consumption is from hidden food sources and not from direct items? If our current salt consumption is reduced by 30%, there will be at least a 25% reduction in the prevalence of hypertension, according to a recent initiative by IIT Madras, organized to promote the collective fight against high salt consumption. The program was a collaborative effort between Sapiens Health Foundation, IIT-Madras (Department of Medical Sciences and Technology), Tamil Nadu government (Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine) and a New York-based NGO, Resolve to Save Lives .

Increased food distribution
According to Dr TS Selva Vinayagam, Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, “We all know that non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for nearly 65% ​​of deaths/mortality. To tackle this epidemic, we need to tackle the risk factors which are modifiable as salt, sugar and similar articles.” Unless these factors are addressed, it would not be sustainable for any country to manage complications due to NCDs. Reducing salt intake is among the most economical strategies. Dr Selva Vinayagam said that almost 70-80% of the salt we consume is from hidden sources and not from direct consumption.

This is due to the increased convenience of ordering food at home and eating out. There must be a certain level of action that we as individuals can take and also certain actions that we must take at the population or community level that governments can take. People should be more careful about what they eat. Whatever public intervention is undertaken to address tobacco should also be taken with a grain of salt as this is a bigger challenge.” The returns to such interventions are manifold such as prevention of mortality, complications and prolongation of healthy years. The official said that processed food consumption is increasing due to lifestyle modifications and an instant craze for fast food is leading to ‘overconsumption’ resulting in complications such as mortality.

Children become addicted
According to experts, the industry is looking for new customers among children. “We need to break this down at different levels to reduce the NCD problem. We have more ultra-high density products that are available, resulting in children’s addiction due to easy availability and convenience. This, we we need to address it through people like you (physicians),” said Dr Rajan Ravichandran, Professor of Practice at IIT Madras and Chairman of the Sapiens Health Foundation, highlighting the importance of labeling and legal guidelines on “salt/sodium content in foods”. packaged, a key area of ​​focus for all actors involved”.