Weight Loss Tip-6 Eat Less Salt

Salt is a natural source of sodium for your body, it helps in electrolyte balance and maintenance of blood pressure. But are you aware that excess salt intake can also cause weight gain? Yes! You heard it right. It is mostly to do with the nutrition profile of foods with high salt. Most of the foods that are preserved and processed like pickles, chutneys, sauces, pizza, burger, fries, chips contain high amounts of sodium, as well as calories from fat to make them taste good. Eating such foods in excess leads to water retention, fat accumulation in the body and eventually causes weight gain.

Whereas, studies report that individuals who followed a low calorie and low sodium diet for nine weeks decreased their mean body weight by 4.5 kgs¹.

The recommended daily sodium intake for a healthy individual is not more than 2000mg per day, and it is further lower for people with diseases like hypertension, kidney and liver disorders. You will find it surprising that a pack of salted chips contains 510 mg of sodium; that's precisely the amount you will find in healthy balanced lunch or dinner. So before grabbing that pack of chips, remember your weight loss goal and choose a more nutritious snack with less salt.

To reduce the sodium intake in your diet, cut down on pickles, chutneys, processed and baked foods. You can manage to reduce your salt intake with ease using the Hint app. You will be able to track the sodium intake, find delicious recipes with low salt, and subsequently, make progress towards your weight loss goals.

REFERENCES:

1. Edgar R. Miller3rd, Thomas P. Erlinger, Deborah R. Young, Megan Jehn, Jeanne Charleston, Donna Rhodes, Sharmeel K. Wasan, and Lawrence J. Appell, Results of the Diet, Exercise, and Weight Loss Intervention Trial (DEW-IT) Oct 2002, Hypertension. 2002;40:612–618