Don't Consume Too Much Salt

Mamalette, do you know that too much salt is bad for children?

Yes, while salt is known to be bad for adults, even during childhood, high consumption of salt has an effect on blood pressure and can predispose children to such diseases as hypertension, osteoporosis, asthma and other respiratory diseases, obesity and stomach cancer.

The WHO has warned both the food processing industry and parents to reduce the amount of salt that their children consume.

WHO also urged parents and children to "escape sneaky salt" by eating more meals prepared with fresh ingredients at home.

Children are especially vulnerable to advertising and marketing and at the same time are developing eating habits that will have a strong impact on their dietary patterns as adults.

"Most of us are not even aware how much salt we're eating," said Dr Branka Legetic, WHO adviser on non-communicable diseases.

 

"That's because most of the salt we consume is hidden in processed foods. One part of the solution is for the food-processing industry to reduce salt in its products. Another part of the solution is to use less salt in cooking and to make sure kids eat more fresh foods prepared at home."

But the fact that children and adolescents are at a formative stage also presents an opportunity.

"Saltiness is an acquired preference, so it's possible - and from a health standpoint critical - for parents to take steps to keep children from developing a taste for salt early on," said Legetic.

 

"If parents involve their kids in preparing meals at home, that will help even more to establish good dietary habits for life."

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