The 29thof August is national “More herbs, less salt” day! You might be thinking what on earth is this about and why are we so bothered about it, but it really is a great reminder about our salt usage and how to cut down!!
Why is salt bad?
One of the main reasons why too much salt in your diet is bad for you is because it leads to water retention. This water retention leads to bloating but more importantly it raises your blood pressure. Once your blood pressure is raised this then puts more strain on your heart, arteries, kidney and even the brain. If this is then sustained, over time it increases your risk of heart disease, strokes and kidney disease. This is basically due to the damage it does to the vessels that supply the kidney, heart and most importantly your brain.
How can you solve this?
One of the most important things to remember is that our salt intake isn’t just what we sprinkle on our food at the table. Unfortunately, salt is hidden in almost everything! Don’t get me wrong, we do need some salt in our diets, 6g a day in fact. However, most of us are having more like 8.6g a day and the worst part is 75% of this comes from foods we pop in our shopping baskets and not from the salt mill in our kitchen cupboard.
More Herbs, Less Salt
One of the best ways to minimise our salt intake is to reduce the amount of processed foods we eat. Things like
pasta sauce jars, condiments and ready meals will be packed with salt that you won’t know about. On top of this they all tend to have a lot more sugar than the homemade stuff we make. Limiting the number of takeaways and the food we eat out will also be a great improvement on salt intake.
Finally leading back to the title…. more herbs, less salt. Swap out salt and start bringing in more herbs to increase flavour in your dishes. There are also many herbs and spices that also most additional health benefits. For example, adding things like paprika and cumin to cooking are great anti-inflammatory foods. Here’s a list of some of the herbs and spices you can use that also contain some great health benefits:
- Sage– Improves brain function and memory! Often recommended for patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s .
- Peppermint –Is a well know herbal remedy to help aid digestion and ease nausea. This is a great one during a stomach bug and for those that suffer from IBS. I
- Tumeric– Although this is a spice we just can’t leave it out. Tumeric is an excellent natural anti-inflammatory and an absolute must for anyone suffering with chronic musculoskeletal pain
- Garlic– Excellent for respiration and heart health. These health benefits are due to a compound called allicin. There are studies that show this compound can be effective in lowering blood pressure and decreasing LDL cholesterol by 10-15%. It is also seen as beneficial for reducing the length of time for cold symptoms.
- Rosemary– Not only delicious, rosemary is also extremely benficial in reducing nasal congestion by reducing the number of immune cells in nasal mucus. This means its great for combatting hayfever reactions.
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Many herbs are also extremely rich in antioxidants. This means they absorb oxygen and fight off free radicals that can cause severe diseases. One of these herbs is thyme, another is garlic. All in all reducing salt in the diet is extremely beneficial for your health and by replacing it with more herbs in your cooking, not only are you improving the flavour, you will reap the benefits through your health. So….. more herbs, less salt!
You can find out much more information around these topics in our clinic director Andy Green’s book. If you haven’t looked then we’d would love you to read it!
Get your copy of One Body One Life: Don’t Screw it Up HERE!
If you want to find more about different ways you can improve your health, then please don’t hesitate to chat to one of our practitioners, or even better book yourself in for a free 15 minute spinal check in the centre.
