How much salt do we need - Recommended daily salt intake

 How much salt do we need - Recommended daily salt intake

Our bodies need salt to survive. Sodium, a major component of salt, can raise blood pressure by causing the body to retain fluid, which leads to a greater burden on the heart.recommendation for sodium intake is less than 2,300 mg/day for adults. This equals about one teaspoon of table salt. 

The American Heart Association recommends eating less than 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day. 

The average healthy person needs only about 1,200 – 1,500 milligrams (mg) of sodium per day. Those diagnosed with high blood pressure or at risk for high blood pressure should limit sodium consumption to 1,500 mg/day. 

Almost 80% of the sodium we eat comes from processed, packaged and restaurant foods. Consider that almost anything you buy at the supermarket that comes in a bag, a can, a box, a bottle, etc. mostly likely has salt in it. These items all add up. If we eat meals from restaurants, the amount of salt we get quickly adds up even more.We know that eating less salt can help to reduce High blood pressure or hypertension which  is a risk factor for heart disease and stroke.

Recommended maximum salt intakes

Age	Maximum Salt Intake
0-6 months	<1g / day
6-12 months	1g / day
1-3 years	2g / day
4-6 years	3g / day
7-10 years	5g / day
11 years and above	6g / day

source:http://www.worldactiononsalt.com/less/how/index.html#sthash.XCC9qCW3.dpuf

Even though we seem to like the taste of salt in our foods, the good news is that we can get used to the taste of less salt and may not even notice if we try and make small, gradual changes. 

So Please restrict your use of salt to not more then a tsp a day, also check food labels and menus carefully.