August 04,2024
Ever since childhood, one thing we have all been taught about is the detriments of excessive consumption of sugar. From candies and chocolates to cookies and flavoured beverages – the consistent efforts to control sugar intake have existed for as long as we can remember. However, the consumption of salt – the most widely used ingredient across the world – is another story. While a majority of us are aware of the pros and cons of excessive sodium intake, there is a lack of a consistent effort to address and implement it in our daily lives. Several studies have reported that excessive consumption of sodium leads to an array of detrimental health issues, from high body mass index (BMI) and obesity, to hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and high blood pressure, alongside increased chances of heart diseases and stroke– all of which could massively impact the quality of life, thereby warranting attention towards stricter measures to lower sodium intake – right from childhood.
While the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends an intake of 5g salt/day, the average salt consumption in India stands at around 11g/day – which is over double the recommended intake. Although the recent guidelines updated by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) particularly mention ‘restrict salt intake’, its implementation across all walks of life remains rather doubtful without adequate intervention – particularly at an individual level. That being said, it is imperative to ensure that robust efforts are in place to maximise the implementation of such guidelines, especially among children and the youth, who are at the forefront of a healthier future.
As much as India’s diversity is celebrated both globally and domestically, the diversity represented through the myriad cuisines India offers is one of the greatest challenges concerning their nutritional value/consumption. Research indicates that the three major sources of sodium in India are homecooked meals (contributing to 80 per cent of our dietary sodium), followed by street foods/food prepared in restaurants and packaged foods. Owing to the varied preparations of meals across cuisines, sodium intake also varies massively – in Assam, Kashmir, and Ladakh, for instance, salt is often added to their teas, making up for significant consumption of their sodium intake.
The recent Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), suggests that Indians residing in urban regions have spent more on beverages and processed food than on cereals since 2011-12, while in rural India, expenditure on processed foods and beverages have gone up from nearly 8 per cent in 2011-12 to nearly 10 per cent in 2022-23, despite an overall drop in food spending relative to monthly consumption expenditure.
Owing to the affordability and accessibility of such packaged/processed foods across the country, dietary salt intake among Indians continues to reach new heights. While the ingredient is a predominant agent in increasing blood pressure and other cardiovascular diseases in adults, the origins often begin in childhood, thereby further increasing the urgency to deploy effective measures to raise awareness regarding lower salt intake.
While fundamental nutrition schemes such as the Universal Salt Iodization Program (providing fortified salt – with both iodine and iron to address anaemia), the Mid-Day Meal scheme, and the Public Distribution System have made significant strides in ensuring adequate nutritional intake among Indians (specifically children), a multifaceted approach is crucial to effectively alter behavioural patterns and encourage healthy dietary habits.
Currently, while we have data on the percentage of the population that uses iodized salt within India (over 94 per cent of the population uses iodized salt, as per NFHS 5), a central comprehensive database is paramount to facilitate the process of formalising effective strategies, generated basis the evidence on dietary salt intake, knowledge, and attitude.
At the ground level, mass media campaigns providing strategies to reduce the use of salt in homecooked meals and raise general awareness about the adequate consumption of sodium may result in substantial changes in attitudes and behaviours among citizens – particularly those residing in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities and rural areas.
Additionally, research indicates that an increased potassium intake substantially reduces blood pressure in adults, while in children, increasing the consumption of potassium helps in reducing blood pressure to a certain extent. Hence, community engagement programmes are vital to not only educate but also encourage communities and families to reduce sodium intake while increasing the consumption of potassium-rich foods such as beans, peas, nuts, leafy vegetables, and fruits like bananas, papayas, and dates could alleviate the incidence of high blood pressure and coronary heart diseases, and cardiovascular diseases.
Source: Healthworld