What is sodium? Why is sodium a silent killer to watch out for?

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Now everyone knows that ” salty ” or ” sodium ”  is bad. Eating salty food will make you fat and cause kidney damage. But if you ask, Why are these things bad for the body? Maybe few people know.

Today, Sanook Health has book information. “Totally adjust your lifestyle” from Phyathai Hospital for you. Let’s see why. Therefore, our body does not need excessive amounts of sodium.

What is sodium? Why is sodium a silent killer to watch out for?

What is sodium?

Sodium is a mineral that is essential to the body. Its function is to control fluid balance. Treat blood pressure Helps the nervous system and muscles function normally. including the absorption of certain nutrients

Generally, we get sodium from food in the form of table salt and fish sauce, which are salty. Thais consume an average of 7 grams of salt per day, which is more than the recommended amount (2,000 milligrams).

The role of sodium in the body

The role of sodium in the body is to maintain the amount of water Helps to send electrical current along the nerves normally. It also helps in contracting and relaxing muscles. This means that sodium itself is beneficial to the body as well. A lack of sodium will cause this system to not work properly. and ultimately have a negative effect on the body

Controlling the amount of sodium in the body is the duty of the “kidneys” . If there is too little Our kidneys conserve sodium by reabsorbing water from the ทางเข้า ufabet https://ufabet999.app urine. And when there is too much sodium in the body It will be excreted through the urine as well.

The problem comes from here! Because in the case where the body is unable to completely eliminate sodium There will be a backlog. The body still has to store this excess sodium. It will cause water to be automatically drawn into the body. to maintain fluid balance This is a natural mechanism of the body.

The result is that there will be too much fluid circulating in the body. Blood pressure rises The heart is working hard. Our body will adjust to make our blood vessels thicker and harder. Important organs that have blood vessels supplying them will also be affected, such as the heart, brain, kidneys, etc.

There will be many diseases and illnesses that will follow. both high blood pressure and chronic kidney failure, only these 2 diseases must be treated for life. It is still not considered to be the source of many other diseases.

For this reason So sodium is the silent killer.  Because most of the time, we often don’t realize that we are getting more sodium than our body needs each day. If you don’t think before eating and eat according to habit

So how can we prevent it?

Having said that, in reality, we can almost avoid sodium in our daily lives. Because it’s in almost every food. as we eat But the amount will be more or less depending on the type of food. which is something we can choose

What foods are high in sodium?

If comparing natural foods together Meats such as beef, pork, and chicken are higher in sodium than foods such as vegetables, fruits, grains, and dried beans. Including fish meat As for processed food or food that has been preserved using various methods They are all foods that are high in sodium, such as canned food, pickles, salted meat, fermented fish, etc.

That cannot be overlooked. “Condiments” because most people accidentally add heavy seasonings to make it more delicious. But forget that it’s loaded with scary amounts of sodium.

Whether it’s salt, fish sauce, seasoning sauces such as soy sauce, soybean paste, oyster sauce, Budu sauce, shrimp paste, fermented fish, fermented fish, fermented bean curd. As for seasoning sauces that are not salty, such as ketchup, chili sauce, or sauces that have a sour or sweet taste, they may contain a certain amount of sodium. not a lot But there is quite a bit. However, you must be careful not to eat too much.

However, sodium is not only found in salty foods. Various desserts that have baking powder added also have a high sodium content, such as cakes, cookies, pancakes, and bread, because the baking powder used in making desserts contains sodium as an ingredient. Including the flour used for making desserts, it also contains sodium.

You will see that these foods are often familiar in everyday life. We eat it often until we get used to the saltiness. But from personal experience If you try to abstain from salty things a few weeks Our taste buds will get used to bland food. and do not crave spicy food or salty taste at all

In addition to getting the true taste of the food The risk of high blood pressure and kidney failure is also reduced.