YMCA Healthy Living Magazine, powered by n4 food and health SPRING 2019 | Page 4

ANIKA ROUF
Anika Rouf is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and PhD Candidate, researching social
media use to improve the eating habits of young adults. She is passionate about healthy
home cooking and working towards small sustainable behaviour changes. Follow Anika at
anikarouf.com and on Twitter: anika_rouf and Instagram: shenanigansofadietitian
UNDERSTANDING
SALT AND HOW
IT IMPACTS OUR
HEALTH
Dietitian and social media dynamo Anika Rouf gives us the
lowdown on salt and our health.
alt (sodium) is a natural
substance that is actually made
up of about 40% sodium and
60% chloride. Our body requires a small
dietary intake of salt, to maintain vital
bodily functions, like conduction of
nerve impulses, muscle contractions
and maintenance body fluids and
electrolytes. The estimated requirement
for sodium is 500mg per day – or about
1/8 of a teaspoon. Fortunately, salt
deficiency is not an issue in our food
supply, as many of the foods we eat
naturally contain small levels of sodium
and processed foods contain large
amounts of salt. However, we need to
be mindful of salt intake, as eating too
much can increase your risk of high
blood pressure, cardiovascular disease
and other chronic diseases.
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YMCA HEALTHY LIVING MAGAZINE SPRING 2019
Salt intake and recommendations: How do
Australians stack up?
In Australia, the recommendations for sodium intake were
last revised in 2017, and the suggested dietary target (SDT)
was determined as 2000mg (5g salt) per day for adults. This
is in line with the World Health Organisation’s (WHO)
recommendation to limit sodium intake to no more than 5g of
salt per day.
The current dietary intake in Australia and New Zealand is
about 3600mg or 9g per day – almost double the
recommended limit. It is estimated that 80% of the intake
comes from processed foods and only 20% is from salt used
at the table or in home cooking.
A recent systematic review published in the Medical Journal
of Australia found that on average, men eat 10.1g salt per
day, while women eat 7.34g per day. While there is no
nationally representative study of salt intake in Australia, it
is clear that Australians are eating far more salt than our
bodies need.