You probably eat far more salt than you think
The average Indian eats about 8 grams of salt a day, well over the 5 grams the WHO advises. Most of it doesn't come from the salt shaker.
Ask anyone how much salt they eat and they will say "normal". A national survey by the Indian Council of Medical Research, published in 2023, measured it properly with urine tests. The average adult eats about 8 grams a day, and men eat more than women. The World Health Organization advises less than 5 grams, about one level teaspoon, and that counts everything: what is already in your food, not just what you add.
Too much salt raises blood pressure, and high blood pressure is one of the biggest causes of heart attack, stroke and kidney disease in India. Most people who have it feel perfectly well, which is why it goes unnoticed for years.
What surprises most families is where the salt comes from. Often it isn't the dal or the sabzi. It is the achaar on the side, papad, namkeen, chutneys, bread, biscuits, instant noodles, ketchup, cheese, packet soups and the masala on chips. A single spoon of mango pickle can use up a large part of a day's limit on its own.
Cutting down without noticing - Take the pickle jar and the salt off the dining table. You will use less if you have to get up for it. - Add salt towards the end of cooking. You taste it more and need less. - Use lemon, amchur, garlic, black pepper, jeera and fresh herbs for flavour. - Check the label on packaged food. Sodium multiplied by 2.5 gives you roughly the salt. - Your taste adjusts. After three or four weeks of eating less, your old favourites will taste too salty. - Have your blood pressure checked once a year after 30, even if you feel fine.
Where this comes from - Mathur P et al. Estimation of dietary salt intake in India, from the ICMR National NCD Monitoring Survey. Published 2023. - World Health Organization. Guideline: Sodium intake for adults and children.
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