Young people in Taiwan eat too much salt, with young men and women consuming 1.9 and 1.7 times their respective daily recommended sodium intake, the Bureau of Health Promotion said yesterday.
Studies have shown that high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, heart disease, strokes, stomach cancer and respiratory problems are all related to the consumption of too much salt.
The Department of Health recommends an adult should consume no more than 2,400mg of sodium, or 6g of salt, per day.
However, the bureau’s latest statistics showed that men between the ages of 19 and 30 consumed an average of 4,599mg of sodium per day, or 319mg more than the average from 15 years ago.
Women in the same age category were also consuming more sodium, eating on average 4,096mg of sodium per day — less than their male counterparts, but 1,296mg more than 15 years ago
Middle-aged men and women consumed less sodium, with men in the 31-to-64 age group consuming 4,572mg each day and women 3,349mg, the data showed.
The study showed that for both men and women, the biggest sources of sodium were salt, soy sauce and other condiments used during meals. Other sources of sodium include processed food, such as pickled or fermented vegetables, canned goods, smoked meat products, instant noodles and artificially flavored food and beverages.
Bureau director-general Chiou Shu-ti (邱淑媞) said that in general, eating one bowl or packet of instant noodles provided more than half the recommended daily intake, while drinking a 200 milliliter cup of soup could well take up one-fourth of the recommended daily amount.
Many people also eat snacks such as dried beef or pork, of which 100g could contain up to one-third the recommended daily sodium intake, she said.
Despite the high amounts of sodium contained in many foods, the bureau said that a survey conducted last year showed that as much as 60 percent of the public did not pay attention to the nutritional facts on food product packaging.
The bureau said that when eating out, people should not add too much sauce to their food and avoid ordering food that is pickled, smoked or slow-cooked in sauce. When shopping for cooking ingredients, one should avoid artificially processed or preserved foods such as sausages, smoked ham, pickled vegetables and various types of fish paste used in hot pots. Instead, choose fresh produce to keep sodium consumption to a minimum.
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