A nutritionist has warned people not to let dietary habits formed during the Lunar New Year holiday stop them from paying attention to their health.
Liao Mei-yu (廖美俞), a nutritionist at the Yumin Hospital in Nantou County’s Caotun Township (草屯), said the recommended daily salt intake for healthy adults is 5g, and people with kidney diseases or high blood pressure are advised to consume no more than that.
“Feasts may be inevitable when we gather with our families and friends during the holiday, but we almost never notice the amount of salt that goes down our throats,” Liao said.
Excessive consumption of sodium can result in high blood pressure, arterial stiffness or even strokes, Liao added.
She warned that there are a number of high-sodium foods popular during the holidays that do not taste salty, such as sausages, bacon, dried radish strips and preserved vegetables.
“A 100g serving of sausages contains about 947mg of sodium, which is equivalent to 2.4g of salt, while 100g of bacon has about 841mg of sodium, or 2.1g of salt,” Liao said.
The sodium levels in pickled products are even more alarming, with 100g of dried radish strips and preserved vegetables containing 3,279mg and 7,890mg of sodium respectively, or about 8.2g and 19.7g of salt,” she said.
Liao also advised people to beware of fried turnip cakes, boiled chicken or pork slices with soy sauce, as a 30cc serving could contain as much as 5g of salt.
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