A teaspoon less of salt, sugar and oil
“A teaspoon less of salt, sugar and oil — that’s the Indian Medical Association’s mantra for tackling lifestyle diseases”. This title reminded me of the video “Salt, Sugar and Oil: What You Need to Know” by Michael Klaper, M.D. There are two significant reasons why we should control our Salt, Sugar and Oil intake.
Reason 1 – New age life threatening lifestyle diseases like obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease is linked back to excessive eating of salt, sugar and oil.
Reason 2 – Salt, sugar and oil leads to food addiction. The more we eat, the more we want, also called “Pleasure Trap”.
All about Salt
Salt or sodium chloride is an essential mineral to life. Sodium is essential to control the body fluid, maintains electrolyte balance, and is an integral part of nerve and muscle function. But consuming too much salt constricts blood vessels, which is dangerous because this makes heart to work extra hard. It also increases the risk of heart disease, heart failure, stroke, and kidney disease. Edema is another side effect of excess salt intake. A high salt intake can cause calcium losses through the urine, which can increase the risk of osteoporosis. A high salt diet during childhood could increase the risk of stomach cancer by damaging the stomach lining and increasing the growth of the bacteria Helicobacter pylori, asthma by increasing bronchial reactivity and kidney disease by increasing protein urea.
Teaspoon less of Salt:
If you intend to add salt to your food, add it at the table and not while cooking
Never add extra salt to your snacks and chats
Replace salt wherever possible with lemon juice other salt-free seasonings and flavored vinegars
All about Sugar
The scary thing about sugar is that, it’s difficult to weed it out from us, It’s addictive and toxic…. like a drug. In addition to causing increase in obesity, diabetes and heart disease, sugar causes mood swings, fatigue, headaches, sagging skin, gum disease and tooth decay.
Teaspoon less of Sugar:
Ditch sugar in tea and coffee
Opt for sugar free snacks like popcorn
Use natural substitutes of sugar (Do not recommend artificial sweeteners)
Cross check food labels when you buy processed food
“A teaspoon less of salt, sugar and oil — that’s the Indian Medical Association’s mantra for tackling lifestyle diseases”
All about Oil
Everyone agrees, too much oil is bad. In addition to spiking life style diseases oils can also contribute towards allergies. Research says that oils and fats can also contribute towards bad body odor. Oily foods can also cause kidney stones. Memory and cognition impairment, edema and water retention, migraine and other types of headaches are also the side effects of excess oil consumption.
Teaspoon less of Oil:
Use measuring spoons while taking out oil to prevent excess usage
Use broth, water or balsamic vinegar for sautéing
Say no to deep fries and instead opt for grills, boils and air frying
Let us move towards “A teaspoon less of salt, sugar and oil” for better health
