Yet, this is not all: salt also helps retention of water in our body which causes a swelling at the ankles and helps gaining weight. Salt adds to the deterioration of the bones, making them thinner, which rushes osteoporosis. It is very dangerous to kidneys and adds to the risk of stomach cancer.

Having in mind all the above-mentioned drawbacks of a salty diet, we should start thinking seriously of how much salt we eat every day and of course make a decision towards reducing the amount of salt in our food. The problem is not all the salt we ingest comes from adding it to the food we cook. The rest comes from processed food, food that we eat at the canteen or restaurant, bread, which is a quite big source of salt. So it is not enough to stop adding salt to home-made meals. We must also read labels and avoid foods that contain an important amount of salt.

Some people find it difficult to change their diet in a jiffy. It sounds so discouraging mostly because our taste buds are used to salty foods and as soon as we reduce salt no food will taste good again. The truth is the buds will get used to less salt in about three weeks and those who are ready to try the experience will soon feel good again by eating less salty or completely unsalted food. It’s just a matter of time, courage and determination.

We can make our food tastier by using spices and other flavourings instead of salt (lemon juice, vinegar, white wine, cider, garlic, ginger, etc.). They will make the food taste less bland.