How to live without SALT| Mayura Amarkant’s tips to LIVE HEALTHY

The battle for a healthy life is just 1.5 inches and 1.36 kg!! Read on to find out how you can achieve good health.

Ever since I undertook my health transformation journey, people have been contacting me for details on the diet I follow. I have been telling them all that I eat healthy food.

 

However, when Mumbai Mirror featured me for following a NO SALT diet, I was flooded with questions from friends and well-wishers. 

• How do you live without salt?

• Have you stopped eating completely to lose weight?

• How do you manage with NO SALT in your food?

• What are the alternatives to NO SALT?

• Please share recipes with NO SALT!

 

Did you know its almost IMPOSSIBLE to avoid salt? Simply because there is so much HIDDEN SALT in our daily diet!

Before answering your questions let me tell you something about salt:

The role of salt is to add taste to food. Have you realised that whenever you bite into a “delicious” portion of your favourite food, you are actually tasting the salt before even tasting the food? Ask yourself, do you know the real taste of the food you consume? Most probably the answer would be NO.

Do you know that 75% of the food you consume has hidden salt or sugar? The biggest culprit is PROCESSED FOOD of all kinds – fast foods, instant/fried snacks, instant noodles, papads, store-bought pickles, instant soup, pastas, frozen foods, ready-to-eat meals etc.

Advantages of a NO SALT diet:

Here are 13 reasons You Need to Try a Low Sodium Diet:

1. Lower your blood pressure

2. Reduce your risk of heart attack

3. Lower your LDL cholesterol

4. Prevent congestive heart failure

5. Decrease your risk for kidney damage

6. Prevent a stroke

7. Reduce your risk of a brain aneurysm

8. Protect your vision

9. Reduce your risk of diabetes

10. Improve your memory

11. Reduce your risk of dementia

12. Less hardening and thickening of your arteries

13. Reduce bloating and swelling

Now, to answer your questions:

How do you live without salt?

Well, salt and sugar are acquired tastes. Paediatricians advise not to give salt and sugar to kids and even when you start giving, they say we should give it in moderation. Obviously, there is a reason for that.  It is not impossible to live without salt. Just as one got used to using salt, one needs to get used to using alternatives to salt.

Have you stopped eating completely to lose weight?

Firstly, it’s not about losing weight, it’s about maintaining good health. Salt is difficult to forsake since it is the main ingredient in all foods. However, using alternatives to salt is the way to move forward. Again – GOOD HEALTH AND NOT MERELY WEIGHTLOSS is the focus – WEIGHTLOSS IS THE BY-PRODUCT OF A FITNESS-DRIVEN LIFE

Most packaged foods like papads don’t feature the salt content making it very difficult for people to monitor their salt intake.

How do you manage with NO SALT in your food?

Well, hidden salt is very difficult to avoid. So, I avoid foods that are high in salt. I just cook without salt – if I am using sauces – they already salt – so no need to add extra in salt. Indian foods, I ensure I use alternatives to make the food palatable.

Hidden salt is the worst culprit and most difficult to fight.

What are the alternatives to NO SALT?

At home, I used alternatives like lime, Sendha Namak (rock salt) or Pink salt like Puro. Outside, I ask the chef to make food without salt and use lime to season it. I have found that if one chews food properly, automatically it starts tasting good – even without salt – that is the magic of nature gifted to us.

Remember, all food has to pass just 1.5 inches of your tongue after that it enters the body as a tasteless mush.

How do you even do it? How did you manage to leave salt?

Well, the battle for a healthy life is just 1.5 inches and 1.36 kg!! You need to defeat 1.5 inches of your tongue and train your brain (1.36kg) to do the right thing. Self-control, discipline and psyching yourself is the key to good health.

It’s up to you – how badly do you want to get healthy?

Disclaimer: I am not a health expert nor am I authorised to advise on your health issues. I am merely sharing my experiences here. Please contact your doctor or a registered health professional before you take any measures regarding your health transformation.

Do let me know your comments and experiences about your health & fitness journey. Did you like this post? Do send your views, would love to read!

Penned by:

Mayura Amarkant 

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