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The Low Salt Movement – Part I

June 6, 2017 By Julie Weatherhead Leave a Comment

Do you love going out for restaurant meals?

Do you suffer later from a reaction to heavily salted foods?

We really love going out to enjoy someone else’s cooking but we often suffer a reaction from the excessive salt used in the dishes. We can’t sleep, our heart rate is elevated, we are very thirsty and our mouths are dry, so we toss and turn for much of the night. Our reaction to MSG (Monosodium glutamate) is even worse and we have to avoid any dishes and sauces that contain it.

Recently, we learned that we’re not alone in our plight.

One of the best parts of holding our events here at Peppermint Ridge is meeting so many interesting people. We chat about many things and one conversation at the native foods cooing school we held on June 2 has prompted me to write about this topic.

The chat led us to discover that we aren’t the only ones who have an adverse reaction to restaurant meals containing excessive salt. We discovered that others in the class were having exactly the same reaction!

So we thought that we’d take this discussion online: Are there others feeling the same?

Let’s start a ‘low salt’ movement and advocate for healthier salt use at restaurants!

But first, a little about salt…

Salt is a chemical compound made up of sodium and chlorine. It’s been used in food preparation for thousands of years, for flavour and to help preserve foods.

Too much sodium from salt in the diet has been linked with increased blood pressure and hypertension, and is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, including stroke and heart attack. The Australian Heart Foundation recommends consuming only 5g (5,000mg) of salt per day (1 teaspoon) and states that:

“75 per cent of our salt intake comes from packaged and processed foods we eat every day, like bread, breakfast cereals, processed meats, cheese, sauces and spreads.”

I would then add restaurant and fast food outlet meals to that list.

Studies in Australia, the UK and the US have shown that children and adults are consuming 9 gm of salt per day from all of the combined foods which is nearly double the recommended level of 5 gm.

Do you actually know how much salt you’re consuming?

People often have no idea of how much salt they are actually consuming from all of the foods they eat in a day.

A study by The George Institute for Global Health revealed from the diets of 400 people in Lithgow for World Hypertension Day on May 17 that the people consumed 9gms of salt per day but believed they consumed less – 6.8gms. These figures are disturbingly high and shows that most of us could be unaware of how much salt we are eating and which dishes are high in salt. (Caulfield Glen Eira Leader May 30 2017 caufieldleader.com.au).

We have no idea of how much salt is in the dishes we are consuming from restaurants and fast food outlets. A US study showed that high end restaurant meals actually have more salt in them that cheaper meals from fast food outlets!

Next week, we’ll post about salt use by chefs and our suggestions for healthier alternatives. Stay tuned.

But for now, join the discussion on Facebook: do you have an adverse reaction to heavily salted foods at restaurants?

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: healthy eating, low salt movement

About Julie Weatherhead

Julie is a native food plant specialist. She has over 20 years experience in growing and cooking with Australia's unique edible plants. Her research has focused particularly on the nutritional, environmental and culinary properties of these foods. Julie is and ecologist and environmental scientist and also a keen gardener and cook who enjoys incorporating the delicious flavours of Australia's native foods into culinary delights for the table.

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The Low Salt Movement – Part II »

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HIGHLIGHTING

  • Native Pantry Cooking School Saturday May 14 2022 $160.00 (incl. GST)
  • Tour and Taste Event Sunday June 5 2022 $110.00 – $120.00 (incl. GST)
  • Tour and Taste Event Sunday July 10 2022 $110.00 (incl. GST)

NEWS FROM THE FARM

  • We have limited quantities of freshly picked finger limes available-200g and 500g. PURCHASE HERE!
  • The nursery now stocks a wide range of advanced native food plants including sexed mountain peppers, strawberry gum, lemon myrtle, finger lime and anise myrtle!
  • We provide a complete native food garden design service for schools, early learning centres and community groups. We can assist with plant selection and garden design, through to supply and delivery of plants from our nursery. Our interpretive signs provide valuable information about the plants, adding to the educational value of the gardens.
  • Peppermint Ridge Farm is proud to support the Kat Muscat Fellowship. The fellowship provides funding  support to a young writer or editor. https://expressmedia.org.au/programs/the-kat-muscat-fellowship/
  • Check out this article from Broadsheet https://www.broadsheet.com.au/melbourne/travel/article/bookmark-eight-lesser-known-wonders-gippsland

 

GIFT VOUCHERS

Our gift vouchers are a popular choice if you are looking for a different experience for a friend or loved one. The vouchers can be used for our regular tour and taste lunches, Native Pantry cooking classes, to purchase native food plants from the nursery, native food spices and teas or our book, Australian Native Food Harvest.

Contact us to arrange gift vouchers.

Australian Native Food Harvest by Julie Weatherhead
Australian Native Food Harvest: a guide for the passionate cook and gardener. Purchase online now!

PRESENTATIONS ON NATIVE BUSHFOODS

Our presentations to libraries and community groups provide an opportunity to learn more about Australia’s wonderful native food plants:

  • history of native food plants
  • plants that grow best in your garden
  • growing and propagating native food plants
  • culinary uses

We also attend a number of field days, garden expos and festivals across Victoria.

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Peppermint Ridge Farm acknowledges the Kulin Nation of peoples as the first inhabitants and the traditional custodians of this land where we live, learn and work.

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