You may have heard the suggestion to reduce salt, sugar, and fat consumption. Usually, this is associated with the fact that excessive consumption of salt, sugar, and fat can be a risk factor for various non contagious diseases. However, what is the exact limit on the consumption of salt, sugar, and fat? Does this recommendation only for people with hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease?
Sugar
The recommended upper limit for sugar consumption is 50 g (4 tablespoons) per person per day. Consuming too much sugar that exceeds the recommended limit can have an impact on weight gain. If you consume too much sugar for a long time, your blood sugar levels can increase and cause type 2 diabetes. Indirectly, it also contributes to the onset of diseases such as osteoporosis, heart disease, and cancer.
Keep in mind, that the sugar we consume does not only come from cane sugar, palm sugar, and corn sugar that we consume from food and drinks. Sugar is also found in other foods that contain simple carbohydrates such as flour, bread, and soy sauce; sweet fruit, juices, soft drinks, and other sweet foods and drinks.
Salt
The recommended upper limit for salt consumption is 2000 mg (1 teaspoon) per person per day. The content of salt (NaCl) in food causes a salty taste. Excessive sodium consumption will affect health, especially increased blood pressure. High blood pressure is also known as hypertension. Keep in mind, that hypertension is a risk factor for various cardiovascular diseases, such as heart disease, blockage of blood flow, and stroke.
To balance your salt intake, it is also recommended to consume foods that contain potassium. This is because eating more potassium rich foods can help lowering blood pressure. Some examples of foods that contain potassium are raisins, potatoes, bananas, nuts, and yogurt.
Fats
The recommended upper limit for fat/oil consumption is 67 g (5 tablespoons) per person per day. Excessive consumption of fat/oil will increase cholesterol levels in the blood. Cholesterol levels in blood that exceed the normal threshold (160-200 mg/dl) can lead to heart disease and even heart attacks. The risk of developing heart disease can increase if it is accompanied with smoking habits, high blood pressure, as well as diabetes, and obesity.
This can be prevented if people adopt a low-fat diet. Consumption of fats and oils in the daily diet is recommended for no more than 25% of our energy needs because consuming excess fat can result in reduced consumption of other foods. This is because fat stays in the digestive system relatively longer than protein and carbohydrates, so fat causes a longer feeling of fullness.
It should be understood that these recommendations are recommendations given to people in good health condition. In fact, this recommendation is the upper limit of what we can consume daily. Ideally, our consumption of salt, sugar, and fat is half of the upper limit. So, the ideal consumption of salt is 1000 mg (1/2 teaspoon), the ideal consumption of sugar is 25 g (2 tablespoons)), and the ideal consumption of fat/oil is 35 g (2.5 tablespoons). If you have signs of hypertension, diabetes, or heart disease, of course, the upper limit and the ideal amount of salt, sugar, and fat consumption will be different.
Come on, let's try to consume the ideal amount of salt, sugar, and fat consumption every day! Fitie is ready to assist you in maintaining your own health and those people around you by presenting various information about diet and a healthy lifestyle. For more complete information, don’t forget to read our other articles!