Talk of the town：What is sodium？
【明報專訊】Do you consume instant noodles for breakfast? Or are you a big fan of instant noodles? Recent tests done by the Consumer Council on 19 different instant noodle samples from the market showed that eating the noodles and the soup together exceeds the recommended amount of sodium that adults should consume in a day. What is sodium? How much of it should we consume in a day?
Importance of sodium in our lives
Sodium is a chemical element represented by the symbol Na in the periodic table. In everyday life, when we refer to sodium, we usually mean sodium chloride, which is commonly known as table salt. The human body requires a small amount of sodium to conduct nerve impulses, contract and relax muscles, and maintain the proper balance of water and minerals. In our diet, sodium is commonly found in foods such as table salt, processed foods, canned soups, snacks, and condiments such as soy sauce and oyster sauce. It adds flavour to our meals and enhances the taste of food.
Excessive sodium intake
For a healthy diet, the World Health Organization(WHO) recommends that the daily intake of sodium of an average adult, should be less than 2000 mg (slightly less than 1 level teaspoon of salt). For children aged 2 to 15 years, WHO recommends adjusting the adult dose downward based on their energy requirements.
Consuming excessive amounts of sodium can have negative effects on our health, including increased risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and kidney problems.
The Centre for Food Safety has recommended several ways to reduce the dietary intake of sodium. The public is advised to make careful choices, pay attention to nutrition labels and choose food with lower sodium content. Besides, the public can also change their dietary habits by reducing the amount of salt or sodium-containing seasonings added to food. They can use natural ingredients (e.g. garlic, ginger, lemon/lime juice, parsley) to replace seasonings and sauce which are high in salt (e.g. shrimp paste, salted black bean, chicken powder, oyster sauce).
■Grammar booster
Pay attention to
To watch, listen to, or think about something or someone carefully or with interest.
E.g. Everyone should pay attention to the safety instructions.
■Game
(See the table)
1. What is the total amount of sodium intake if a person eats 500g of the food?
2. What is the recommended daily intake of sodium according to the World Health Organization for an average adult?
3. Has that person consumed an excessive amount of sodium?
(Answers on next text)
■Glossary
recommended (adj) 建議的
condiments (n) 調味料
flavour (n) 風味
kidney (n) 腎臟
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[Smarties' Power English 第405期]
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