How To Enjoy Healthy Eating Without More Salt

Illustration. (Photo: Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The high consumption of salt is identified as the main cause of various health problems such as hypertension, heart disease, and stroke.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a maximum sodium intake limit of 2,000 milligrams of salt per day, but many countries report salt consumption often exceeding that limit.

A nutritionist and researcher on a healthy diet, Leony Susan, said that the use of monosodium glutamate (MSG) is now starting to be considered as an effective solution to enjoying healthy foods without excess salt.

"MSG has long been used as an increase in the taste of umami, which can increase the taste of food without adding much salt," Leony said in a press release in Jakarta, quoted from Antara, Sunday, November 3.

Leony Susan said that the problem of excessive salt intake is increasingly becoming a concern in modern society.

Many people do not realize that excess salt does not only come from salt which is added by themselves, but also from processed and ready-to-eat foods.

Therefore, reducing salt consumption is an important step to maintain long-term health.

According to Leony, MSG's umami taste allows people to reduce sodium intake without compromising the quality of food taste.

The use of MSG can reduce the need for salt in cooking by 30 to 40 percent because MSG contains only about 12 percent sodium, much less than table salt which contains 39 percent sodium.

"For example, when cooking soup, MSG can be used to replace some of the salt, so that the taste remains good with a lower sodium content," he said.

He further revealed that reducing sodium intake by using MSG is not only focused on taste, but also on health.

This step is very important, especially for individuals who are at risk of hypertension or heart problems.

In the long term, reducing salt intake with the help of MSG can provide significant health benefits.

Various studies have also shown that MSG is safe to use in reasonable quantities, and negative claims about MSGs such as Chinese restaurant syndrome have been denied by many scientific studies.

Leony added, MSG offers concrete solutions to help people enjoy food that remains delicious as well as healthier.

"Reducing salt does not mean having to sacrifice taste. With MSG, we can get a rich taste with less sodium. This is a smart step for long-term health," said Leony.