Every gram of salt is made up from 40 per cent sodium and 60 per cent chlorine and both play a vital part in keeping our bodies functioning. Salt plays a vital role in fluid balance, nerve transmission and muscle function. Salt is also important in culinary world as it is generally used to improve flavour. It is also used as food preservatives as bacteria cannot survive in a high saline environment.
每克食盐都是由40%的钠和60%的氯形成的。两者都对维持人体机能起着至关重要的作用。盐在维持身体液体平衡、神经传递和肌肉功能起着重要的作用。它在烹饪界扮演着调味的角色。它也被用作食品防腐剂，因为细菌无法在高盐环境中生存。
A diet high in salt can cause raised blood pressure, which can increase your risk of heart disease and stroke. High blood pressure often has no symptoms, and many people who have high blood pressure don’t know it. Regular health screening is important to check your current health condition, to know if there are any signs and symptoms of hypertension.
高盐饮食会导致血压升高，进而增加患上心脏病及中风的风险。高血压通常没有任何症状，以至于大多数患有高血压的人都不知道自己有高血压。定期的身体检查对我们来说是非常重要的，它不但可以让我们知道身体的健康状况，更可以让我们提早知晓是否患有高血压。
What should my salt intake be? / 我们的盐摄入量应该是多少？
An adult should not exceed salt intake of 5g/day. 5g of salt is approximately around 1 teaspoon of salt which contain 2g of sodium.
成人的盐摄入量不应超过每天5克。5克盐大约相等于1茶匙的盐，其中包含2克的钠。
1 teaspoon of salt = 5g of salt = 2g of sodium
(Guideline: Sodium Intake for Adults and Children, WHO 2012)
1茶匙盐 = 5克盐 = 2克钠
（指南：世卫组织2012年成人和儿童的钠摄入量）
However, Malaysians, on average consume 7.15g of salt (~3g of sodium) daily, two grams higher than the 5 grams recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO). A study also showed that 4 of 5 Malaysian are consuming salt more than the recommendation. This trend is worrisome as it may lead to hypertension and if left unchecked, it could cause stroke and heart disease.
然而，马来西亚人平均每天食用7.15克盐（约3克钠），这比世界卫生组织（WHO）所建议的每天5克盐多出2克。一项研究显示，5个马来西亚人中，就有4个人的盐摄入量超过了世界卫生组织所建议的摄入量。这种趋势令人担忧，因为它可能导致高血压。如果任其发展，它将会导致中风及心脏病。
Based on a study published by University of Minnesota School of Public Health, it was found that the main contributor of high sodium intake is from eating outside their homes; either in restaurant or fast food chains. People need to choose wisely when they eat outside and buying groceries, if they wish to control their salt intake.
根据University of Minnesota School of Public Health发表的一项研究报告，发现高钠摄入量的主要来源是在外用餐，无论在餐厅或是在快餐连锁店。如果我们要控制食盐的摄入量，我们应该在出外用餐时和购买食材方面做出明智的选择。
How much salt is there in my favourite food and necessary condiments?
我最喜欢的食物和必要的调味料中究竟有多少盐？
Most of foods are cooked with salt to enhance the flavour. Other than salt, food seasoning such as monosodium glutamate is also added to increase the flavour, thus adding the sodium amount in the food. It’s also used in food additives and as a preservative to extend shelf life, so even foods that don’t taste salty, like pastries, donuts and bread, can have a lot of it. Fast foods are undeniably high in sodium. A person can eat about 1,300mg of sodium in a single fast-food sitting, which is more than half of the upper recommended limit for the day.
大多数的食物都需要添加食盐来增加风味。除了食盐之外，我们还添加食品调味料如味精来增加食物的风味，进而增加了食物中的钠含量。盐也可用于食品添加剂中，并作为防腐剂来延长食物的保质期，因此，即使是不咸的食物如糕点、甜甜圈和面包也含有大量的盐。快餐食品的钠含量也很高。一个人吃一份快餐相等于吃上1300毫克的钠，这已经是每日建议的钠摄入量的上限。
These are some food and their sodium content:
以下是一些食物和它的钠含量：
*1 packet of instant noodle / 1包方便面 = 1500mg
*30g of cornflakes / 30克玉米片 = 1170mg
*1 piece of capati / 1片capati = 130mg
*1 cup of noodle (plain) / 1杯面条（普通） = 410mg
*10g of butter/margarine / 10克黄油/人造黄油 = 840mg
*85 g of ham / 85克火腿 = 1117mg
*2 tablespoon of salad dressing / 2汤匙沙拉酱 = 304mg
*1 slice of pizza / 1片披萨 = 765mg
*1 cheese burger / 1个芝士汉堡 = 1108mg
Your favourite condiments add to your salt intake as well. According to the Malaysian Dietary Guidelines 2010 (Ministry of Health Malaysia), one teaspoon of table salt is equivalent in sodium (2g of sodium) to:
您最喜欢的调味品也会增加您的食盐摄入量。根据2010年马来西亚饮食指南（马来西亚卫生部），一茶匙食盐（2克钠）相等于：
* 6 teaspoons of light soya sauce / 6茶匙淡酱油
* 6 1/2 teaspoons of oyster sauce or cencaluk / 6 1/2 茶匙蚝油或虾酱
* 8 teaspoons of budu / 8茶匙江鱼仔酱
* 15 teaspoons of thick soya sauce or chilli sauce / 15茶匙浓酱油或辣椒酱
* 21 teaspoons of tomato sauce / 21茶匙番茄酱
So, think twice before you buy and eat. It is the best for you to check and read the nutrition facts label if there’s any. Choose the one with lesser sodium content.
因此，在买和吃之前请三思。最好检查及仔细阅读营养成分标签，选择含钠量较低的食品。
