factual Friday

I thought that I would create factual Friday. This will either be a single item while the facts about it or a list of facts that I thought you might find interesting. I like what I call crap fact, things that you can just come out with at dinner parties and such!

So here is the first factual Friday!!

SALT

why is salt so bad for us? we are told by the new food labels on packets how much salt is on the products and if its in the green zone or red zone - but do you actually know why it's so bad for us???

so here goes.............

Salt is a commonly occurring mineral, the technical name of which is sodium chloride. It is the sodium part of salt that is important. The body needs a certain amount of sodium to function properly.

Sodium helps to maintain the concentration of body fluids at correct levels. It also plays a central role in the transmission of electrical impulses in the nerves, and helps cells to take up nutrients.

In adults, when levels of sodium are too high, the body retains too much water and the volume of bodily fluids increases.

With high levels of fluid circulating through the brain there is a greater chance that weaknesses in the brain's blood vessels are exposed, and that they may burst, causing a stroke.

Similarly, a greater volume of fluid passing through the heart can place additional strain on the organ, increasing the possibility of coronary disease.

An adult will be able to remove salt from the body through the kidneys into the urine.

Experts estimate that if average consumption was cut to 6g a day it would prevent 70,000 heart attacks and strokes a year.

Reading food labels can be confusing as they often give the sodium, rather than the salt content of food. To calculate the amount of salt in a product, multiply the sodium content by two-and-a-half times.

So there we go - salt in a nutshell - happy eating!!

My question for this entry is what crap fact do you often tell???