Almost everyone loves to eat cheese. It is the main ingredient in many types of foods. There are some people who love to eat cheese as it is. However, there is one aspect of cheese that most people do not realize, which could be rather damaging to their health: the salt content in cheese is too high. Most people do not take this into consideration.
Salt contains sodium, and consuming a hefty quantity of cheese can cause the sodium levels in your body to spike. Once the sodium levels spike, you may face various types of diseases. This is why you should limit your consumption of cheese or consider looking for lower salt content in cheese.
Types of Cheese with the Most Salt
Almost every type of cheese has salt in it, but there are a few types that are saltier than normal. Unfortunately, these are the most popular as well. Excessive consumption of these cheese types can cause various ailments. This is why it is important to limit the consumption of such cheese types. Two of the most popular cheese types that have a high salt content are blue and halloumi cheese.
There was a survey that involved scanning cheese available at supermarkets for high salt levels. Over 600 supermarket cheese brands were scanned, and they had high salt levels. If the cheese type is the same but of a different brand, however, the salt quantity could be different.
Effects of Excess Salt Consumption on Health
Salt contains sodium, and excessive sodium can be harmful to the health in many ways. The first and foremost problem that sodium can cause is high blood pressure. The worst part is that it does not end there. If you have constantly high blood pressure, you could suffer serious cardiac issues. There have been cases in which people get strokes and heart attacks because of high blood pressure. Kidney diseases are also a result of high levels of sodium in the body.
Daily Recommended Salt Intake
Most people do not realize that there is a recommended intake for salt. If you follow the daily recommended salt intake, you should face no problems. The recommended intake for salt on a daily basis is 6 grams. Any more than that and you are looking at high blood pressure and other diseases. This is why the salt content in cheese needs to be lowered. This will allow people to eat more of the food they love without having to suffer from these ailments.
Lowering Salt Content in Cheese
In an effort to get manufacturers to lower the salt levels, the government has issued targets to cheese manufacturers. These targets are meant to encourage cheese manufacturers to hold back on the amount of salt they use in cheese. This method has proved effective as many cheese types now have a lower salt quantity.
Whenever you are purchasing cheese, be sure to check the labels for the amount of salt per serving. This will help you keep check of your daily salt intake levels.
