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NDTV
17-05-2025
- Health
- NDTV
World Hypertension Day 2025: How Sodium Sneaks Into Everyday Indian Food - And How To Reduce Its Content
Every year on 17th May, World Hypertension Day raises awareness about a silent, deadly threat that affects millions globally: high blood pressure. In India, where food is as much about emotion as it is about nutrition, the role of sodium in our daily meals is under increasing scrutiny. As we observe World Hypertension Day 2025, it's time to shine a light on how sodium subtly but steadily makes its way into our diets- and what we can do to manage it. Also Read: 5 Everyday Foods That May Help Manage High Blood Pressure What Is Hypertension? Hypertension, or high blood pressure, occurs when the force of blood against the walls of your arteries is consistently too high. Over time, this excess pressure can damage your blood vessels and vital organs, increasing the risk of heart disease, stroke, and kidney problems. Often called the "silent killer," hypertension usually presents no symptoms until significant damage has already been done. Why Is Excessive Sodium Bad for Health? One of the key dietary factors linked to hypertension is excessive sodium intake. Sodium, primarily consumed through salt, plays a vital role in fluid balance and nerve function. However, too much of it causes the body to retain water, increasing blood volume and, consequently, blood pressure. The World Health Organization recommends no more than 5 grams of salt per day (about 2,000 mg of sodium), but many Indians consume far more often without even realising it. This excess sodium intake, sustained over time, contributes not only to hypertension but also to increased risk of stroke, heart failure, and osteoporosis. How Sodium Sneaks Into Everyday Indian Meals We spoke with Dr. Anuja Agarwala, a former dietitian at AIIMS and vice president of the Indian Dietetic Association, who shared her insights on the stealthy presence of sodium in our daily diets. "For many people, reducing sodium intake simply means using less salt while cooking. But that alone isn't enough," says Dr. Agarwala. "Restaurant meals and packaged foods often contain surprisingly high levels of sodium, and it's easy to overlook the extra salt we habitually add while eating." From savoury snacks like bhujia and namkeen to seemingly innocent pickles and papads, sodium is omnipresent. Processed foods such as bread, biscuits, sauces, and ready-to-eat mixes can carry hefty sodium loads. Even our beloved street foods and festive dishes are often sodium-heavy, thanks to seasonings, preservatives, and garnishes. Also Read: Top 10 Natural Foods to Control High Blood Pressure A low sodium diet can help manage hypertension. The Right Way to Reduce Sodium and Prevent Hypertension So how can we reduce sodium intake without sacrificing flavour- especially in Indian cooking, which thrives on bold, complex tastes? "Reducing salt at home doesn't mean compromising on flavour - especially when Indian cooking already offers a rich toolkit," Dr. Agarwala explains. "With the wide variety of spices, herbs, and traditional seasonings we use every day, it's possible to create deeply flavourful meals that rely less on sodium." Here are some smart strategies she recommends: Leverage natural souring agents: Lemon juice and tomatoes add brightness and depth, enhancing dishes like dals, sabzis, and curries without extra salt. Tap into umami: Ingredients rich in glutamates (like tomatoes) provide a natural savoury taste. A small amount of monosodium glutamate (MSG) - a low-sodium seasoning - can be used to add umami without the sodium spike. Rethink your salt habit: Avoid sprinkling extra salt on cooked food. If your dish is already well-seasoned, additional salt isn't necessary. Read food labels: Especially for processed or packaged items, keep an eye out for hidden sodium sources like baking soda, sodium benzoate, or disodium inosinate. Reducing sodium isn't just a dietary adjustment- it's a long-term investment in your heart and overall health. On this World Hypertension Day, take a moment to evaluate your salt habits and discover how Indian cuisine's vast flavour palette can help you eat better and feel better. Because health doesn't have to come at the cost of taste. Sometimes, all it takes is a dash of awareness. Advertisement Comments About Neha Grover Love for reading roused her writing instincts. Neha is guilty of having a deep-set fixation with anything caffeinated. When she is not pouring out her nest of thoughts onto the screen, you can see her reading while sipping on coffee. For the latest food news, health tips and recipes, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and YouTube. Tags: Hypertension Blood Pressure Sodium Show full article Comments
Time of India
05-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
A billion dollar idea born out of 'gut feeling'
It was a year of fascinating discoveries and never before experiences. One of these was walking through brightly lit supermarket alleys. Not in the daytime but at 1 AM in the wee hours. I was astounded to find a neon lit full fledged supermarket, not a convenience store, open for twenty four hours --buzzing like it was 1 pm in the afternoon. Peering not just at the quality but at the size of some of the fruits and vegetables. Besides their size, they seemed so fresh that they were almost smiling. Moved around looking for plain and simple yogurt. Found the dairy area. Still searching for yogurt. Came across packs and packs of small cream coloured bottles. Could not quite figure out if these bottles filled with some kind of liquid were just this country's version of lassi or something else. Asked a colleague at work the next day. Learnt that this was a unique probiotic drink created to treat digestive disorders that were rampant post the second world war. That was Tokyo in 2004 and those bottles were of a brand called Yakult . For the first time I came across terms like Lactobacilli. By 2025 , Yakult has become a global brand , available across forty countries. Circle back to India in 2025. A 2023 figure from a study done by the Indian Dietetic Association indicates that 7 in 10 urban Indians experience digestive issues. Rewinding back to 2017. A day spent marvelling walking amongst terraced rice fields . Then imbibing the impact of strolling around streets lined with beautiful structures that seem to be from another era . Colourful, ornate and made with unique natural materials like teakwood, bamboo and coconut stone . Searching for some refreshing coconut water amidst these coconut stones to revitalise after an entire day of walking , we came across a local outlet crowded like a bar during happy hours in the evening. Everyone was being served some locally brewed liquid. We asked what it was. They answered that this is a local form of ginger tea . After a few sips of this unique tasting, we asked them what it was called. The answer was Kombucha . Another fermented probiotic drink- this time from Indonesia. Come 2025 and this beverage has gone global and become a billion dollar plus category with a CAGR expected to be in the late teens till 2030. A few years ago at one spring festival event, I noticed a large can of a red coloured drink being served as a welcome drink to everyone entering. Walking past thinking that this was just another kind of party punch with excess red wine or a red liqueur. Was offered a chance to partake with an explanation that it is actually non-alcoholic and a cooling traditional summer drink. It tasted of carrots, beetroots and spices. Was told that this is specially prepared Kanji . A cooling drink that was certainly not a party punch but packed a nutritional punch by being rich in probiotics and having the goodness of vegetables and spices. As summer temperatures start climbing across India, there has always been a focus on growth in carbonated beverages and sugar laden ice creams. But given the increasing awareness of probiotics that has taken Yakult global and the realisation of the benefits of drinks that combine cooling with the goodness of fermentation like Kombucha there may be a huge opportunity for India's local fermented probiotic drinks to become beverages of choice for beating the summer heat. And not just Kanji. There is a whole range of probiotic rich cooling drinks in India that can become ideal beverages for summer helping not just to combat the heat but also improve gut health . There is Ambil which combines the goodness of ragi millets with buttermilk. Then, there is Koozhu, another nutritious and beneficial summertime drink. Like that in every region there may be nutritious, cooling and probiotic drinks made of natural ingredients that may be waiting to be discovered and to be popularised. There could also be a whole host of lost recipes waiting to be revived which could ignite this Indian probiotic cooling beverages category. Even leftover rice, a common occurrence in many households, can be fermented overnight and converted into a cooling , nutritious , probiotic rich drink or meal. In parts of India it is actually called Panta Bhaat . Huge potential to move from sugary fruit juices with nutritional qualities stripped off to cold pressed, spiced and super fermented Panta Bhaat. Imagine sachets of Panta Bhaat being available at the local grocery store or as a breakfast option to start the day at a local tea stall followed by a hot cup of tea. Panta Pouch or Panta Punch -anyone? Brands like MAVI's are already trying to drive this transition by offering artisanal black carrot kanji . Another startup has fermented ginger and launched a probiotic organic brand called Ginger Nova. Moving away from the sugary lassi, Milky Mist a dairy innovator has launched a unique long life probiotic buttermilk. During our school days we used to look forward to the short break where we could go and grab a chilled bottle of flavoured milk. Now instead of giving children flavoured milk with sugar imagine giving them probiotic buttermilk with no sugar and perhaps spiced with some ginger. This summer and for the summers ahead it will be great to shift the conversation from carbonated beverages, processed juices and ice creams to indigenous probiotic enriched natural cooling beverages that not only keep one cool but also improve gut health. My gut feel is that these gut enhancing drinks can also go global with time just like Kombucha . Perhaps it is time for the world to say Haanji to Kanji. (The author is a consumer marketing and financial services professional who has observed the changing and emerging landscape of marketing through living and working in Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, UAE and Vietnam, besides always observing India outside in. He is the business director, cards and payments at VP Bank - FE Credit, based in Vietnam. He is also the author of the bestselling book 'Marketing Chronicles.' The views expressed are personal. )
