Salt has occupied a premier position in human society for centuries. But research has now linked the king of seasonings to① high blood pressure and its potentially fatal consequences： heart and kidney disease and stroke. High blood pressure， one of the most widespread serious diseases， usually produces no symptoms until permanent organ damage results in chronic illness② or death. It is practically nonexistent in cultures where little or no salt is added to food.
But how much salt does a person need every day？ On the whole③， the lowest bodily requirement for sodium is about 220 milligrams a day—the amount in a tenth of a teaspoon of salt. Actually， 1100 to 3300 milligrams a day， or an average of one rounded teaspoon of salt， is considered safe for most healthy adults. For youngsters the recommended limit is much lower. It’s reported that④ infants consume enough sodium to equal an adult dose of 18 grams of salt a day， and toddlers get the equivalent of 25 grams.
Newborn babies pull faces⑤ when given something salty to taste， and an infant’s appetite is certainly not reduced if no salt is added. But young children soon acquire a taste for salt， because of its concentration in their diet. Salt appetite is determined by early dietary habits and has no relationship to⑥ salt need.
Challenge your salt habit and reduce harmful amounts of salt in your diet， and you will have a healthful living.
① link…to…把……与……联系起来
② chronic illness慢性病
③ on the whole总的来看；大体上
④ It is reported that…据报导
⑤ pull faces做怪相
⑥ have no relationship to与……无关
征服咸食习惯
若干世纪以来，盐始终在人类社会中占据着重要的位置。但是业已进行的研究却将这佐料之王与高血压及其潜在的致命后果——心脏病、肾病和中风——联系在一起。其中高血压是发病率最高、危害最严重的一种疾病。此病在使人体发生器质性病变而染上痼疾或瘁死之前通常没有什么症状。实际上，在食盐甚少的文化中此病实际上是不存在的。
一个人每天需要多少盐呢？总的来说，人体一天中对钠的最低需求量是大约220毫克——合一茶匙的十分之一。实际上，日进食1100—3300毫克钠，或者说一茶匙盐，对大多数健康成年人来说是安全的。就少年而言，钠的摄取量要低得多。据报导，婴儿每天消耗的钠相当于一个成人每天食用18克盐，而初学走路的孩子则要消耗相当于25克盐中的含钠量。
给新生儿品尝咸味，会使他们做怪相。不给婴儿的食物加盐，他们的食欲也决不会因此而降低。但是，小孩却很快就会有食咸味的要求，这是因为他们的饮食中含有盐份的缘故。咸胃口是由人们早期的饮食习惯决定的，与人体对盐的需求无关。
向咸食习惯挑战，降低饮食中有害身体的过量的盐分，你得到的将是健康的人生。