A while ago, in the post of "Evil Bento Side Dishes", spicy preserved vegetables and spicy bamboo shoots were on the list as expected. Why do you say it's not surprising? Because pickled vegetables are not only convenient to make and preserve, but their salty taste can also increase appetite. Therefore, these two pickled vegetables are not only a regular addition to bento dishes, but also a classic accompaniment to porridge (their saltiness paired with the porridge will make you want to eat more bowls!).

However, the high sodium content of pickled vegetables has hidden dangers to human health. Recent studies have comprehensively analyzed past research data and pointed out that reducing sodium intake in the diet can help lower blood pressure.

, you have eaten famous delicacies from all over the world, and if you want to try a few meals and see what the common people are eating, here are some common bento side dishes introduced in Taiwan, China, that you need to know first... If you find it difficult... Posted by Ye Mingxuan on ?Monday, March 8, 2021

Pickling is to process food raw materials through pickling materials such as salt or sugar, so that they can penetrate into the food tissue to increase its osmotic pressure, reduce water activity, inhibit microbial activity, and achieve Ways to prevent food spoilage. In ancient times when there was no freezing technology, how to store the precious grain produced with hard work was an important factor for the survival of ancient people. Food that can be preserved for a long time can also be used as emergency food when drought and other natural disasters come. Among them, pickling is one of the most primitive food preservation methods.

In addition to preserving food, pickled food has been spread to modern times and has become a cooking method that breaks seasonal restrictions. Many foods are usually seasonal, but when vegetables or other ingredients are processed, they can be enjoyed year-round. In modern society, pickled foods have become an important part of adding flavor to food because of their unique taste (such as sausages that could only be eaten in winter in ancient times). Why does eating too much salty food cause high blood pressure?

Although pickling food is the wisdom of ancient people in preserving food, its problems are also very obvious. In order to extend the shelf life of pickled foods, a large amount of salt is used, so the sodium content is very high. Taking the information provided by the Food and Drug Administration as an example, every 100 grams of dried radish contains an average of 3279 mg of sodium, which is close to the 3545 mg of fried sauce (soy sauce is 4997 mg).

Salt is an indispensable seasoning in the diet, making the food in our mouth more flavorful. Moreover, the sodium in salt is also an indispensable element for the human body and needs to be taken in every day. Insufficient sodium intake may lead to electrolyte imbalance in the body, leading to problems such as cramps, muscle weakness, drowsiness, and even coma in severe cases. "Pickling" is the wisdom of ancient people to preserve food for a long time, but its high sodium content brings health concerns. Pixabay

However, too much is not enough, and too much sodium intake can also be harmful to your health. When there is too much sodium in the human body, it will promote water retention in the blood, causing the heart to work harder to maintain blood flow, leading to increased blood pressure. Over time, it can also harden blood vessels. Over time, it will increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as myocardial infarction, heart disease and stroke.

You cannot avoid eating salt completely. Eating too much can cause high blood pressure. So how much is the right amount? According to general dietary standards around the world, a healthy adult's daily salt intake should be less than 6,000 mg, or 6 grams (of which sodium content accounts for 40%, about 2,400 mg). The Ministry of Health and Welfare recommends that adults should consume less than 800 milligrams of sodium per meal, so the amount of dried radish served as a side dish for lunch should be less than 25 grams (sodium content is 819 milligrams), otherwise the sodium content will exceed the standard!

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that the per capita sodium intake should not exceed 5,000 mg per day2. WHO also recommends reducing dietary sodium intake to prevent and control hypertension2. Consider that sodium intake is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, particularly stroke, heart disease, and myocardial infarction. Tracking cases using "dose-response meta-analysis"

Recently, a research team used "dose-response meta-***ysis" to understand the impact of sodium intake on blood pressure , and analyze related factors1.

What is a dose-response integration analysis? It is a new analysis method in this decade. It is mainly used in the integrated analysis of observational research data.

For example, if we want to know whether drinking coffee during pregnancy will cause premature birth. Due to ethical considerations, this type of research problem usually cannot design a randomized control group, so it can only use previously existing research data or case results to conduct an integrated analysis.

In addition, subjects usually cannot remember exactly how many cups of coffee they drank, so the amount they drank is not a precise amount like in ordinary experiments, but is calculated using a "range", such as zero to Three cups, four to six cups, seven or more cups, etc. Moreover, the scope set by each research institute is often not exactly the same.

Dose-response integrated analysis is to use the results of different research reports to calculate the relationship between the amount of coffee consumed (that is, the dose) and the risk of premature birth (that is, the response). Based on ethical considerations, "dose-response integrated analysis" can only study the intake of specific ingredients from previously available research data or case results. Therefore, the intake is not as precise as in general tests, but is calculated using a "range". Pexels

In this study, researchers conducted a comprehensive literature search on databases such as PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRA, and found 85 trials that studied the relationship between sodium intake and blood pressure reduction. A dose-response analysis was conducted on these 85 studies. In these studies, sodium intake ranged from 400 to 7600 mg per day; follow-up times ranged from 4 weeks to 36 months; 65 participants had hypertension, 9 had mild hypertension, and 11 had normotensives. These trials examine the impact of changes in dietary sodium intake on blood pressure values ??by measuring subjects' systolic and diastolic blood pressure at the beginning and end of treatment1.