Delicious looking ramen. But do you know how much salt it contains?
This month, the government set a new numerical target for diet and lifestyle for health promotion, and the daily salt intake was set at "less than 1 grams."
What is the value and what should be devised in the diet?
We asked nutrition experts in detail.
(By the way, the standard salt content of ramen when drinking up to the juice is 7 grams per cup.)
"Numerical targets" include vegetables, salt, and sleep time
We started with the story of ramen, but we will introduce the whole diet and lifestyle.
In order to promote the health of the people, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare reviews the Basic Plan called "Health Japan 21" about every 10 years and sets numerical targets for ideas and numerical targets for diet, lifestyle, and other factors. Recently, new numerical targets for the next fiscal year have been finalized.
The following are the specific figures.
The first is the intake of vegetables and fruits.
It means that vegetable and fruit intake is associated with lower mortality from stroke and heart disease.
The target daily intake was set as follows this time.
▽ Vegetables Current 1 grams→ 281 grams (up about 350 grams) ▽ Fruits Current 70 grams→ 99 grams (about twice the current amount)
On top of that, ▽ The percentage of people who eat a combination of staple foods, main dishes,
and side dishes "at least twice a day" almost every day is " 200%".
Also, as I mentioned at the beginning, what is the intake of "salt" that leads to high blood pressure?
Salt Current 10.1 grams → The goal is to reduce it to less than
7 grams.
As for "sleep time," "it has been found that lack affects mortality rates."
On top of that, the government aims to increase the percentage of "sufficient sleep time" to 7 to 20 hours for those aged 59 to 6 and 9 to 60 hours for those aged 6 and over, with the aim of increasing the percentage of such people to 8% or more.
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) hopes that each prefecture will promote concrete initiatives to maintain the health of its citizens.
Why are there "numerical targets"?
The purpose of the government's numerical targets for diet and lifestyle habits is to extend healthy life expectancy.
Unlike average life expectancy, "healthy life expectancy" indicates the period of time during which a healthy social life can be led without receiving nursing care, and is calculated based on the basic survey of national life conducted by the government.
"Average life expectancy" (as of 2019) is as follows.
Male 81.41 years old Female 87.45 years
old
, while "healthy life expectancy" (as of 2019) is as follows.
Male 72.68 years (8.73 years shorter than average life expectancy) Female 75.38 years (12.07 years shorter than average life expectancy)
As the aging of the population is expected to continue in the future, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has set numerical targets based on various indicators with the goal of increasing the rate of increase in "healthy life expectancy" exceeding the increase in "average life expectancy," that is, extending the time that people can live healthy lives without receiving nursing care as much as possible.
Other numerical values "meal", "number of steps", and "smoking" are
In addition to the "vegetables and fruits" and "sleep time" introduced above, the following numerical targets have also been set.
【People who eat a well-balanced diet】
What is the percentage of people who eat a combination of staple foods, main dishes, and side dishes" almost every day at least twice a day?
Current status 1.2% → Target value 37%
[Number of steps in daily life]
The average number of steps per day is set at 7 steps for those up to 50 years old and 1 steps for those over 64 years old.
【Smoking rate】
And the percentage of people who smoke, the "smoking rate".
Current 16.7% → Target 12%
Usual meals, where to pay attention?
Some of the targets seem to be achievable, while others seem to be quite strict.
We asked Professor Katsushi Yuda of the Faculty of Human Life Sciences at Osaka Metropolitan University, who specializes in nutrition, what should be paid attention to in terms of diet.
First of all, Professor Yuda says that "by eating three meals a day without fail, you can efficiently obtain the necessary nutrients in a well-balanced manner."
At that time, it is important to check whether it contains ▼ "staple foods" (rice, noodles, bread, etc.) ▼ "main dishes" (fish, meat, eggs,
etc.)
▼ side dishes
such as salads and seasonings.
On top of that, adding fruits and yogurt to each meal will make it a more balanced meal.
What are the tips for "low salt"?
Next, I asked about the point about "salinity".
▼ "Make soup such as miso soup one cup a day"
This seems to reduce the salt content of about 1.1 grams.
▼ "Ramen and udon noodles leave soup and dashi"
It means that you do not need to take about 1 ~ 5.2 grams of salt.
▼ "Refrain from 2 small plate of pickles" This means that you can reduce the salt by 5 ~ 1 grams, but if you eat it, it is better to use "light pickles"
with relatively low salt content for the same amount.
What do you keep in mind when cooking?
As for the key points when cooking, Professor Yuda pointed out the use of "seasonings".
If you use the same amount, the amount of salt is lower in the order of "soy sauce over salt, miso over soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce over miso", so it is important to be conscious of using them properly.
On top of that
, it is said that salt can be reduced by sprinkling lemon instead of soy sauce on "vinegar things" and
▼ "grilled fish" that can be seasoned with less salt, and ▼ miso soup can be suppressed by adding plenty of vegetables and
other ingredients.
It means that you can use "low-salt products" that have been approved by academic societies.
Also, according to Professor Yuda, the guideline for the salt content of the main foods we eat every day is as follows.
▼ Small mackerel opening 1 piece 1.2 grams ▼ 1 cup of miso soup 1.5 grams ▼ 1 serving of curry rice 3.3 grams ▼ Nigiri sushi (including soy sauce) 1 serving 5 grams ▼ Ramen that came out even at the beginning ▼ It is said that one cup of ramen can be as much as 1 grams
including soup.
"Eating out that is difficult to adjust" What to be careful of
In addition, there are precautions when eating out.
When
eating out, ▼ Since each prefecture is making efforts to certify restaurants that offer low-salt meals and well-balanced meals, it is a good idea to use such a system to select a restaurant,
and ▼ use lunch boxes and side dishes that take into account salt reduction.
Professor Yuda points out that "Japan people's diets are said to be nutritionally balanced, but the high salt content is a drawback.
On the other hand, people who have medical control over their diet due to chronic diseases should follow the guidance of their doctors.
How do you achieve "350 grams of vegetables" and "200 grams of fruits"?
In addition, regarding the government's new numerical target of 1 grams of vegetables per day, which is about 70 grams more than the current level, he said, "As a guide, 350 grams of vegetables is about the size of a small bowl.
Regarding the target intake of 70 grams of fruit, he says, "Roughly speaking, I imagine eating about two fruits a day.
Finally, when asked about the key to maintaining a well-balanced diet, he said, "Basically, there is nothing you can't eat, and if you can only eat noodles when you are busy, for example, I would like you to think about balancing your meals in the following days."
The people of the city
When I talk to people of all ages in the city, they seem to be careful about their usual meals.
An 80-year-old woman said,
"I try to eat with vinegar without salt because my blood pressure rises when I take salt.
A man in his 60s said, "When I was young, I couldn't do without salt, but as I gradually got older and stopped moving,
I was worried that my body would become tight when I took salt and my blood pressure rose. My body has changed so much that I think the soup in the set meal is too salty."
A 42-year-old woman said,
"I try to avoid retort foods with a lot of additives. However, I am concerned about the salt content, but there are times when I inevitably add it while watching the taste of the food."
A 21-year-old man said,
"Since I live alone, I am conscious of the balance of my diet so as not to gain weight when I cook for myself, and I try to eat vegetables and refrain from taking salt. I think it's one of the pleasures, so the ramen soup is delicious and I end up drinking it."
Experts
Professor Emeritus Ichiro Tsuji of Tohoku University Graduate School, who specializes in public health, who has been involved in Health Japan 21 since its formulation, said the following about this review.
"In 2040, all of the so-called baby boomer generation will be over 65 years old, and as the population ages, it is important for each and every one of us to become healthier, and I think that the role of health promotion will increase in order to maintain and improve socioeconomic vitality. I want you to think about how to live a healthy life,"
he said, adding that disparities in individual health are widening due to economic reasons.
"It is necessary to create a social environment in which each and every one of us can be healthy through comprehensive efforts by the national and local governments, industry, and various organizations."