Zoe Ziegler
High School Writing
February 5, 2025
Salt is indispensable for the taste of meals and is included in all forms of food. Even food that does not taste of salt, such as white bread, contains it to some extent, making it easy to take too much without knowing it. The overconsumption of salt among Japanese people has been a significant problem for decades in Japan. While Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare (2019) recommends less than 7.5 grams of salt per day for men and less than 6.5 grams of salt per day for women, the average salt intake of Japanese men and women per day in 2023 was 10.7 grams and 9.1 grams, respectively (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, 2024). Moreover, the World Health Organization (2023) sets even stricter goals, suggesting “a salt intake of less than 5 grams” per person daily. This is less than a typical Japanese dinner meal—salted salmon, kinpira burdock, miso soup, pickled plums, and rice—which contains 5-6 grams of salt in total (The Nisshin OilliO Group, Ltd., 2023).
The excessive intake of salt is a critical issue, as it is detrimental for people’s health. Salt is mainly composed of sodium, which is a substance strongly associated with hypertension. According to Action on Salt (n.d.), “[A] high salt diet disrupts the natural sodium balance in the body. This causes the body to retain water, which increases the pressure of the pushing of blood against the vessel walls.” Hypertension is deleterious to people’s bodies and has the possibility of leading to arteriosclerosis, heart attacks, heart disease, strokes, etc. (Alabama Department of Public Health, 2021). These symptoms have the potential to be fatal, and some are in fact the leading factors of death in Japan (Statista, 2024).
A large proportion of people who overconsume salt are unaware of how much salt they eat and do not consider the problem as serious as it actually is (Schutte & Neal, 2024). Therefore, the first step that should be taken is to disseminate information about salt, including the average intake, the salt content in products, and its dangers to health. To accomplish this, the government should make elementary schools, junior high schools, and high schools give lessons about it in health education classes. Furthermore, it will be vital to continuously give those lectures to make students commit the content to memory, since most people’s minds are incapable of remembering something they learned once.
Another measure the government can take is to legislate the amount of salt companies can use per portion. There are a considerable number of restaurants that serve meals with harmful amounts of salt. For example, at Ootoya, a popular Japanese chain restaurant, the “karaage with sweet and spicy sauce” meal consists of 6.7 grams of salt (Ootoya, n.d.), which is more than the ideal daily salt intake for women. Forcing companies to use less salt will likely help reduce salt intake among Japanese people since many people often eat meals at restaurants.
Restricting companies’ use of salt and disseminating information about salt both encourage people to consume it in a healthier way. However, these do not solve the problem at a fundamental level, and in order to do so, it is essential for individuals to make an effort as well. One effective step is to keep away from eating processed food, such as sausages, cup noodles, already-made meals, and supermarket bread. Moreover, avoiding going to restaurants, using less salt and seasoning when cooking, and checking the nutrition label when buying food are beneficial. Although it would be ideal if people could adhere to this low-sodium diet, the reality is that it is difficult for many people to do so because the taste of it is often bland and boring. It could be unbearable for some, because most people are attuned to salty tastes. The one fact unknown to most people who never start a low-sodium diet or quit it in an early stage for this reason is that their tongues are likely to gradually adapt to the reduced-salt meals. Several studies suggest that restricting salt for 4 weeks to 5 months will help people’s tongues adapt to low-sodium food, enabling them to enjoy those foods more than before (Engelman, 1982; European Society of Cardiology, 2022; Cattaneo et al., 2023). Although the preference towards salty food will remain, the cravings towards it will be relieved, and it will be easier to maintain a healthy diet (European Society of Cardiology, 2022). It is true that the first few weeks will presumably be stressful. However, since it is likely that the stress will diminish over time, it is strongly recommended to stick to a reduced-salt diet for a few weeks as a start.
The overconsumption of salt among Japanese people is a grave problem, as it has a high risk of leading to health issues. To encourage people to take less salt, the government should require schools to regularly give lectures about salt and restrict the amount of salt companies can use. However, completely relying on government efforts is insufficient, and individuals should do their utmost to stick to a low-sodium diet as well. Since having an appropriate relationship with salt is inevitable to live a healthy life, immediate actions must be taken to solve this problem.
Word count: 899
References
Action on Salt. (n.d.). Salt and Blood Pressure. Action on Salt. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
Alabama Department of Public Health. (2021, May 13). Consequences of High Blood Pressure. Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH). Retrieved January 22, 2025..
Cattaneo, C., Mambrini, S. P., Gilardini, L., Scacchi, M., Pagliarini, E., & Bertoli, S. (2023, August 25). Impact of 4-week of a restricted Mediterranean diet on taste perception, anthropometric, and blood parameters in subjects with severe obesity. PubMed. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
Engelman, K. (1982, December). Long-term reduction in dietary sodium alters the taste of salt. PubMed. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
European Society of Cardiology. (2022, May 22). Taste buds can adapt to low salt diet. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. (2019, December). Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese (2020). Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese (2020). Retrieved January 22, 2025.
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. (2024). Reiwa 5 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
The Nisshin OilliO Group, Ltd. (2023, July 11). Sirazu sirazu no uchini enbun wo torisugiteimasenka? [You might be consuming too much salt without knowing it]. The Nisshin OilliO online shop. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
Ootoya. (n.d.). Menyuu no goannai [Menu information]. Ootoya. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
Schutte, A., & Neal, B. (2024, January 29). This salt alternative could help reduce blood pressure. So why are so few people using it? The Conversation. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
Statista. (2024, December 18). Japan: number of death by leading cause. Statista. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
World Health Organization. (2023, September 14). Sodium reduction. World Health Organization (WHO). Retrieved January 22, 2025.