Recommended daily intake of salt It is well known that excessive salt intake increases the risk of high blood pressure, and for infants and young children, their kidneys, liver and other organs are still immature, so excessive salt intake will increase the burden on the kidneys. Therefore, the recommended amount of salt is different for different age groups. According to the dietary guidelines for Chinese residents, it is recommended that within 6 months of age, the daily salt intake should be less than 0.4g, mostly from breast milk or formula; 7~24 months of age, the daily salt intake should be 0.9g~1.8g; 2~4 years of age, the daily salt intake should be less than 3g; 4~7 years of age, the daily salt intake should be less than 4g; 7~65 years of age, the daily salt intake should be less than 6g; more than 65 years of age, the daily salt intake should be less than 5g. Salt intake does not only mean the amount of salt added, but also the hidden salt in food? Some parents think, “When I cook, can I just add salt according to the recommended amount of salt listed above? Even if you follow the recommended amount, your child’s daily salt intake may still be excessive. That’s what we’re going to talk about here. Don’t ignore the hidden salt in food. Although it is not salt, some foods are high in salt, which is especially easy for parents to overlook! For example, some condiments (per 100g of chicken essence, containing 47.92g of salt; per 100g of monosodium glutamate, containing 20.73g of salt; as well as soy sauce, soy sauce, soy sauce, etc.), meat and fish (per 100g of luncheon meat, containing 1.34g of salt; per 100g of dried abalone, containing 5.88g of salt, etc.), snacks (per 100g of licorice apricot, containing 6.54g of salt; per per 100g of salt crackers, salt content 1.77g, potato chips, salt content 1.29g, etc.). Therefore, when controlling your child’s daily salt intake, you should also consider the salt content of condiments and foods. If it doesn’t taste salty, it doesn’t have salt? This is a big mistake! It is not the case that if it is not salty, it is not salty. Some foods are high in salt, but because they are mixed with other things such as sugar to mask the salty flavor, such as a small piece of cake, soda crackers, noodles, etc. Slightly uncontrolled, salt intake may be excessive. Therefore, whether it is food for adults or for children, it is important to look at the food ingredients when purchasing. In the recipe of food, we can often see the amount of sodium, how can we convert it to salt? Remember this conversion: 1g salt = 400mg sodium and 1g sodium = 2.5g salt. When buying food, always look at the ingredient list! Common misconceptions about salt! Myth 1: If you don’t eat salt your child’s body will be soft and affect walking! Answer: Walking early or late has to do with development, not salt. If the doctor diagnoses low muscle tone or muscle strength, it has even less to do with salt. Myth 2: If you don’t eat salt, you won’t be able to meet the iodine demand, and you’ll be prone to neck disease! Answer: The appropriate intake of iodine for babies 0~6 months old is 85μg/d, 7~12 months old 115μg/d, and the recommended intake of iodine for 1~3 years old is 90μg/d. When the mother’s iodine intake is sufficient, the iodine content of breastmilk can be up to 100~150μg/L, which can satisfy the needs of babies up to the age of 12 months. babies older than 6 months start to get part of their iodine from complementary foods or food. Myth 3: The weather is hot, drink some salt water! Answer: As the weather temperature rises, babies often sweat, and some parents think that they need to give their babies some salt water to replenish sodium and avoid electrolyte disorders. It has been proved that there is no need for additional salt supplementation unless it is very hot weather or in a high intensity, high temperature operating conditions. Myth 4: Sea salt is better than processed salt! Solution: Salt is salt, no matter where it comes from! To summarize, complementary foods should be kept light in taste; keep the recommended amount of salt in mind; be alert to the salt content in food; and look at the ingredients and ingredient list when purchasing food! Complementary foods should be kept light in flavor. Light-flavored foods are good for improving babies’ acceptance of different natural food flavors and reducing the risk of partiality and picky eating. Not only should complementary foods be light in flavor, but family diets should also follow this philosophy!