In Brazil, the low-sodium food trend is all the rage.
At one time, Brazil was known as the world’s most frugal nation, but with a population of 1.2 billion, the country’s population is set to grow by 10 million people over the next three decades, according to a report released by the International Food Policy Research Institute.
It’s a lot of mouths to feed.
Brazil’s national health ministry estimates that the country could see the number of deaths related to excess salt consumption rise by 80 percent over the course of the next decade, according the Associated Press.
According to the report, a quarter of Brazilians currently consume between 0.6 and 1.0 grams of salt per day, while an estimated one-fifth of adults and three-fifths of children do so.
As of last month, more than 2.3 billion people were consuming more than 1.5 grams of sodium a day, according government data.
The average American consumes about 0.7 grams of food a day.
This is the kind of trend that is expected to continue in Brazil, as it is the world leader in the use of low-carbohydrate foods, which have been shown to be linked to lower mortality rates and lower morbidity rates, the AP reported.
Branco de Moraes, a professor at the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, says the country has become a model for low-calorie diets.
“Brazilians have taken up a lot to reduce their salt intake,” he told the AP.
“[We] have adopted a lot healthier eating habits, which are good for people’s health and are also very good for the environment.”
While some Brazilians may prefer the more traditional dishes of fajitas and meatballs, the rest of Brazil is eating a lot more low-fat, high-salt, low-glycemic foods.
These include chicken parmesan, roasted and fried cabbage, grilled meatballs and rice.
Even if you’re not a fan of fried food, you’ll be more than happy to eat more rice in Brazil than you would in most of the U.S., where most Americans still don’t eat rice at all, according FoodNavigator.com.
Despite the growing interest in salt, many experts still say that the trend is only going to get worse.
“The population in Brazil is rapidly aging, and the country is becoming more vulnerable to the effects of salt stress,” said Dr. David Weinstock, a nutritionist at Johns Hopkins University.
So if you are one of those people who thinks that low-SLCOAs and low-fiber foods are the answer to your health issues, you might want to reconsider.
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