Common salt is 98-100% Sodium Chloride. Our body needs only small amounts of Sodium to function properly. The WHO (World Health Organization) recommends a dietary salt intake of less than 5g per day due to its high Sodium content.
In the average Filipino diet, our salt intake goes up to as much as 10-15g per
day. Our use of condiments like toyo, patis and bagoong adds even more to our
Sodium intake. This leads to higher risks of developing high blood pressure,
heart disease, stroke, stomach cancer, osteoporosis and kidney disease, among
others.
You may wish to refer to The Salt Solution, Salt, Diet & Health,
Salt Matters –consumer guides for further information on the
harms of common salt.