Filipino cuisine uses a wide range of healthy and nutritious ingredients, however most pinoy dishes use generous amounts of salt, soy sauce, fish sauce, or bagoong to achieve full flavor. In addition to this, Pinoys also love salty dipping sauces or sawsawan. Unfortunately, the flavor that brings the yum in Filipino dishes may be a key ingredient that is putting people’s heart and health at risk.
That’s because too much salt leads to excessive sodium intake, which has been linked to many illnesses such as heart diseases, stroke, and kidney diseases. In fact, Filipinos’ average salt consumption per day is 11 grams (4,263 milligrams of sodium). This is more than the recommended 5 grams of salt (or less than 2,000 milligrams of sodium) daily by the World Health Organization (WHO).
To help address the issue, Ajinomoto Philippines Corporation (APC) Group recently launched its BawAsin or Bawasan ang Asin campaign, an effort that encourages consumers to reduce their sodium intake without sacrificing the deliciousness of their meals.
