[Use and importance of salt in hospital nutrition]

Numerous studies report on strong correlation between salt intake and an increased risk of some diseases. Salt intake has long been known to influence blood pressure in patients with hypertension, increased risk of renal disease, cancer and obesity. Salt is an important spice because many foods without salt have unacceptable taste. The major problem arises from the fact that most salt derives from processed foods and reduction of salt content in these sources is necessary to reduce overall salt exposure. Dietitians and/or foodservice managers have professional responsibility to produce quantity food recipes that are reduced in sodium and acceptable to customers. The daily sodium content was assessed in the menus (12 different diets) served to patients at Dubrava University Hospital in Zagreb and Dr. Josip Bencević General Hospital in Slavonski Brod. The average sodium content in the menus served at these two institutions was 1925 mg/day and 1890 mg/day, respectively. The results indicate that there is sufficient substitute for salt, it is only important to change dietary habits. In conclusion, long-term health benefits will depend on the ability of patients to make long-lasting dietary changes, along with wider availability of lower-sodium foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables, which is consistent with the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, and to avoid foods with high salt content.