Thais warned to reduce salt intake | Bangkok Post: news

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Thais warned to reduce salt intake

Thai people should reduce their consumption of salty foods for their own good health, according to the public health deputy permanent secretary.

Dr Sophon Mekthon was speaking at the launch of a campaign to enourage people to eat more healthily.

The health ministry is cooperating with the Thai Health Promotion Foundation, the Royal College of Physicians of Thailand (RCPT) and the network for consuming less salt.

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Your comments

  • Discussion 15 : 18 Oct 2012 at 21.1215

    Doesn't the Japanese diet have similar added ingredients? Fish sauce, soy sauce, salt, shrimp paste and oyster sauce. I've read they have one of the healthiest diets in the world. Maybe that's not true?

  • Discussion 14 : 17 Oct 2012 at 07.4114

    D10, Spiceman,
    You got it correct about exercise, I hope the public listen to you. I am 67 years old and never in my life had to control my diet. I have just completed my annual medical check up with everything normal for a person 10 years my junior. I put this down to regular exercise, it gets rid of the nasty stuff your body doesn't need, and you can feel that it does.

  • Discussion 13 : 17 Oct 2012 at 07.2213

    Khun Bop #12, I think you'll have a better luck banning Ya Bah than MSG. I believe consumers will have to vote with their Bahts whether they want MSG in their food or not.

  • bop

    Lao Peoples RepublicPost : 169

    Send message

    Discussion 12 : 17 Oct 2012 at 06.5312

    Simple solution: Ban MSG in food products.

  • Discussion 11 : 17 Oct 2012 at 06.4611

    Thailand, land of extremes. Over muk muk on salt and sugur too.

  • Discussion 10 : 17 Oct 2012 at 06.2210

    You guys seems to forget about daily exercise. Because of my addiction to fish sauce, ingrained in my Thai DNA, and living in cool climate, I have to exercise regularly, or my blood pressure will go through the roof. So, whatever food you eat, you can pretty much burn it out by doing regular exercise.

  • Discussion 9 : 17 Oct 2012 at 00.299

    Coca Cola, ice tea, etc. contain lots of sugar; it seems even double of what they contain in Europe.

    Even fruit juices given in Thai hospitals contain 25 % sugar.

    If you want sugar-free fruit juice, you have to buy the one imported from South-Africa (Ceres brand).

  • Discussion 8 : 17 Oct 2012 at 00.088

    I always wonder where this type of public awareness campaign takes place. I never see government adds on the BTS, on those giant TV screens in prime shopping areas or TV. Nor do I see posters in the streets. So how is this plan of Dr Sophon going to be implemented?

  • Margaret sawicka

    Discussion 7 : 16 Oct 2012 at 22.077

    Coming from Canada where almost everything has content labels, it's hard to know what's in Thai food delicious as it mostly is. I believe that one of the biggest problems is MSG which is often added indiscriminately to almost everything supposedly to improve the taste. This chemical does nothing for the flavour of the food but acts on the taste buds. If food is fresh, nothing extra should be added. That being said, often when you ask if MSG has been added, the answer will be 'no' because many restaurants/vendors are aware that people wish to avoid it and don't want to lose business. Aside from this issue, fish sauce is like the salt of western food - overused!
    M
    from iPhone application.

  • Discussion 6 : 16 Oct 2012 at 21.376

    Mr. Sophon Mekthon Kraphom, You should seriously try to tackle the sugar problem in Thailand which is a far more serious health problem, notably Diabetes than salt. To say "As a result of consuming salty foods, 21.4% or 11.5 million of Thai people were suffering from high blood pressure, etc etc." is rather misleading as well. There are many other reasons for the illnesses mentioned and only one of them is excessive salt intake. Push for more stringent rules for producers of fast foods and soft drinks is a beginning. Unfortunately the sugar lobby is very strong in Thailand and just ringing the alarm bell is doing absolutely nothing. Our food chain is poisoned long ago by the Monsanto's and their hench-men in Thailand, CP, with outlets on every conceivable corner everywhere.

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