See how umami foods help reduce sodium intake in everyday life

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Nutritionist from the Umami Committee gives tips that help in the fight against high blood pressure during the National Day of Prevention and Combat of the disease

São Paulo, April 2023 – On April 26, Brazil celebrates the National Day of Prevention and Combat of Hypertension. The disease is chronic and, according to information from the Brazilian Society of Hypertension (SBH)1, it is estimated that in Brazil at least 25% of the adult population has hypertension, reaching more than 50% in people over 60 years old and in 5% of children and adolescents.

With the fast-paced routine of much of the population, many people end up neglecting some habits that can help control hypertension, such as regularly practicing physical activity, avoiding stress by spending quality time with friends and family, and maintaining a balanced diet.

With the aim of contributing to society’s better quality of life, with tasty and well-seasoned meals, nutritionist from the Umami Committee, Marilia Zagato, points out that the use of monosodium glutamate (MSG) can be a good way to reduce the amount of sodium in meals. “MSG has approximately 1/3 of the sodium found in table salt. While 1g of monosodium glutamate contains 123mg of sodium, the same amount of salt has 388mg. In other words, if we replace half of the salt used in preparations with monosodium glutamate, we can reduce sodium in our daily diet by up to 37%,” she explains.

Monosodium glutamate works as a flavor enhancer for food. Thus, a small amount of MSG in preparations is already able to enhance the umami taste, the fifth basic taste of the palate, making the meal much tastier. In addition, glutamate is also naturally present in some foods, such as tomato, mushrooms, aged cheeses, corn, peas, meat, chicken, some seafood such as shrimp, and fish like tuna and sardines.

“Reducing sodium combined with a balanced diet and physical exercise can be an ally in preventing or controlling hypertension. For this, it is important to rely on preparations with umami foods, which support both health and the pleasure of eating during meals,” the nutritionist concludes.

UMAMI
It is the fifth basic taste of the human palate, discovered in 1908 by Japanese scientist Kikunae Ikeda. It was scientifically recognized in the year 2000, when researchers at the University of Miami confirmed the existence of specific receptors for this taste on the taste buds. The amino acid glutamic acid and the nucleotides inosinate and guanylate are the main umami substances. The two main characteristics of umami are increased salivation and the continuity of taste for a few minutes after food ingestion. To learn more, visit www.portalumami.com.br.