How to avoid mistakes when using fish sauce?

Fish sauce is a popular condiment used in cooking as well as on the dinner tables of many Vietnamese families, but if used incorrectly, it can be harmful to your health.

Many types of dipping sauces use fish sauce and salt in Vietnamese meals - Photo: TTO

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Lam, former deputy director of the National Institute of Nutrition, fish sauce is a dipping sauce and has certain nutritional value. Fish sauce is made from fish, which contains amino acids that create the sweetness of this food.

According to the Vietnamese nutritional composition table, 100g of fish sauce contains 35Kcal; 5.1g protein; 0.01g lipid; 3.6g glucid; 43mg calcium; 0.78mg iron; 175mg magnesium; 288mg manganese and many other amino acids.

However, Ms. Lam noted that fish sauce contains salt, and if overused, it will increase the risk of eating salty food. To make fish sauce, people will have to use a large amount of salt, about 20-25%. Therefore, 10ml of fish sauce is equivalent to 2.5g of salt.

Mistakes when using fish sauce

- Too much dip, like it strong

According to Ms. Lam, many Vietnamese people dip their food very deeply, then flip it over. This habit can cause excess salt.

Currently, Vietnamese people are consuming about 9.5 grams of salt per day, nearly twice as much as the WHO's recommendation. The National Institute of Nutrition recommends using less salt when cooking, dipping lightly, and reducing salty foods. "The goal is to reduce the salty eating habits of Vietnamese people," said Ms. Lam.

Another habit of many people is to eat salty food, even though the food is already rich in flavor, they still dip it in fish sauce. Some people still have to dip pickled vegetables in fish sauce.

"When I go to eat pho, I observe many people often add fish sauce. They think that strong flavor makes it more delicious, not knowing that a bowl of regular cooked pho contains 3.8 grams of salt, almost the recommended amount of salt for the whole day, while a bowl of rare pho contains 3.34 grams of salt," Ms. Lam cited.

Use too many dipping sauces on the table

Each dish has a different type of fish sauce that creates its own unique flavor. On the Vietnamese dining table, there are many types of dipping sauces - fish sauce, shrimp paste, shrimp paste, fermented fish sauce... Each type of dipping sauce is delicious, but eating too much will cause excess salt.

The habit of dipping and eating with strong flavors causes excess salt, creating a burden on the heart and kidneys; thereby increasing the risk of metabolic disorders related to blood pressure, cardiovascular system, and kidneys. Eating salty foods is also related to the problem of calcium absorption, causing osteoporosis.

Cook fish sauce at high temperature

Ms. Lam also noted that when using fish sauce and food in general, it should not be cooked at high temperatures, which can easily cause deterioration.

The reason is that substances such as protein and fat can change at high temperatures. Fish sauce also contains amino acids, which will change when cooked at high temperatures.

Health risks of eating too much salt

According to WHO recommendations, healthy adults should eat less than 5g of salt per day. According to recommendations from K Hospital, consuming foods containing a lot of salt and eating salty foods for a long time is an unhealthy habit.

Eating too much salt will cause sodium to accumulate over time, beyond the kidneys' ability to eliminate it. Sodium accumulates, leading to water retention in the blood to dilute the sodium.

This increases the amount of water in the cells and smooth muscle cells of the blood vessel walls, which now have a lot of sodium ions moving in, causing the blood vessels to constrict. Increased blood volume means the heart has to work harder. Over time, increased blood pressure on the blood vessel walls will lead to high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke. This condition, if prolonged, will lead to heart failure.

Eating salty foods for a long time also inhibits the body's absorption and use of calcium, leading to loss of bone mass and osteoporosis. In addition, it also affects the stomach.

A long-term salty diet increases the risk of many potentially dangerous diseases, especially high blood pressure, which is gradually appearing more and more in people under 40 years old.

When young, the body is healthy so many people do not realize the harmful effects of eating salty food. Therefore, it is necessary to raise awareness and reduce salty food early to protect health for the present and the future.

How to use fish sauce properly

According to Ms. Lam, to reduce the saltiness in fish sauce, people should dilute the fish sauce (add a little lemon, chili, garlic to reduce the saltiness and increase the flavor).

In addition, the nutritionist also noted that people who have a habit of eating salty foods should eat more green vegetables to quickly eliminate salt from the body. Green vegetables will have a lot of potassium, which helps with urination, and when you urinate a lot, it will help pull salt out of the body.

The best way is still to reduce salt intake, the goal is to reduce to the WHO recommended level of less than 5g of salt/day.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tranh-nhung-sai-lam-khi-dung-nuoc-mam-ra-sao-20241116144632016.htm