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Electric spoon helps people cut down on salt

Electric Salt Spoon - Level 0

A new spoon from Japan will make food taste saltier. It is called the Electric Salt Spoon. It will help people use less salt. It sends a weak electric current to the tongue. This makes salt taste stronger. We can have less salt, but still taste it. A researcher said we need to have less salt. However, she said food with no salt is tasteless.

Too much salt causes heart problems and high blood pressure. The WHO says we should have less than 5 grams of salt a day. In Japan, people have around 10.1g. The Electric Salt Spoon costs 19,800 yen. The maker hopes to sell a million of them over the next five years. A researcher has also created electric chopsticks.

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Electric Salt Spoon - Level 1

A new spoon will make food taste saltier. It is called the Electric Salt Spoon. It was created by a university and a drinks company in Japan. The spoon will help people use less salt. It sends a weak electric current to the tongue. This makes salt taste one and a half times stronger. We can have less salt, but still taste it. A researcher said: "People need to reduce the amount of salt in their food." However, she said food with no salt is tasteless.

Too much salt causes heart problems, high blood pressure, and strokes. The WHO says we should have less than 5 grams a day. In Japan, the average person has around 10.1g of salt a day. A lot of salt in our food comes from processed foods, and from soy sauce. The Electric Salt Spoon costs 19,800 yen (around $99). Its maker hopes to sell a million of them over the next five years. The spoon's developer has also created electric chopsticks.

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Electric Salt Spoon - Level 2

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A new battery-powered spoon makes food taste saltier. It is called the Electric Salt Spoon. It was created in Japan by researchers and the drinks company Kirin. The spoon will help people cut down on the amount of salt they eat. It sends a weak electric current to the tongue. We cannot feel the current. However, it makes salt taste one and a half times stronger. This means we can have less salt, but still taste it. A researcher said: "Japan has a food culture [with] salty tastes. People need to reduce the amount of salt in their food." However, she said food with no salt is tasteless.

Too much salt can cause heart problems, high blood pressure, and strokes. These are the leading causes of death globally. The WHO says we should have less than 5 grams a day. In Japan, the average person has around 10.1g of salt a day. That's higher than 8.5g for Americans. Around 75 per cent of salt in our diet comes from processed foods, and from things like soy sauce. The Electric Salt Spoon costs 19,800 yen (around $99). Kirin hopes to sell a million of them over the next five years. The spoon's developer has also created electric chopsticks. These will go on sale next year.

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11 online activities    |    8-page printable   (PDF)

Electric Salt Spoon - Level 3

A battery-powered spoon that makes food taste saltier is now in stores in Japan. It is called the Electric Salt Spoon. It was created by researchers from Tokyo's Meiji University and the Japanese drinks company Kirin. They hope their spoon will help people to cut down on the amount of salt they eat. The spoon sends a weak electric current to the tongue. The current is too weak to be felt. However, it makes salt taste up to one and a half times stronger. This means we can eat food with less salt, but still sense a salty taste. Researcher Ai Sato said: "Japan has a food culture that tends to favour salty tastes. People need to reduce the amount of salt in their food." However, she added that food with no salt is bland and tasteless.

Salt is important for our health. However, too much of it can cause cardiovascular diseases, like high blood pressure, strokes, and heart problems. These are the leading causes of death globally. The World Health Organization recommends a daily salt intake of less than 5 grams. In Japan, the average person has around 10.1g of salt a day. That's higher than the average of 8.5g for Americans. In many countries, around 75 per cent of salt in the diet comes from processed foods, and from things like soy sauce. The Electric Salt Spoon costs 19,800 yen (around $99). Kirin hopes to sell a million of them over the next five years. The spoon's developer has also created electric chopsticks. These will go on sale next year.

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