Rather than salt itself, the body requires the nutrients that salt contains, such as sodium. Sodium has many uses in the human body, including :. It is unlikely that anyone in the U. However, the following factors and conditions can lead to low sodium levels:. There are many ways a person can reduce the amount of salt they consume. The AHA recommends the following tips for a person who wants to reduce their sodium intake, which will also help to lower their salt intake:.
Packaged or prepared food will have a label to indicate how much sodium it contains per serving. Poultry products with the terms broth, saline, or sodium solution on their labels are likely to contain excess salt. Products that are pickled, brined, cured, smoked, or are in a salty sauce may contain more significant amounts of salt.
Foods that are low in salt may include certain terms on their label, such as :. If a person prepares meals at home, they can measure the amount of salt they use in their cooking. Although rare, a person can consume a fatal amount of salt. However, a person would need to eat a huge amount of salt for this to occur. A person would need to eat approximately 0.
A person weighing pounds, or 70 kg, would have to consume 35—70 g of salt to experience fatal levels. For people with heart failure , kidney disease , or liver disease , regularly eating excessive amounts of salt may put them at further risk of health problems.
If a person has consumed a lot of salt, they can try the following methods to rebalance their salt levels. Potassium can help to counteract the effects of sodium on the body.
A person who has consumed a lot of sodium may find the following potassium-rich foods beneficial:. Sodium helps the body maintain normal fluid levels and plays a key role in nerve and muscle function. People used to believe that consuming more salt would make you thirstier, but a study in the Journal of Clinical Investigation found that eating more salt actually led to increased body water conservation, making people less thirty.
Many doctors take this to mean that, given enough salt and water, the body is capable of choosing its preferred level of sodium.
According to the AHA, our bodies can operate just fine on less than mg of sodium per day. Diets considered low sodium intake, on the other hand, can be nearly as unhealthy as those that are high in sodium. In several parts of the world, iodine is deficient from the diet, therefore, iodine is mixed with the edible salt to avoid iodine deficiency. Good liquid sources of sodium include milk and coconut water.
Sports drinks tend to overdo things with the sodium and sugar, according to Bates, so she had a tip for weekend warriors rehydrating that way. So split it up, and you can get three for the price of one. Most doctors recommend that most people get less sodium in their diets.
High sodium levels in the blood can cause inflammation, which, over time, can put you at risk for a number of serious health problems, including high blood pressure, stomach cancer, kidney stones, headaches, osteoporosis, stroke, and heart failure.
Chronic kidney disease CKD shares risk factors with cardiovascular disease, with high blood pressure being a major risk factor for both. Salt sensitivity is reported to be more prevalent in patients with CKD due to a reduced ability to excrete sodium, which may lead to increased blood pressure. Although there is evidence that links high sodium intake with high blood pressure, there is not adequate evidence that a low sodium restriction protects against or causes better outcomes of CKD than a moderate sodium restriction.
One systematic review of patients diagnosed with CKD found that high sodium intakes of greater than 4, mg a day were associated with progression of CKD, but low sodium intakes less than 2, mg a day had no significant effect when compared with moderate sodium intakes of 2,, mg a day. Guidelines generally advise a moderate rather than low sodium restriction to prevent the development and progression of CKD. A daily sodium intake of less than 4, mg is recommended for overall management of CKD, and less than 3, mg daily for CKD with symptoms of fluid retention or proteinuria, a condition in which excess protein is excreted in the urine.
The amount of calcium that your body loses via urination increases with the amount of salt you eat. If calcium is in short supply in the blood, it can leach out of bones.
So a diet high in sodium could have an additional unwanted effect—the bone-thinning disease known as osteoporosis. Research shows that a higher intake of salt, sodium, or salty foods is linked to an increase in stomach cancer. Almost any unprocessed food like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, meats, and dairy foods is low in sodium.
Most of the salt in our diets comes from commercially prepared foods, not from salt added to cooking at home or even from salt added at the table before eating. The most widely used, table salt, is extracted from underground salt deposits. It is heavily processed to remove impurities, which may also remove trace minerals. It is then ground very fine.
Iodine , a trace mineral, was added to salt in to prevent goiter and hypothyroidism, medical conditions caused by iodine deficiency. Table salt also often contains an anticaking agent such as calcium silicate to prevent clumps from forming. Kosher salt is a coarsely grained salt named for its use in traditional Kosher food preparation. Kosher salt does not typically contain iodine but may have an anti-caking agent.
Sea salt is produced by evaporating ocean or sea water. It is also composed mostly of sodium chloride, but sometimes contains small amounts of minerals like potassium, zinc, and iron depending on where it was harvested. Because it is not highly refined and ground like table salt, it may appear coarser and darker with an uneven color, indicating the remaining impurities and nutrients.
Unfortunately, some of these impurities can contain metals found in the ocean, like lead. The coarseness and granule size will vary by brand. Himalayan pink salt is harvested from mines in Pakistan.
Its pink hue comes from small amounts of iron oxide. Similar to sea salt, it is less processed and refined and therefore the crystals appear larger and contain small amounts of minerals including iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Larger, coarser salt granules do not dissolve as easily or evenly in cooking, but offer a burst of flavor.
They are best used sprinkled onto meats and vegetables before cooking or immediately after. They should not be used in baking recipes. Keep in mind that measurements of different salts are not always interchangeable in recipes. Generally, sea salt and table salt can be interchanged if the granule size is similar. However, table salt tends to have more concentrated, saltier flavor than kosher salt, so the substitution is one teaspoon of table salt for about 1.
A deficiency of sodium in the U. Hyponatremia is the term used to describe abnormally low amounts of sodium in the blood. An increase of sodium stiffens and narrows your blood vessels making your heart pump faster with more pressure to get oxygen to where your body needs it — resulting in higher blood pressure. You can also check your blood pressure at home with advice from your doctor. Get in the habit of checking the nutrition label for sodium content on all foods, beverages, and condiments.
Note the serving size and make adjustments if you eat more or less than what is listed as one serving. Some restaurants may provide sodium and other nutrition information on their websites. The link between sodium and blood pressure is fairly well known. But did you know sodium can also affect your sleep?
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