We very often hear that salt is white death and destroys our body. But, on the other hand, salt advocates often say that we need salt for the normal functioning of our body.
Who is right here? In general, both are right in their way. And the truth is that too much salt is harmful, and too little too. The correct dosage is required adequately. And this dosage has long been well-tweaked. Adequate salt intake for an adult is from 2 to 5 grams per day. Less than 2 grams is, of course, also harmful. But more than 5 grams is also harmful.
But the main problem is that the absolute majority of people, of course, use more salt than they need. The average person consumes 10-20 grams of salt per day. And, as a rule, if we do not think about salt, but eat like everyone else, salt the food like everyone else, then most likely we have an overdose of salt.
What is the specific danger of salt? What does this lead to? And what are the signs that we consume too much salt? What is the problem, and what is its manifestation?
Does salt delay the vitality in the body?
So, what does excessive salt intake in our diet lead to? First, it is leads to significant fluid retention. Just imagine, one gram of sodium holds 200 milliliters of water. 200 milliliters of water is a whole glass of liquid. And this is accounted for by one gram. Of course, if we eat two tablespoons of salt, two liters of water will not immediately stay under our skin because the water-salt balance in the body is a much more delicate thing, and we will not break it just like that.
But excessive regular consumption of salt can contribute to the formation of hidden edema. And this will negatively affect the work of our internal organs, and, of course, it is especially dangerous for the cardiovascular system and our kidneys’ work.
How does salt put a load on the kidneys?
The next negative effect of excessive salt consumption is that the body will need to eliminate excess sodium. How does it come out? Through the urine. And this puts an additional burden on our kidneys. And this, in turn, can provoke the deposition of kidney stones.
Moreover, when the body removes excess sodium, calcium also comes out of it. And this leads to a calcium deficiency. And this is also a very big problem that leads in particular, for example, to osteoporosis.
Does salt increase blood pressure?
Of course, everything is individual here. Someone has a lot of salt, his blood pressure is normal. But very often, when people refuse it, their blood pressure can decrease by 5-9 points. And this is quite a good result.
Moreover, excessive salt consumption will prevent the breakdown of our fats. And thus, it will provoke a set of excess weight.
Also, for salt and the inner surface of our blood vessels becomes loose and more susceptible to the deposition of cholesterol plaques. And the fact that atherosclerosis is a killer of the 21st century, I think you have also heard.
Another negative effect of excessive salt consumption is that it increases the production of hydrochloric acid in our stomach too much. And this, in turn, can lead to an exacerbation of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
And how can we determine that we eat too much salt?
It also has its manifestations.
Salt and feeling of thirst.
I think you know perfectly well that as soon as we eat something salty. Some pickled mushrooms, fast food, constantly salty, or fries or chips. We all know perfectly well that we begin to have a rather pronounced thirst after half an hour or an hour.
Another sign is if we drank a couple of glasses of water and didn’t even want to go to the toilet after half an hour. It also indicates that there may have been too much of it, too little liquid.
Salt and kidney pain
The fact is that excessive salt intake increases the amount of protein in our urine. And this increases the risk of developing various kidney diseases. And seriously disrupts their work, so if you are experiencing kidney pain, then, of course, you need to contact a specialist for an individual examination. But this can be triggered by excessive salt intake.
The presence of edema
As I have already said, sodium retains the liquid very actively. And we can swell any part of the body. it can be:
- face
- legs
- arms
- ankles
But this problem is, of course, solved very simply. We just need to cut down on it in our diet. And if after that you notice that your appearance in the mirror has changed, then it was exactly it.
Another symptom is bloating. Which, of course, is a very uncomfortable feeling.
Salt in foods
We don’t think about it, but it’s still worth knowing.
The fact is that if we do not salt the food at all, we will completely refuse. we will cook buckwheat, pasta, oatmeal and do not salt them, especially do not add a single gram of it at all. Plus, we will not eat anything salty or any fast food, no chips, no marinades, and so on. and we will eat only super healthy food of this kind:
- carrots
- beets
- cabbage
- various cereals
- legumes
It may seem that we will have zero salt consumption. Not really.
in all these products that I have listed, that is:
- vegetables
- legumes whole
- grains cottage
- cheese and milk
Although they taste unsalted, they contain sodium. Yes, there is not much of it there. But in practice, if we eat this healthy, non-salty food, we will consume approximately 2 grams of it per day.
But the thing is that we very easily cross this threshold. When we start salting food first, that is, we eat not just porridge but salty porridge. Plus, of course, we eat various salty products.
By the way, this can also include, for example, any processed meat. All sorts of sausages because 100 grams of this product contains a daily dose of salt.
Or even take bread. 100 grams of bread already contains 1 gram of salt. If we take semi-finished products there, of course, I think you already understand yourself.
Someone will say that it is necessary for our body. I agree that it is impossible to refuse it. Moreover, it is almost impossible to refuse it. If we eat only non-salty food, it still contains salt. All the poison, all the medicine, the whole question is only in the dosage.
Practical tips
Well, what are some practical tips and what can we do to improve our diet?
The first rule is that it is recommended not to use it during cooking. You get used to fresh food very, very quickly. And any salty food then immediately begins to seem already salty.
If you want to make a marinade or salad dressing, then still use lemon or citrus juice. It is better to remove the straws of the composition altogether so that it doesn’t lie here and seduce.
- give up processed meat
- from sausages and sausages
- give up canned food
- give up all kinds of ketchup and mayonnaise
Well, okay, homemade mayonnaise is still normal. But those mayonnaises that are sold in our supermarkets, I would rather not sin with this.
Suppose you can’t give up salt at all and are used to salting with equal food. That is, at least then use a special salt with reduced sodium content. Yes, there is such a salt, and it will still reduce a certain sodium load.
And don’t forget to drink plenty of water, at least one liter of clean liquid per day, since this will promote sodium excretion.
To find out more:
Do not forget about such a substance as potassium. Because in our body, potassium is a certain antagonist of sodium. An adult should consume about three and a half grams of potassium per day. And most of it is contained, for example, in dried apricots. And there is also quite a lot of potassium, for example, in bananas or potatoes.
By the way, friends, and write in the comments, how do you salt food, or have you decided to abandon it completely? Tell us it will be interesting.