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Salt: Friend or Foe?
By Christina | September 16, 2008
Salt is an important part of our diet, unfortunately, many of us have too much salt in our daily intake because it is found in so many of the staples we eat regularly. I love salt so when I read the research for this blog it did surprise me just how devastating good old NaCL can be to the body.
In small amounts salt is a necessary part of your daily required nutrients because:
Assists in maintaining the right balance of fluids in your body
Aids in transmission of nerve impulses
Influences the contraction and relaxation of muscles
Salt accumulates in the blood if your kidneys can’t eliminate it all. Because salt attracts and holds water, your blood volume increases. Increased blood volume, in turn, makes your heart work harder to move more blood through your blood vessels, increasing pressure in your arteries. This process can lead to congestive heart failure, cirrhosis and chronic kidney disease.
If you find that you retain water more than others, you may be sensitive to the effects of salt and therefore should be more cautious with the amounts you are ingesting. Excess fluid retention and increased blood pressure increases your chance of developing high blood pressure, a condition that can lead to cardiovascular and kidney diseases.
The average American has three main sources of sodium in their diet:
- Processed and prepared foods canned vegetables, soups, luncheon meats and frozen foods
- Salt-containing condiments - One teaspoon (5 milliliters) of table salt has 2,325 mg of sodium, and 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) of soy sauce has about 900 to 1,000 mg of sodium
- Natural sources of salt are meat, poultry, dairy products and vegetables
How to cut salt
You may or may not be particularly sensitive to the effects of salt. And because there’s no way to know who might develop high blood pressure as a result of a high-salt diet, choose and prepare foods with less salt.
To reduce some of the salt from your diet:
- Eat more fresh foods such as fresh fruits, vegetables, and fresh meat
- Opt for low-salt products
- Remove salt from recipes whenever possible
- Limit your use of salt rich condiments such as salad dressings, sauces, dips, ketchup, mustard and relish all contain sodium
- Use herbs, spices and other flavorings to enhance foods
