Excess sodium increases blood pressure because it contains a lot of fluid in the body, and that creates an extra burden on the heart. Too much sodium will increase the chances of stroke, heart failure, osteoporosis, stomach cancer, and kidney disease. Also, 1 in 3 Americans will have high blood pressure in their lifetime.
Reducing your sodium is difficult because about 75 percent of the sodium in the American diet comes from processed or prepared foods, not the salt we add to the table. If you are a student of a nutrition label, it can be shocking.
Even foods like bread and grains can be high in salt. We call this a silent killer because most people do not realize they have high blood pressure.
The average American consumes about 3,400 milligrams a day, but the recommended amount for a healthy person is 2,300 milligrams a day. For people with high blood pressure or diabetes, African Americans, and anyone 51 years of age or older, the daily recommendation is 1,500 milligrams of sodium.
Thus, most people use twice as much as they need for salt.
For many people, a diet high in sodium can lead to fluid retention. And for some sensitive people, fluid retention can lead to high blood pressure, which puts a person at greater risk for stroke, heart disease, and kidney disease. Whenever you have high blood pressure, it causes your heart to work harder and can cause damage to the blood vessels and the heart muscle itself.
Excess salt is linked to high blood pressure, and high blood pressure is a risk factor for heart disease. Some people are very sensitive to sodium, which means that when they eat sodium they retain fluids and their blood pressure rises.
There are some studies that show that if everyone reduced the amount of sodium in their diet, heart disease rates in the United States could go down.
With our current food production, it is very difficult to cut sodium. A slice of bread may contain only 250 milligrams of sodium. Unless you go back to the foods you cooked from the beginning, and do not use processed foods or canned foods, it is very difficult to reach that recommendation.
Salt has been used for centuries as a preservative, and some food manufacturers use it as a flavor because it is cheaper. It is more expensive to use other herbs and spices to make food taste better than to add salt.
Sodium chloride, which is found in table salt and in salty food products, is needed for the body’s immune system and helps regulate the volume of the liquid. The problem with sodium is similar to sugar: The average American consumes more than the recommended amount.
If we use fresh, complete, and natural foods, sodium intake can be easily reduced. Avoiding excess salt, soy sauce or other salty condiments will also help reduce the amount of sodium intake. Look for products that are less than 140 milligrams per operation, which is considered low sodium.
Asking for a little sodium added to food at restaurants is one way to reduce daily sodium. Most importantly, consider cooking at home with fresh foods and low sodium recipes.
And why should you reduce sodium intake? Excess sodium can raise blood pressure in those with hypertension, can cause the body to store fluids that can cause inflammation in affected people, and salty foods often contain high in fat and calories – leading to excessive calories, obesity, and obesity.
A long-term problem related to high blood pressure is kidney disease, an incurable disease that can lead to kidney failure.
FAQ
What happens when you have too much salt in your body?
Eating too much salt can have a range of effects. In the short term, it may cause bloating, severe thirst, and a temporary rise in blood pressure. In severe cases, it may also lead to hypernatremia, which, if left untreated, can be fatal.
How much salt is bad for you?
Though health authorities continue to push for lower sodium intakes, reducing sodium too much — below 3 grams per day — may negatively impact health. Studies show that people who consume less than 3 grams of sodium per day are at a greater risk of heart disease and early death than people with an intake of 4–5 grams.
Is Salt worse than sugar?
A study, published by US researchers in the online journal Open Heart suggests that sugar is in fact worse than salt for raising our blood pressure levels and heart disease risk.
Should I stop eating salt?
Too much salt can lead to bigger health concerns like high blood pressure, heart disease, and kidney disease. Lowering your salt intake while increasing how much potassium you get can help lower your risk for those conditions. You should consult your doctor before adding more sodium chloride to your diet.
Can you flush salt out of your body with water?
You can't simply dilute it or flush it out with water. In a perfect world, your kidneys would simply remove any excess salt from the blood and excrete it in the urine.
