Are you one of those people that drenches their fries with salt? Well, it may be time to think about how much salt you are actually consuming, and what it does to your body. Salt has its advantages and its disadvantages, but at what point do we say enough is enough?
Salt is a mineral made mostly from sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound which is part of the major salt that is found in our bodies. While salt is of course important for flavoring and preserving food, there are other health benefits involved in increasing your salt intake.
According to some studies, blood sugar can be controlled with the help of salt by improving insulin sensitivity; by contrast, a salt deficiency can increase insulin resistance. Salt is also a natural antihistamine, which means that when having an allergic reaction or an asthma attack, sprinkling a pinch of salt onto your tongue can relieve symptoms. Salt can also help manage your stomach’s pH levels: the acid found in our stomach is hydrochloric acid, and the salt found in our bodies is sodium chloride. Having the appropriate stomach acid levels are absolutely essential for digestion.
Salt can also lower high adrenaline levels. If you’re having trouble sleeping, salt can help, since it contains anti-stress and anti-excitatory qualities, which stop stress hormones from preventing sleep. This may explain why many people say that a low sodium diet interferes with sleep.
Salt also supports the functioning of the thyroid. In New York City, we use iodized salt because some people may be lacking sufficient iodine intake. Iodine is needed for the thyroid gland to make thyroxine, which is the hormone for stimulating the consumption of oxygen, and thus the metabolism of all cells and tissues in the body. That being said, iodine is very important for every person’s diet. Not enough iodine can cause a production of a goiter, an abnormal enlargement of the thyroid.
But salt comes with plenty of disadvantages as well. Salt causes the body to retain water, and the more water you retain, the higher your blood pressure will be. Fluid retention can be dangerous for people’s health: symptoms include swelling of the feet, ankles, hands, weight gain and stiff joints. If fluid retention is constant, it can lead to heart failure, kidney and lung disease and even arthritis. If you already have these problems, adding more salt to your diet can actually make the situation worse. Reducing your sodium intake is one way to treat and prevent the retaining of fluid.
Processed and packaged foods contain the most salt and sodium. Salt is added to soy sauce, pizza, potato chips, deli meats and fast food, while sodium is added to bread, cheese and many types of snacks. There are many foods which contain natural sodium, like meat, dairy foods and vegetables, and even though they are in smaller quantities, they add up to the total amounts of sodium we have in our bodies. When you’re out food shopping, make sure to buy foods that are low in salt to help reduce the amount of your total intake.
The New York City Health Department is starting an initiative to help stop heart disease and strokes by lowering the amount of salt found in restaurant foods. The federal government recommends that people’s sodium intake should be around 1,500 to 2,300 milligrams a day. Still, the average adult in America consumes about 3,400 milligrams a day. The New York City Health Department says chain restaurants with 15 or more locations in the city need to display a salt shaker icon next to menu items that have 2,300 milligrams of sodium in them. Thanks to the Health Department, you can now know how much salt you are consuming and can decide if it is safe to add those extra sprinkles of salt onto your food.
When it comes to salt intake, there needs to be a balance. We now know that salt intake should be limited to about 1,500 to 2,300 milligrams a day. It’s up to you to decide how you will meet these standards and how to maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Best of luck!