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salt: yes or no

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  • Leesa_Michelle
    Leesa_Michelle Posts: 23 Member
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    I think you need some sodium in your diet to live, but depending on your health, salt should be lowered.

    Kidney and heart issues are two health issues that are recommended to lower your salt dramatically. My mom has heart failure and ever since she cut almost all salt out of her diet (2 decades) she's become healthier and her heart actually works at a higher % rate, which is astonishing to her doctors. I have two genetic diseases and kidney stones (separate from the two diseases), but when I cut salt out and up the H20 drastically, I get zero new stones and my blood pressure is 1000x better. So, it really depends. Don't douse your food in salt ever though. I wouldn't recommend that for anyone's health.
  • benjaminhk
    benjaminhk Posts: 353 Member
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    Salt is the *kitten*.
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,598 Member
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    Yes, you need salt. Without adequate sodium, you will get a goiter.
  • tomteboda
    tomteboda Posts: 2,171 Member
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    gothchiq wrote: »
    Yes, you need salt. Without adequate sodium, you will get a goiter.

    Iodine deficiency causes goiters (Swelling of the thyroid).
  • dykask
    dykask Posts: 800 Member
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    JaneSnowe wrote: »
    I have 8 different types of salt in my pantry. You can take my salt from my cold, dead hands.

    :lol: I never knew there were so many types of salt in the first place :hushed:
    Maybe just a pinch? :naughty:

    Prepare to have your mind blown:

    stock-photo-collection-of-different-types-of-salt-isolated-on-white-background-278383340.jpg

    In Japan at a very high end meal will often have salts for dipping tempura in.
    http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/d8/a3/4a/d8a34a5e8833393ba5dab970b1666d0d.jpg3h98hcu7yx14.png

    These salts come in many different favors like green tea, ginger or wasabi. I'm sure there is many more types of salt that I've never heard of.
  • G085H173
    G085H173 Posts: 516 Member
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    Only if you add it yourself. That is to say, avoid pre- fab foods and make your own. You retain control
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
    edited June 2016
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    Salt doesn't seem to make me puffy, and I have the blood pressure of a toddler, so I salt to taste.

    Maybe someone has research that shows reasons to limit salt other than blood pressure, and if so, I'd be happy to see a link.
  • Leesa_Michelle
    Leesa_Michelle Posts: 23 Member
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    lithezebra wrote: »
    Salt doesn't seem to make me puffy, and I have the blood pressure of a toddler, so I salt to taste.

    Maybe someone has research that shows reasons to limit salt other than blood pressure, and if so, I'd be happy to see a link.


    Next time you go to your doctor ask them what's the best thing food wise someone can do if they have heart failure or kidney issues in order to prolong their life and keep symptoms are bay. No salt or dramatically limiting salt will be their answer.

    If you want research without asking your doctors, Google is your friend. :)
  • dykask
    dykask Posts: 800 Member
    edited June 2016
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    zyxst wrote: »
    Stop with the salt porn. Poor me can't even.

    Hmmm ... In 2009 I was developing hypertension. My blood pressure was running 140+/90+. My doctor was ready to go to medications but I asked to give diet a chance first so he told me to cut the sodium. I worked at it hard, esp. I was spending short periods in Japan. But it worked to some extent .... 130s / ~88. Spring forward and 2012 on I'm living in Japan full time. My sodium intake is probably triple and last year my blood pressure was ~120/70. Huh?

    Well the salt is up but so is my walking. In Japan I don't have a car. I guess it is sodium one absorbs when in a car that is the killer. :smiley:

    (For those that don't know that Japanese diet is high salt, high carbs, generally low fat and low sugar.)
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
    edited June 2016
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    lithezebra wrote: »
    Salt doesn't seem to make me puffy, and I have the blood pressure of a toddler, so I salt to taste.

    Maybe someone has research that shows reasons to limit salt other than blood pressure, and if so, I'd be happy to see a link.


    Next time you go to your doctor ask them what's the best thing food wise someone can do if they have heart failure or kidney issues in order to prolong their life and keep symptoms are bay. No salt or dramatically limiting salt will be their answer.

    If you want research without asking your doctors, Google is your friend. :)

    That's still a blood pressure issue, related to fluid volume in the blood and extracellular compartments. Most people don't have problems with salt and blood pressure. People who do should limit their salt intake.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,134 Member
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    dykask wrote: »
    zyxst wrote: »
    Stop with the salt porn. Poor me can't even.

    Hmmm ... In 2009 I was developing hypertension. My blood pressure was running 140+/90+. My doctor was ready to go to medications but I asked to give diet a chance first so he told me to cut the sodium. I worked at it hard, esp. I was spending short periods in Japan. But it worked to some extent .... 130s / ~88. Spring forward and 2012 on I'm living in Japan full time. My sodium intake is probably triple and last year my blood pressure was ~120/70. Huh?

    Well the salt is up but so is my walking. In Japan I don't have a car. I guess it is sodium one absorbs when in a car that is the killer. :smiley:

    (For those that don't know that Japanese diet is high salt, high carbs, generally low fat and low sugar.)

    Congrats and I hate you. :wink:

    I have similar BP stats which haven't changed after losing 177#, eating lower sodium, exercising, and following DASH. My GP doesn't feel my HBP is worth medication.
  • Leesa_Michelle
    Leesa_Michelle Posts: 23 Member
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    lithezebra wrote: »
    lithezebra wrote: »
    Salt doesn't seem to make me puffy, and I have the blood pressure of a toddler, so I salt to taste.

    Maybe someone has research that shows reasons to limit salt other than blood pressure, and if so, I'd be happy to see a link.


    Next time you go to your doctor ask them what's the best thing food wise someone can do if they have heart failure or kidney issues in order to prolong their life and keep symptoms are bay. No salt or dramatically limiting salt will be their answer.

    If you want research without asking your doctors, Google is your friend. :)

    That's still a blood pressure issue, related to fluid volume in the blood and extracellular compartments. Most people don't have problems with salt and blood pressure. People who do should limit their salt intake.

    I have two genetic kidney diseases and they have zero to do with blood pressure. Alport syndrome and thin basement membrane. Kidney stones also have nothing to do with my blood pressure. Lowering my salt completely stopped me from getting new stones in my kidneys. After I reintroduced normal sodium levels into my diet I was hospitalized with two giant stones. I've tried this cycle twice, ending up in the hospital. Salt can be your enemy for more than just blood pressure.

    Also, my mom never has had high blood pressure. Heart failure has nothing to do with blood pressure. She's had hard failure for over 20+ years and has never taken blood pressure meds or has had a blood pressure rate higher than 110/70. Lowering her salt made her heart work at a better %. I can't convince you, but that's what we know works. She should have been dead 10 years ago and I should have had a kidney transplant at 14 (I'm 25). So whatever were doing works and our primary concern is salt.
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
    edited June 2016
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    zyxst wrote: »
    dykask wrote: »
    zyxst wrote: »
    Stop with the salt porn. Poor me can't even.

    Hmmm ... In 2009 I was developing hypertension. My blood pressure was running 140+/90+. My doctor was ready to go to medications but I asked to give diet a chance first so he told me to cut the sodium. I worked at it hard, esp. I was spending short periods in Japan. But it worked to some extent .... 130s / ~88. Spring forward and 2012 on I'm living in Japan full time. My sodium intake is probably triple and last year my blood pressure was ~120/70. Huh?

    Well the salt is up but so is my walking. In Japan I don't have a car. I guess it is sodium one absorbs when in a car that is the killer. :smiley:

    (For those that don't know that Japanese diet is high salt, high carbs, generally low fat and low sugar.)

    Congrats and I hate you. :wink:

    I have similar BP stats which haven't changed after losing 177#, eating lower sodium, exercising, and following DASH. My GP doesn't feel my HBP is worth medication.

    Some people hang onto more salt than others. You've probably already tried cutting out caffeine and/or alcohol, stress reduction, increasing potassium, considered taking a mild, potassium sparing diuretic, and monitered your blood pressure at home to find your own triggers. On the plus side, your weight loss is amazing!
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
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    Not all kidney diseases are the same though. My dad has an autoimmune kidney disease that pushed his blood pressure to 210/140. That's how they figured out to check his urine (we have a family history of this disease). Luckily they caught it at 60% functioning (usually it's at kidney dialysis level when caught) and now that it is under control his bp is normal. I have low bp 90/50 is my average but keep track. If it eventually goes high it's likely from this disease
  • Leesa_Michelle
    Leesa_Michelle Posts: 23 Member
    edited June 2016
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    Not all kidney diseases are the same though. My dad has an autoimmune kidney disease that pushed his blood pressure to 210/140. That's how they figured out to check his urine (we have a family history of this disease). Luckily they caught it at 60% functioning (usually it's at kidney dialysis level when caught) and now that it is under control his bp is normal. I have low bp 90/50 is my average but keep track. If it eventually goes high it's likely from this disease

    Oh, I'm definitely not saying every kidney disease is the same. Sorry if it came off that way. I can see how it may have. Mine are helped by reducing sodium though. The kidney diseases I have are extremely rare, so it's possible and probable that other kidney diseases aren't at all effected by sodium.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    edited June 2016
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    His is rare too and apparently not hereditary but he has 3 first cousins who have had transplants because of the same disease so there has to be some genetic link
  • Leesa_Michelle
    Leesa_Michelle Posts: 23 Member
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    His is rare too and apparently not hereditary but he has 3 first cousins who have had transplants because of the same disease so there has to be some genetic link



    Just because his is rare doesn't make ours the same. That also doesn't mean genetic link. They'd have to have it checked out by a geneticist to get confirmation that it is in fact genetic.

    All I know is that reducing my sodium to almost 0 has helped me get no new kidney stones. And my mother reducing her's to 0 has had her live a decade longer than expected. There are thousands upon thousands of kidney diseases. What works for me, may not work for others, but I will continue to do what works for me. I recon others should do the same.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,134 Member
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    lithezebra wrote: »
    zyxst wrote: »
    dykask wrote: »
    zyxst wrote: »
    Stop with the salt porn. Poor me can't even.

    Hmmm ... In 2009 I was developing hypertension. My blood pressure was running 140+/90+. My doctor was ready to go to medications but I asked to give diet a chance first so he told me to cut the sodium. I worked at it hard, esp. I was spending short periods in Japan. But it worked to some extent .... 130s / ~88. Spring forward and 2012 on I'm living in Japan full time. My sodium intake is probably triple and last year my blood pressure was ~120/70. Huh?

    Well the salt is up but so is my walking. In Japan I don't have a car. I guess it is sodium one absorbs when in a car that is the killer. :smiley:

    (For those that don't know that Japanese diet is high salt, high carbs, generally low fat and low sugar.)

    Congrats and I hate you. :wink:

    I have similar BP stats which haven't changed after losing 177#, eating lower sodium, exercising, and following DASH. My GP doesn't feel my HBP is worth medication.

    Some people hang onto more salt than others. You've probably already tried cutting out caffeine and/or alcohol, stress reduction, increasing potassium, considered taking a mild, potassium sparing diuretic, and monitered your blood pressure at home to find your own triggers. On the plus side, your weight loss is amazing!

    Stress and genetics can't be avoided. I would have less stress if I didn't have to work around sodium with my eating choices. I remind myself that if I do go over sodium or have salt, I'm not going to die like people with real food-health issues.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    I get my salt on hard. I work out hard as well though. Before I started watching my carb intake, the combination of the two would cause bloating. Now that I'm low carb, no problems there and I get my salt fix.