How much salt is bad for your health?

willsreb

Hello everyone. If the majority of my diet is fresh foods, am I safe to sprinkle some salt on my meals? Not sure how much is too much. Thanks

callsitlikeiseeit

salt is a necessary nutrient for our bodies.

If you do not have high blood pressure or other health concerns, add what you prefer. Although so much of our foods contain salt, adding much is not generally necessary. I rarely add salt to things, except soups and stews, because they tend to need it.

scribblemoma

If I cut my salt too much I will be under siege by the baddest Charley Horses you’ll ever know 😭 Sprinkling some salt on your food won’t hurt at all (given that you’re not under any medical conditions).

amcarpla

Make sure it is iodized salt. Iodine is crucial for proper thyroid function as well. But yes, some salt is necessary and safe. If you start noticing increased headaches, swollen feet or fingers, then maybe cut back a little or increase hydration.

psuLemon

I would recommend watching the below video from Layne Norton, PhD.

https://youtu.be/UbKk9tbNrfQ


There is less and less evidence on the adverse effects of salt/sodium. Your actual need is based on a lot of factors. Since I am fairly active, don't have hypertension or family history of it, I don't worry. I typically eat around 5000mg daily.

quiksylver296

I gotta say, @psulemon, you are knocking it out of the park with the infographics and videos lately. Kudos.

psuLemon wrote: »

There is less and less evidence on the adverse effects of salt/sodium. Your actual need is based on a lot of factors. Since I am fairly active, don't have hypertension or family history of it, I don't worry. I typically eat around 5000mg daily.

Same. I shoot for 3500 to 4000 mg.

psuLemon

quiksylver296 wrote: »

I gotta say, @psulemon, you are knocking it out of the park with the infographics and videos lately. Kudos.

psuLemon wrote: »

There is less and less evidence on the adverse effects of salt/sodium. Your actual need is based on a lot of factors. Since I am fairly active, don't have hypertension or family history of it, I don't worry. I typically eat around 5000mg daily.

Same. I shoot for 3500 to 4000 mg.

Thanks.

FL_Hiker

I love salt, my food is always covered in a thick layer of it so it looks like it snowed lol. And yet somehow my sodium levels are always low when the bloodwork comes back. I blame lots of running in a hot climate. Your body may just be needing it, especially if you’re exercising more.

NorthCascades

I love salt and put it on everything. I don't pay attention to the numbers when it comes to salt. I have low blood pressure at 41, so this seems to be working.

I tend to crave less salt during the shoulder seasons when I'm not exercising (sweating) as much.

jgnatca

How much salt you need depends on where you live. In hot climates without air conditioning a lot of salt is lost through sweat. Added salt is necessary in these climates.

If you have high blood pressure watch your salt intake. If you have low blood pressure increase your salt.

estherdragonbat

At first, I was worried about water retention when I saw my sodium numbers consistently go red, but the scale's been giving me the 'right' results (some weeks a little up, some weeks a little down, but a slow decrease over time). I've seen my BP fall from borderline pre-hypertensive/hypertensive to the low side of normal.

I've always had more of a salt tooth than a sweet one, so I can't say I'm shocked to know I go over the sodium recommendation, but with all my health markers improving, I'm really not concerned.

cwolfman13

I have hypertension so I have to watch it to some extent...but when I tried to eat the levels recommended for hypertension I cramped up all the time so my Dr. told me to eat more since I was exercising and sweating and losing a lot of sodium (an essential electrolyte). It doesn't really have any impact on me unless I'm eating a ton of it and I'm not sweating.

In most cases you're perfectly fine to add salt to foods...where people tend to run into issues with sodium is with prepackaged foods and eating out.

CSARdiver

I have no underlying issues and primarily focused on endurance and strength training, so I need salt to replace what I lose in sweat. I'm usually somewhere between 2500-3000 looking back, but it's not something I track.

kshama2001

willsreb wrote: »

Hello everyone. If the majority of my diet is fresh foods, am I safe to sprinkle some salt on my meals? Not sure how much is too much. Thanks

If you have medical conditions that are affected by dietary sodium, discuss this with your doctor.

Otherwise, salt up!