SALT- Questions...

zestyzesty

Hello Fitnesspallers,

1) I just wanted to know, if anyone knows why the daily salt allowance doesn't go up when you earn exercise calories? I go over, often wayyyy over, on the salt. I eat pretty healthily, but I love adding salt to food, especially pastas and salads. I also love tomato juice, but it's sooo salty- a few glasses and your daily allowance is gone.

2) Is it really so bad for you to eat a lot of salt? FYI, I had my blood pressure checked quite recently and Doc said it was just fine.

Oh, just to add, I always use either sea salt or Himalayan pink mountain salt.

SaintGiff

My take on salt has always been that it needs to be balanced with water. The more salt I consume in a given day, the more water I consume to flush it out. I'm sure that's just complete nonsense from a medical perspective, but it works for me.

litsy3

I don't even bother tracking salt. I run a lot (and therefore sweat a lot) and need to replace the lost salt. Also it's delicious.

Having said that, though, I don't eat a lot of processed foods so even though I add salt pretty generously to my own cooking, it's still less than if I didn't cook for myself.

earthboundmisfit

I try to limit salt only because it makes me retain water which is discouraging to me. But if there's no medical reason for you to avoid salt then don't worry about it.

joshbond85

Salt causes the body to retain water, which can lead to bloating. Your sodium levels can fluctuate greatly from day to day as that salt comes out in urine and sweat. It's really hard to cause any negative effects from over eating salt (you really have to try and push the boundries of sensibility) and in our modern society, it's just as hard to get no salt.

As for the type, there's not really a difference. Sea salt and iodized salt are both sodium chloride. The actual difference lies in the crystaline structure and has a bigger impact on how you cook. Try using iodized salt for margarita glasses and then use sea salt. One will not work as well as the other due to the shape of they grains.

parkparksarah

I limit my salt intake.. mostly I drink a lot of fluids

zestyzesty

Thank you for all the replies!

Saint Giff- thanks, that does make sense to me... I do think I should be drinking more water in general, so I will begin today!

Litsy3- it is delicious, I agree! I have been doing a lot of walking and swimming recently, so maybe that's why I'm especially craving it at the mo! I'm the same, I tend to cook a lot and then add it. I ate out at a Wagamama Japanese restaurant this week and was alarmed by how much fat and salt was in the food that seems so healthy.

Earthboundmis, thanks for your input. For all I know, it is making me bloat... to be honest, I don't think I could hold back salt long enough to see.

JoshBond85, wow thanks that's really interesting! I did not know that. I definitely prefer the taste of sea salt, though, for some reason.

Parkparksarah, thank you for your contribution. I definitely need to drink more fluids... I may see if that works before reducing salt.

aedreana

As a vegan, it is a challenge for me to get enough salt. Too little sodium will cause you to become dehydrated because your body cannot retain water. Too much potassium will cause dehydration also. Your body maintains a specific ratio of sodium/potassium/water. I struggle every day to get enough sodium. As a vegan, I automatically get potassium. So for vegans, we must make a conscious effort to get salt.

earlnabby

To answer your question: as others have said, unless there is a medical reason (hypertension, edema, etc) you really don't need to limit salt but if you eat a saltier diet it is best to make sure you drink enough fluids.

On the subject of salt itself. There is no difference between table salt and any other kind, except the flavor and texture of some specialty salts. All salt is sea salt, the only difference is that some come from actual water rather than dried up sea beds. Sea salt can have a teensy bit of certain minerals besides sodium chloride but you would have to eat 2 cups a day in order for it to benefit you, and 2 cups of salt a day will kill you in a day or two so that wipes out the benefit. Most sea salt you buy in your local market is just as processed as table salt and has the same crystal structure (and often the same additives). Some, like fleur de sel and Malden Sea Salt will have a different crystal structure because of the way they are harvested. Others like gray, Hawaiian, etc. will have a slightly different flavor because of the trace minerals. Himalayan pink salt is a mined salt with a slightly different flavor. Kosher salt has a different crystal structure because of the way it is processed so that it will stick to meat in the koshering (blood removing) process. Kosher and pickling salt do not have additives like anti-caking agents and dextrose so they are the purest forms of salt. They can come in either sea salt or mined salt.

Yeah, if you hadn't guessed, the whole "sea salt is better for you" is a bit of a pet peeve. It comes from working for a spice company and having to research the history of seasonings. BTW: it was the Vikings who first taught the French how to collect sea salt.

litsy3

My (possibly totally made up) understanding had been that kosher salt was 'better' for you only because it has a stronger flavour so you tend not to add as much because you don't need to.

earlnabby

My (possibly totally made up) understanding had been that kosher salt was 'better' for you only because it has a stronger flavour so you tend not to add as much because you don't need to.

You tend to not add as much kosher salt because it is coarser so it takes up more volume than finer table salt. In other words, a teaspoon of kosher salt will average around 3 grams but a teaspoon of table salt will weigh around 5 grams.

What you are referring to is the shape of the Diamond Crystal brand of kosher salt. The crystals have a different shape so more surface area hits your tongue making it appear to be saltier. This only happens when it is used in its crystal form. When dissolved in a dish that is cooked or baked, there is no difference.