SALT

slimmingmom

Okay...so i've never had much education when it came to salt except "it's just not that good for you". So, my quistion is...does salt actually make you gain weight, or does it just make you retain water??? I use salt to make my food tast not so...ummm...bland:laugh: But if it really is terrible for me...or if it's going to be making it harder to lose this weight PLEASE LET ME KNOW!!!

weaklink109

Too much salt AKA SODIUM will make you retain water and thus you will weigh more. It can also aggravate and contribute to high blood pressure.

You have to have some sodium in your diet for good health, but its overabundance in processed foods make it easy to get too much of.

If you must use salt, use sea salt. It is better than ordinary table salt. If your food is bland, take a tour through the spice department and look at all the no salt seasonings that are available. Mrs. Dash is one brand that has many options.

You do not have add salt to any food to make it taste better when there are so many healthier alternatives.

Good luck:flowerforyou:

slimmingmom

Thanks!!! And i'm not like a salt freak....lol. But, I do like it. And that is true about other alternatives...you made me realize I don't use salt as often as I thought. I love adding garlic and onion powder to things. And if I have something like, for example... soup, I pour in some of the juice from my peppercini jar!!!

faythe

If you DON'T have renal (kidney) disease, then 1/2 salt, or potassium/sodium mix salts, can be a good option for you. It's common in the typical American diet to not get enough potassium but to get too much sodium, and 1/2 salt is a good solution for that.

If you DO have renal disease or are using dialysis treatments, or are taking medications that contain high levels of potassium like Aldactone or Bactrim, disregard the previous paragraph. :bigsmile:

I also think that using Mrs. Dash seasonings is an excellent way to add kick to your food in a reasonably salt-like way.

Also, bear in mind that if you are just sprinkling a little bit of salt on your home-cooked, non-processed foods, you're probably not going to have a sodium issue. If you are eating fast food or processed foods as a part of your regular diet, then you're more than likely getting too much sodium. The amount of salt the average person uses on food they prepare themselves is usually considerably less than the amount of salt added into processed foods.

Hope you found this helpful! :happy:

slimmingmom

Thanks Faythe!!! I found that very useful!!! I don't eat fast food, and rarely eat processed foods (which don't need extra salt anyhow). I use salt most often on my steamed veggies or my homemade soups!!!