SALT... Good or Bad?

Mama_Burkhart
Mama_Burkhart Posts: 20 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Ok so im sure everyone has done research on salt... I know its not GOOD for you, but does even just the smallest amounts do harm as well??? Is there a "safe" ration that can be used? I used to never like salt until my latest pregnancy and for some reason i got stuck on it.. I only like it on a few things... mainly like a pinch on my egg whites or something like that. id like your opinions or research results. Thank you!

Replies

  • evileen99
    evileen99 Posts: 1,564 Member
    Your body needs both the sodium and chloride in salt to function normally.

    Stick with the RDA of 2000 mg and you'll be fine.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    Ok so im sure everyone has done research on salt... I know its not GOOD for you, but does even just the smallest amounts do harm as well??? Is there a "safe" ration that can be used? I used to never like salt until my latest pregnancy and for some reason i got stuck on it.. I only like it on a few things... mainly like a pinch on my egg whites or something like that. id like your opinions or research results. Thank you!

    sodium is essential nutrient
  • darwinwoodka
    darwinwoodka Posts: 322 Member
    delicious.
  • icyeyes317
    icyeyes317 Posts: 226 Member
    Sodium is absolutely vital to body function. Your heart will not work properly if it does not have the proper amount of sodium, nor can the blood pressure regulate itself if you have too much or too little.

    How much you need is all dependent on your health condition. People with high blood pressure tend to need to lower their salt intake. I need to eat 5 grams (yes you read that right) per day, because I have a condition that causes very low blood pressure (among other things).

    Probably the best thing you can do for yourself is make sure you drink plenty of water. If you have too much sodium, your body will flush out the excess with the water. If you don't have enough water, salt can make you bloat, because the sodium holds onto the water molecules.
  • IIISpartacusIII
    IIISpartacusIII Posts: 252 Member
    I always salt my food. I have tried a low sodium diet for months because everyone told me that I'd lose a truck load of "excess water" but that never panned out. No sodium related water loss at all. Some people are very sensitive to sodium (or so they say) but I'm clearly not one of them so why suffer the loss of my precious salt? Also, unless your doctor recommends that you lower sodium because of some illness that you have which is directly effect negatively by sodium, why bother?
  • Timmmy40
    Timmmy40 Posts: 152 Member
    Salt is in all foods these days. Proccessed foods are the worst. It is essential. I agree with 2000mg. Also, I do not think sea salt is any better or worse for our bodies. The proccessing is different, but I think it is a marketing to say it is a healthier alternative.
  • aldale
    aldale Posts: 118 Member
    Although everyone needs salt, I have hypertension and have to read labels. Mfp is helping me track it. I am salt sensitive. You may not be though. Some people require more salt. My hubby sweats heavy and works a physical job outside and has passed out because of not enough salt to keep his body's ph balanced.
  • hamasehfallah
    hamasehfallah Posts: 32
    Sodium is an essential nutrient - however too much of it can lead to high blood pressure which can lead to various other diseases.

    It's easy to get too much sodium if you eat a lot of packaged & processed foods. Make sure to read the labels & add the sodium amounts into MFP. And also make sure you are getting an ACCURATE estimate of your serving size (by using a food scale and not just estimating or using measuring cups).

    If you're never going over 2,000mg - then don't worry about it. And if the majority of your diet is WHOLE FOODS (and by majority i mean 85% and above) adding a pinch of salt here and there isn't going to harm you because you won't be near 2,000 mg anyways.

    Also remember to drink a lot of water (in case you ARE eating too much sodium this would help your body not retain excess water) and make sure you are getting adaquete potassium levels. The ratio of soduim:potassium in the body is very important. Too much sodium and not enough potassium can lead to a host of problems
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,474 Member
    VERY VERY BAD,, unless of course, you are doing tequila,,,,
  • RoseTears143
    RoseTears143 Posts: 1,121 Member
    Salt as most people know it - VERY bad for you. If you eat a lot of processed and packaged foods, it's bad and you get way too much of it.

    Now, unprocessed/natural sea salt on the other hand is very good for you because it has all of those trace elements and minerals in it yourbody needs. I LOVE Celtic Sea Salt. I prefer the taste of it over Pink Himalayan Sea Salt. And you don't need a bunch of it for taste either.
  • tsh0ck
    tsh0ck Posts: 1,970 Member
    Salt as most people know it - VERY bad for you. If you eat a lot of processed and packaged foods, it's bad and you get way too much of it.

    not so much.
  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,272 Member
    Salt as most people know it - VERY bad for you. If you eat a lot of processed and packaged foods, it's bad and you get way too much of it.

    Now, unprocessed/natural sea salt on the other hand is very good for you because it has all of those trace elements and minerals in it yourbody needs. I LOVE Celtic Sea Salt. I prefer the taste of it over Pink Himalayan Sea Salt. And you don't need a bunch of it for taste either.
    Yeh, you get trace elements with the same amount of sodium so how is that better? (Unless you need some trace elements you don't get in food)
  • tonyrocks922
    tonyrocks922 Posts: 172 Member
    Salt as most people know it - VERY bad for you. If you eat a lot of processed and packaged foods, it's bad and you get way too much of it.

    Now, unprocessed/natural sea salt on the other hand is very good for you because it has all of those trace elements and minerals in it yourbody needs. I LOVE Celtic Sea Salt. I prefer the taste of it over Pink Himalayan Sea Salt. And you don't need a bunch of it for taste either.

    lol
  • 2FatToRun
    2FatToRun Posts: 810 Member
    Salt loves you and your body it helps it function properly. Unless you have to follow a low sodium diet due to a medical condition like everything else in life do not abuse it you will be fine. I try and keep mine under 2k a day.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,026 Member
    Ask Asians. Somehow, they've figured out how to eat lots of salt everyday and do fine.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • servilia
    servilia Posts: 3,452 Member
    You need it and some foods are rank without it. I find you can keep it at a reasonable amount if you don't eat much processed foods and don't go too crazy with adding it to everything
  • Morninglory81
    Morninglory81 Posts: 1,190 Member
    Salt is essential. For me as long as I drink 8-10 cups of water a day I don't have to worry about how much salt I consume. Salt helps your body retain water. If you are constantly dehydrated your body will retain salt to help retain the water it needs. If you are constantly hydrated your body will not retain more salt than is healthy for you. Of corse there are medical conditions that changes this but aside from that just stay hydrated and don't worry about salt.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    Salt is in all foods these days. Proccessed foods are the worst. It is essential. I agree with 2000mg. Also, I do not think sea salt is any better or worse for our bodies. The proccessing is different, but I think it is a marketing to say it is a healthier alternative.

    Technically speaking, this is not true, but only because table salt (iodized salt) is supplemented to prevent iodine deficiency. If you never use iodized salt and don't get enough iodine from seafood and other supplemented sources, then you have a problem. A thyroid problem, to be specific.

    With sodium, on the other hand, we typically get WAY too much. There's some new research on the effects of sodium on our immune system that indicates that we should probably all be reducing sodium intake to the levels recommended for people with hypertension or even a bit lower. I like salt too much to eliminate it to that degree, though, so I settle for being careful to add the minimum amount to get the taste I want and avoiding high-sodium meals as much as I can.
  • Mama_Burkhart
    Mama_Burkhart Posts: 20 Member
    Wow, i really like your opinions...I know that sodium is in EVERYTHING we eat, therefor you can not really escape the intake of sodium other than reading every label of everything you ingest. I try not to ADD any additional salt to my meals because i know there is already salt in my meal.. unless i know there is no salt. Thank you all for your words of wisdom!!

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