salt: yes or no

Last time I cut I monitored my salt so that I'd fall within the recommended daily intake of 1500mg.
I got shredded, very vascular looking, but I consistently felt like hot garbage.

This cut I continued the same trend.

Did some various reading stating that these recommendations are geared towards the average sedentary individuals likely to also be overconsuming fats and sugars and generally eating at a surplus.

So I started permitting myself to average 5000mg.

And I feel great.
My gym performances are terrific.

I did notice that my 8.6% bodyfat at 181lbs didn't look as good as my 8.9% bodyfat last year at 170lbs, but then again I'm not competing and I rather strike a balance between looking good and feeling good.

On that note I am very careful about what sort of salt I put in my body.
When buying bacon or sausages I only get the stuff that has sea salt and avoid anything with the sodium nitrates or erythorbate and any of these lab created preservatives.

Sept111944 wrote: »

Most foods have some sodium but if you are avoiding processed foods (canned or packaged) you may not be getting enough salt. People with high blood pressure are advised to lower sodium intake to 1500 mg. daily. That means no or limited processed foods, pizzas, chips, soft drinks, etc. And eating out almost guarantees an overdose of salt for that meal. With no health problems 2300 mg. is the maximum you should have. Many dinners at chain restaurants have over 3000mg.

I make my own food at home, and take in 4-6000. All in the needs.

Gallowmere1984 wrote: »

Sept111944 wrote: »

Most foods have some sodium but if you are avoiding processed foods (canned or packaged) you may not be getting enough salt. People with high blood pressure are advised to lower sodium intake to 1500 mg. daily. That means no or limited processed foods, pizzas, chips, soft drinks, etc. And eating out almost guarantees an overdose of salt for that meal. With no health problems 2300 mg. is the maximum you should have. Many dinners at chain restaurants have over 3000mg.

I make my own food at home, and take in 4-6000. All in the needs.

I am very close to you and i cook a lot and rarely use salt.

Gallowmere1984 wrote: »

psulemon wrote: »

Gallowmere1984 wrote: »

Sept111944 wrote: »

Most foods have some sodium but if you are avoiding processed foods (canned or packaged) you may not be getting enough salt. People with high blood pressure are advised to lower sodium intake to 1500 mg. daily. That means no or limited processed foods, pizzas, chips, soft drinks, etc. And eating out almost guarantees an overdose of salt for that meal. With no health problems 2300 mg. is the maximum you should have. Many dinners at chain restaurants have over 3000mg.

I make my own food at home, and take in 4-6000. All in the needs.

I am very close to you and i cook a lot and rarely use salt.

Same here. I rarely add salt to much of anything, other than adding it to my coffee if I am coming up short.

Wow.. salt in coffee.. if my wife is short, she salts bacon and sausage.

My husband has BP problems. For convenience sake I followed the same guidelines at home and my BP dropped borderline too low. If you don't eat much processed food, you're not likely to need to restrict beyond that. Everyone needs some salt.

yes, i use little

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

JaneSnowe wrote: »

Your body needs salt. You will have serious and painful, possibly deadly, consequences if you don't get enough.

This isn't true. We need to consume sodium, not salt. Salt is just one way to get sodium. If you eat a well balanced diet you likely don't need any added salt, but unless you've been advised to abstain by a physician there is nothing wrong with adding it for flavor if you want.

Well, the body needs chloride too... Mostly sodium is a highly reactive element and is usually found in compounds due to this. Pure sodium does not occur naturally due to it's single valence electron, But yeah no sodium is bad- unless you like neurological issues and being dizzy.

Salt is over-consumed and should be heavily taxed.

I tend towards low blood pressure and was dizzy when standing a lot when I was a kid and presumably eating less salt.

3 Signs You Might Have Low Blood Pressure

...1. Dizziness or lightheadedness, especially when standing up suddenly

You’re looking at the bottom row of books and you pop up to continue your search, and suddenly: whoa, head rush. This is the most common symptom of low blood pressure, and if it happens only occasionally, then it’s no big. Schwartz notes that this one can often get corrected by making sure you’re not dehydrated.

2. Brain fog, complete with crappy memory about things that just happened

Multitasking sucks for everyone (seriously, everyone), but if you’re usually on top of your to-do list and you suddenly start feeling foggy, it could be hypotension. You’ll feel disconnected or spaced out, and then your short-term memory gets glitchy. Fun!

3. Feeling super low energy, even when you’ve had enough sleep

You got your 8 hours, and your butt is still dragging. Even combatting it with venti-sized, multi-shot beverages only works temporarily. Low blood pressure can cause fatigue, and some experts have suggested that Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and low blood pressure may be linked.

Less-common symptoms of low blood pressure might be blurred vision, general weakness, and nausea. Sometimes it can cause fainting, and rapid, shallow breathing, and has even been linked to depression, according to the American Heart Association.

The best treatment for low blood pressure is in your lifestyle—and on your kitchen counter.

Although high blood pressure is often addressed with medication, physicians are very reluctant to go that route with hypotension, Schwartz says. That’s because making some tweaks to your everyday habits can yield much better results than popping meds.

What works? The tried-and-true efforts that you may be doing anyway: trouncing stress with activities like yoga, getting enough sleep, ditching the smokes, staying hydrated, and maintaining a moderate-to-kickass level of fitness.

Also, stop being so stingy with the salt.

“Culturally, we have the mentality that salt isn’t good for you,” says Schwartz. “But we need it to maintain normal blood pressure and to support the adrenal system. Women, particularly, require salt because it helps address physical changes during their periods.”

Read more: http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/3-signs-might-low-blood-pressure/