SHARES
Chances are when we speak of salt you immediately think of the sort of salt used in seasoning food – table salt. But there’s more to this crystalline mineral that has both been notoriously associated with better tasting food and regrettably, high blood pressure.
Salt ?
Also known as sodium chloride, the word salt comes from the Latin word “sal” meaning well , salt. But what’s interesting is that the English word “salary” comes from the word salt. Probably because it was once a valuable commodity.
Also known as sodium, salt can be found almost everywhere from the chemical industry to your dinner table.
Sodium & Health
The human body regulates how much salt is in your body. When levels get too high we feel thirsty and drink. Our kidneys then work faster at eliminating it. But things aren’t always this simple. Whether we consume salt in excess or in too small amounts may have serious implications on our health.
Too Little Salt
Low sodium levels can happen in a number of situations. For example certain medications like diuretics increase production of urine and antidepressants or painkillers can affect the concentration levels of sodium in your body. Another situation is when there’s too much fluid in your body diluting the concentration of sodium. This case is seen in patients with chronic diseases like heart failure and/or liver cirrhosis where fluid tends to accumulate in the body. But also, it occurs when you drink way too much water.
Other scenarios include excess vomiting, diarrhoea and burns. Do you remember how when you have a bad case of food poisoning your doctor prescribes you oral rehydration salts ? It’s exactly for this reason, to replace depleted sodium in your system. Or too much salt is lost through excessive sweating during vigorous physical activity, or heat stroke.
Furthermore, an underactive thyroid, Addison’s disease and a block in your intestine which causes malabsorption of this important mineral can also cause this condition.
If sodium levels fall in the blood, this affects brain activity. The person may feel sluggish and lethargic, headache, nausea and vomiting. They may experience muscle twitches, followed by seizures, loss of consciousness, coma, and death. If sodium levels fall quickly, this may happen very fast.
Too Much Salt
Unknowingly we consume more sodium than the daily recommended intake which in accordance to the American Heart Association no more than 2.3 grams or one teaspoonful a day and moving toward an ideal limit of no more than 1.5 grams per day for most adults.
In most of us, the kidneys are unable to keep up with excess sodium in the blood. As sodium accumulates, the body holds onto water to dilute the sodium. Thus extra fluid accumulates surrounding cells and the volume of blood in the bloodstream increases. As a result, the heart has to work harder, exerting more pressure on blood vessels.
Over time, the extra work and pressure can stiffen blood vessels, leading to high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke. It can also lead to heart failure. There is some evidence that too much salt can damage the heart, aorta, and kidneys without increasing blood pressure, and that it may be bad for bones, too.
Go slow on salt in your diet –
What’s most dangerous is the high level of sodium that comes hidden in our everyday food.
Our diet tends to be high in salt – in processed foods such as bread, pizza, cold cuts and bacon, cheese, fast food, soups, too much chips, salted nuts and heavy shakes from your own table salt shaker. But, what’s most dangerous is the high level of sodium that comes hidden in our everyday food.
Tips for Cutting back on the salt habit
- Eat more fresh food such as fruits, vegetables and meat. Limit intake of bacon, hot dogs, sausage and ham.
- Choose plain whole-grain rice and pasta instead of pre-processed products that have added seasonings with higher sodium content.
- Go light on salt in your home cooking whenever possible. Use sodium or salt containing condiments including soy sauce, oyster sauce, bean sauce,ketchup, mustard and relish in reasonable amounts
- Use herbs, spices and other natural flavorings such as lemon zest or juice to season food.
- Look out for high sodium content in your labels. Sodium is in baking powder, preservatives (sodium nitrate) and additives (sodium citrate)
In conclusion, salt (sodium) is an important mineral nutrient in our body. Whilst too little salt is very harmful however too much salt wrecks havoc. The amount of sodium just simply adds up in the food we consume. Start to reduce your salt in your cooking and intake at the table. As you use less salt, your taste preference will adapt. So you can continue to enjoy the taste in your food on a heart healthy diet.
by Yashwini Ravindranath
Born & raised in Malaysia, Yashwini earned her M.D. studying in Moscow's Russian National Research Medical University. With an affiliation towards research, all things coffee and the startup ecosystem, she now contributes articles to GetDocSays View all articles by Yashwini Ravindranath.
