The Truth About Salt
Why Do We Need Salt To Survive
There is so much negative information to be found online about salt. The truth is that we need salt to survive. Salt is needed to conduct nerve impulses, contract and relax muscles, and maintain the proper balance of water and minerals.
Salt extracts acidity in the body, without enough salt, the body will become more and more acidic. It's essential for the prevention of muscle cramps, for making the structures of our bones firm, and for maintaining sexuality and libido.
Salt is essential for ridding the lungs of mucus and phlegm. Without salt, our bodies won't be able to perform their necessary daily functions. The benefits are endless!
Our bodies consist of 60% of water, and our brains consist of about 75% water. Without salt, we would be dehydrated, and the effects would be dire to our bodies and brain's functioning.
The minimum requirement of salt intake to perform the body's vital functions is around 500-1,500 milligrams a day. This is the low end of the salt spectrum; you do not want to go below this amount.
How Is Salt Bad For You
Like anything else in excess, too much salt can have negative effects, especially if you're not adequately hydrated. Too much sodium in the diet can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. It can cause calcium loss, kidney damage, and water retention to try and dilute the sodium.
The maximum amount of salt you want to have in a day is around 2,300 milligrams or 3,000 milligrams for every 80 ounces of water you drink a day (37.5milligrams per ounce of water). The rule of thumb for your recommended water intake is half your pounds of body weight in ounces. So if you weigh 150 pounds your water intake should be about 75 ounces, and your salt intake should not exceed 2,812 milligrams.
Balancing Salt In The Body
I would argue that salt is not the main problem since we need it to survive. Every unprocessed food like fruits, nuts, beans, grains, and vegetables, is naturally low in sodium. However, the average American eats 3,400 milligrams of sodium each day.
That salt comes from commercially prepared food, not home-cooked meals or salt added at the table. According to the CDC, the top 10 sources of salt in our diets are bread/rolls, pizza, sandwiches, cold cuts/cured meats, soups, burritos, tacos, savory snacks (chips, popcorn, pretzels, crackers), chicken, cheese, eggs, and omelets.
It's more likely that the average person needs to cut processed foods from their eating habits and increase their water intake than cut out salt to lead healthier lives.
If you compile all the information above, you will get a median salt recommendation of about 1900 milligrams. This could be a good number to strive for while ensuring proper water intake to balance each other out while eating a balanced diet.