Healthy Thursday: Decrease Your Salt Intake

Do you know how much salt an adult human is supposed to consume? 2300 mg per day is the correct answer. Do you know that 9 out of 10, or 90% of adults consume at least twice that much each day? It is true, and I don't want to even consider children. Did you also know that your body needs sodium? It is true also, it is an electrolyte vital to the normal functioning of the human body. So how and why do we consume so much? Research shows there are three main culprits: eating out, eating processed foods, and snack foods. Chips, soda, pretzels, crackers all are extremely high in salt. Foods that you eat in a restaurant, or fast food place, are loaded with salt because we demand it for taste. It is in our taste buds it seems.

So what to do? There are many low sodium products on the market. They can be expensive, but if you can get used to them it is much better for your body. Drink extra water to flush out any extra salt you consume. Cook your own food, using the freshest ingredients, to avoid added salt. Don't cook with salt if you can help it, and definitely don't add salt after you sit at the table. Use garlic, or other spices to flavor your food, that are not high in salt. Learn to read labels. I can not stress this enough. Take a few extra minutes and read the label. It will tell you how much sodium is in the item, per serving.

Excessive salt can lead to water retention witch can cause weight gain and heart problems, high blood pressure, and kidney problems. By lowering your intake of salt, you can help your body be healthy and strong.

As I always note, this is not medical advice, it is material taken from personal experience to share with you. If you already have an underlying illness or take medications, you should always consult a doctor before using any medical information on the web. Be safe, and be wise.