SALTY AF
Well, not that kind of SALTY…
So imagine if everything we have been told about salt in our diet was wrong. What if salt was actually good for you and we have been depriving our bodies of this mineral?
The WHO (World Health Organization) recommends a daily intake of salt at 2300mg or approximately 2 grams. This is based on cherry picked studies that are published to make salt the bad guys.
WHO global report on sodium intake reduction
Lewis Dahl and the genetics of salt-induced hypertension - PMC (nih.gov)
There are many studies out there that suggest otherwise and we should be aiming for 4-5 gram a day of salt (good quality salt).
But first lets go back a step and understand why we need salt for our bodies to function properly.
Sodium - Potassium Pump
We have this natural process in our bodies called the sodium potassium pump. And it is just like it sounds - a natural pumping process that exchanges sodium and potassium through our cells.
The sodium potassium pump, pumps sodium out of a cell while pumping potassium in. This action helps to maintain the cell membrane potential. It is a major player in the transport of nutrients, amino acids, glucose and nerve cells. It is important in the kidneys, in balancing blood pressure and controlling our heart contractions. When the pump fails, this results in a swelling of the cell and can lead to health issues.
Symptoms of low sodium:
Low energy, lethargic
Headache
Brain fog
Muscle cramps/weakness
Low blood pressure
When we do not have the proper amount of sodium or any mineral in our diets, our body, which is always trying to maintain balance or homeostasis, will start to leach the require minerals from other areas of the body. With salt this happens, and our body will take the minerals (salt) from our bones, which then can lead to osteoporosis. A viscous cycle starts. And couple that drinking more water because you feel dehydrated, you can develop a disorder caller hyponatremia.
Main Source of Salt
Salt comes from the earth. Salt deposits are found all over the globe.
Celtic salt comes from evaporated ocean water along the coast of France.
Himalayan salt comes from any of dozens of salt mines in Pakistan.
Real Salt is harvested from an ancient underground salt deposit in Utah.
These 3 salts are what we should be including in out diets BUT unfortunately for the vast majority of people this is not the case. The main source of salt comes from table salt which is highly processed and stripped of all other essential minerals. It is chemically bleached with added anti-clumping agents such as aluminum or cyanide compounds.
But let’s get back to why you should increase your salt intake…
Sodium is Not Bad
When we restrict the salt in our diets, our body goes into a restriction mode and will start hoarding salt and causing other important hormones to rise, causing the kidneys to retain sodium. This is very much like starving ourselves of calories on certain diets. What happens when you go back to increasing your calories, our bodies start to store more food as fat in case you go into a caloric deficit again. (which is why dieting does not work in the long run. But I digress.).
More information on this from the study below.
What if it isn’t the salt and it is actually our diets? Most of the studies that the WHO refers to when researching high sodium diets and health problems only focus on the sodium content and not lifestyle. Most people who have high blood pressure, or are obese, diabetic, insulin resistance or other cardiac issues tend to be people who eat highly processed foods that are high in processed carbs, sugar and processed salt consumption. Could it be that they are starving their bodies of the essential minerals it requires to function optimally? Hmm..
So How Much Salt is to Much Salt?
You are going to be just fine with increasing your salt (good quality salt and not table salt. See below) intake to double that of the WHO recommendations. (4 grams) And you may actually feel better. But yes you can over do it as well. So sticking to the 4 grams is a good idea unless you are active, sweating, eating a low carb diet or intermittent fasting, then you will want to increase your salt.
Fluid and electrolyte needs for training, competition, and recovery - PubMed (nih.gov)
My anecdotal experience: Over the last few months I have been adding a salt supplement to my water to keep hydrated. Why did I do this? Well first I moved to Texas from Canada and found myself sweating more then usual. :) The other reason was I have always been a salty person. Yes, salty like the definition above LOL. But also I just have craved salt. It is my belief that we crave what our body needs. I started to do some reading and research and realized maybe I just was not getting enough salt. So I started on the daily adding salt to my drinking water and I have really noticed a difference. I no longer crave salt because I am getting a regular, healthy supply. I don’t feel the muscle weakness that I had and here is the kicker..I actually do not drink the same amount of water and still feel hydrated.
Here are a couple more studies that show a decrease of salt may actually be detrimental to cardiac health.
Urinary sodium and potassium excretion and risk of cardiovascular events - PubMed (nih.gov)
I know you are asking, well Danni, what is a good salt to get? I think that REAL SALT is a great product. They also offer a salt supplement for hydration/electrolytes as well. The other product that we use to add salt to our water or any drink really is LMNT.
Comments appreciated. Let me know your thoughts on salt.
Until next time,
Danni
Loooove this!!!! My sodium levels were dangerously low so I had to increase sodium/salt in my diet and started drinking LMNT regularly. It has helped me so so so so much. I had to ensure my parents and their friends that increasing my sodium wasn’t going to kill me - we have all been so poorly educated on food overall especially the benefits of the RIGHT salt as you point out. Thanks for writing!