American Heart Association (AHA): 1500 mg. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA): 2300 mg. These are the two most common sources of death in middle- and high income countries.The major health organizations recommend that we cut back on sodium: The reason they do so, is that sodium is believed to increase blood pressure, a common risk factor for heart disease and stroke. The government has been warning us about it for decades and has spent a massive amount of resources warning us about the “dangers” of it. The plastics industry offers various usage possibilities for our products.Sodium is one of those things that everyone “knows” is unhealthy… kind of like saturated fat.Only 40% of the weight of salt consists of sodium, so you can actually eat 2.5 times more salt than sodium. Keep in mind that salt contains both sodium and chloride. American Diabetes Association (ADA): 1500 to 2300 mg.So… there is definitely a consensus among these organizations that we should aim for less than 1500 mg of sodium per day, and definitely not more than 2300 mg.
Many foods contain small amounts of sodium naturally, but most of the sodium in the diet comes from salt. So is sodium really that bad? Do the studies show that reducing sodium intake actually leads to improved health? And more importantly… if there are benefits to sodium restriction, are they important enough to be worth the obvious reduction in pleasure we will derive from our (now tasteless, salt-free) foods?Let’s find out… Sodium – What is it and Why do we Care?Sodium is a crucial electrolyte in the body. I have to say, I’m skeptical… these health organizations do have a track record of getting things wrong in the past, such as the misguided low-fat dietary guidelines. If these health organizations have their way, all of us need to make drastic changes in our food choices, start reading labels and start to actively restrict the amount of sodium in our diets. The average intake of sodium is about 3400 mg, most of it coming from processed foods. Individuals with elevated blood pressure: A reduction of 5.39 mm Hg systolic and 2.82 mm Hg for diastolic. In a massive Cochrane review of 34 randomized controlled trials, salt restriction was shown to reduce blood pressure: Reducing Sodium Can Mildly Lower Blood PressureIt is definitely true that reducing sodium can lower blood pressure, but the effect isn’t as strong as you may think. For this reason, sodium is thought to increase blood pressure (which it does, but only mildly).If blood pressure is elevated, the heart has to work harder to push the blood throughout the body and there is increased strain on the arteries and various organs.High blood pressure ( hypertension ) is a major risk factor for many serious diseases, like heart disease, stroke and kidney failure. The more sodium we have in our bloodstream, the more water it binds. It is also an electrically charged molecule, and along with potassium helps maintain electrical gradients across cell membranes, which is critical for nerve transmission, muscular contraction, and various other functions.The body can NOT function without sodium. However, it’s important to keep in mind that blood pressure itself doesn’t kill anyone directly. Sodium Restriction… Does it Even Work?Doctors and nutritionists tell us to cut back on sodium because they believe that it will reduce our risk of serious diseases. As with most things in nutrition, the results depend on the individual. Some people may have seen impressive reductions, while others little to no effects. Not only is it probably useless for the majority of people, these guidelines may even cause downright harm.Multiple studies show that salt restriction causes adverse effects on health : They’ve given us a lot of bad advice in the past, such as telling us to cut back on saturated fat and eat 50-60% of calories as carbohydrates.It looks like the advice on sodium is bad advice too. Too Little Sodium Can Cause Downright HarmThe health authorities do have an excellent track record of getting things wrong. There is no benefit to sodium restriction when it comes to preventing heart disease or death. When studies examine the effects of sodium restriction on actual disease, instead of just some marker, no statistically significant effects are found.Another Cochrane review of 7 randomized controlled trials (the gold standard of research) noted that there is no effect on mortality or cardiovascular disease, even in individuals diagnosed with high blood pressure!Other studies confirm these findings. Even though some intervention successfully lowers a risk factor, it doesn’t mean that this automatically reduces the risk of disease, especially if the intervention causes other adverse effects that outweigh the benefit. A low-carb diet lowers insulin levels, which causes the kidneys to excrete excess sodium from the body. Some of them include the minerals magnesium and potassium, which you should be getting if you eat plenty of animals and plants.Another way is to indulge in a bit of dark chocolate every now and then. Hyponatremia: In athletes, a low sodium intake can cause hyponatremia , a sodium deficiency which can be very dangerous.There are many lifestyle factors that can influence blood pressure to an even greater degree than sodium restriction. Type II Diabetes: A study found that in patients with type II diabetes, less sodium was associated with an increased risk of death. Insulin resistance: In one study, just 7 days on a low sodium diet increased insulin resistance, a leading cause of obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Too little and too much are both harmful, the sweet spot is somewhere in between. However, for people who are generally healthy and want to stay healthy, there doesn’t seem to be any reason to be even remotely concerned about moderate intakes of sodium.Studies actually show that the effects of sodium may follow a J-shaped curve. How Much Sodium is Optimal?If your doctor has recommended that you limit sodium for whatever reason, then by all means continue to do so. It seems fairly ridiculous to me to blindly focus on sodium, when there are so many other lifestyle factors that can have a much stronger effect. And last but not least, exercise is a very powerful way to reduce blood pressure and will improve your health in more ways than you can imagine. Type 30 arisaka for saleAdd salt whenever appropriate to make your food taste good.Resource : Types of Salt: Himalayan vs Kosher vs Regular vs Sea SaltSalt is arguably the most important ingredient in cooking. They also contain various trace nutrients that may be important.Given that most people get most of their sodium from processed foods and that studies on sodium restriction don’t show any benefit, then I’d like to propose this radical approach to optimizing your sodium intake.No obsessive counting of milligrams required: It is probably best to consume unrefined varieties of salt, such as sea salt and Himalayan pink salt. They serve important functions like helping the brain and nerves send electrical impulses. Sodium and chlorine are absolutely essential for life in animals, including humans. What is Salt and How Does it Affect Health?Salt is a crystalline mineral made of two elements, sodium (Na) and chlorine (Cl). But first, let’s take a look at what salt is and why it’s such a controversial ingredient among health experts. Not only do they differ in taste and texture, but there are also some differences in mineral and sodium content.This article explores the most popular salt types… then at the end, gives you a direct comparison of their nutritional properties to help you make the right choices. However… not all salt is created equal and there are many “types” to choose from.We have Himalayan Pink Salt, Kosher Salt, Sea Salt, Celtic Salt (to name a few)… and then we have plain old refined table salt. But even though studies have suggested that lowering salt intake can reduce blood pressure by 1-5.4 mm/Hg, there is no evidence that lowering salt prevents heart attacks, stroke or death.The great majority of sodium in the Western diet comes from processed foods. The reason salt is often perceived as unhealthy (in large amounts ), is that it can bind water in the bloodstream and raise blood pressure. Salt is also used as a food preservative, because bacteria have trouble growing in a salt-rich environment.
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