I think it’s safe to say: humans eat a lot of salt.
It perforates our diets in almost every single thing we eat or drink – salt is the ever-present ingredient.
You never really hear people saying “I’m going to go on a sodium diet, because what then would they eat? water? Even then, water is almost always accompanied by salt – like an un-asked-for bodyguard.
But it’s good for us, too, right?
In this article I’m going to explain the values and problems with sodium, the amounts we should be consuming per day, and which kind of salt is best for our bodies to digest.
Are you ready? Let’s get started!
Okay, Okay, What’s This About Big-Bad Salt?
First thing’s first: we need sodium in order to survive. It helps our nuerons send signals through the brain, it helps move our muscles and joints – we need sodium.
But that doesn’t mean it’s all good news, either.
A study done by the NIH linked a higher intake of sodium being linked to a higher risk of stroke.
Other sources say salt helps to increase high blood pressure and can cause heart attacks – these are real problems.
How does salt do this?
- High Blood Pressure in regards to salt is caused by salt’s ability to make the body want to retain more fluids. With the level of liquids we have in our body, our blood pressure goes out of wack to right that wrong, and raises (sometimes significantly).
- Heart Disease is risked once our blood pressure has risen. Hypertension (the name attributed to higher blood pressure in the veins stretching out the veins), if left unchecked, is a major risk for CVD (Cardio Vascular Disease). So sodium can lead to one problem, which leads to an even more serious problem down the road.
- Stroke is present, again, when high blood pressure is present. So, we’ve already established that sodium can cause high blood pressure; from high blood pressure we can get heart diseases and clots of blood in the arteries and veins. Blood clots in arteries that go to the brain, most often, lead to outcomes like strokes.
So: not very fun.
All that from salt? Goodness! Salt must be one of the worst things for us… right?
No, sodium is not bad for you.
Like with most things: Too much sodium can be bad for your health.
Here, in America, the average person consumes way more than we should – almost 7x what we should be.
It’s good for us to have around 500mgs of sodium per day, but most of us have an average of 3,400mgs per day.
What does this mean for us? It should mean that we’ve got to change our diets, or modify them slightly, if we want to get on track for a healthier lifestyle.
How Should I Be Eating Salt?
Although the recomended daily amount is about 500mgs of salt (the equivalent to half a gram), it is also recomended that we get less than 2,300mgs.
So, if you’re tracking along, you want to stay anywhere in that window.
How are we supposed to get such a little amount of salt every day? Won’t our meals be bland and awful?
Some could be, but you don’t have to eat that way. I may have our solution down below:
I plugged my question into AI for a set of three meals that altogether had less than 2,300mgs of sodium.
This is what I got:
Breakfast: Avocado Toast with Poached Eggs
- 2 slices of whole-grain bread (no salt added) – approximately 0mg
- 1/2 avocado, mashed – approximately 5mg
- 2 poached eggs – approximately 140mg
- Fresh tomato slices – approximately 5mg
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Total estimated salt content: around 150mg
Lunch: Grilled Chicken Salad
- Grilled chicken breast (4 ounces) – approximately 70mg
- Mixed salad greens (lettuce, spinach, arugula, etc.) – approximately 10mg
- Cherry tomatoes – approximately 5mg
- Cucumber slices – approximately 2mg
- Olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing (no added salt) – approximately 5mg
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Total estimated salt content: around 92mg
Dinner: Baked Salmon with Quinoa and Steamed Vegetables
- Baked salmon fillet (4 ounces) – approximately 50mg
- Quinoa (1/2 cup, cooked) – approximately 5mg
- Steamed broccoli and carrots – approximately 20mg
- Lemon juice and herbs for flavoring
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Total estimated salt content: around 75mg
With this list of meals (and more you could find online im certain) you can see that eating well and eating good can go hand in hand in a healthy way. I’ve got to get better with my sodium intake, too.
Let’s start on this journey together!