The Truth About Salt and Your Health 🧂

Salt is an essential part of our diets, but it’s also one of the most misunderstood. With conflicting advice on its health impacts, it’s time to break down the truth about salt and your well-being.

What Is Salt, and Where Does It Come From?

Salt is a mineral primarily composed of sodium chloride. It can be harvested from salt mines or evaporated from seawater and other mineral-rich waters. Salt is used to enhance flavor, preserve food, and as an essential ingredient in countless recipes worldwide.

Why Does My Body Need Salt? 💓

Your body needs salt to function properly. Sodium, a major component of salt, plays a critical role in:

• Maintaining fluid balance by regulating water in and around your cells.
• Supporting nerve function, enabling communication between your brain and body.
• Aiding muscle contractions, including your heartbeat.

Without enough salt, you might experience dehydration, muscle cramps, or even life-threatening imbalances.

How Can Salt Be Bad for Me?

While salt is essential, too much of it can harm your health. Excess salt is linked to:

• High blood pressure, increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke.
• Kidney strain, as your body works harder to filter out excess sodium.
• Fluid retention, leading to bloating and swelling.

On the flip side, consuming too little salt can also be problematic, affecting hydration and electrolyte levels.

How Much Salt Is Recommended for Health? 🧐

The American Heart Association recommends no more than 2,300 mg of sodium per day (about 1 teaspoon of salt) for most adults, with an ideal limit of 1,500 mg for those with high blood pressure. Staying within these limits helps maintain healthy blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease.

Most folks know salt or sodium chloride is essential to human health. We need this crucial mineral for nerves and muscles to work and maintain healthy water and mineral balances. But did you know it's possible to get too much of a good thing? An internet search will give you a wide variety of information. To help answer some of these frequently asked questions, here's a brief Q&A to do just that. As always, consult with your physician for more information before altering your salt intake.

How Much Salt is Too Much?

For men and women 14 years of age and older and pregnant women, adequate salt intake is 1,500 mg daily. Recommended salt intake is one teaspoon (2,300 mg) or less. We know high amounts of salt increase the risk of illnesses like heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke. The average American generally consumes roughly 3,400 mg or more sodium daily. Too much salt can cause calcium losses (meaning a higher risk of weaker bones). In 2010, it was estimated that reducing sodium intake by 1 gram per day would be more cost-effective than using blood pressure medications in people with high blood pressure.

What Kind of Salt is Healthiest?

One important factor to consider is the grind of the salt. The finer the grind, the more salt crystals will fit into a teaspoon. Also, be aware of fillers or stabilizers in salt, such as dextrose or maltodextrin which is usually made from corn, unless otherwise stated. One teaspoon of each salt below contains the following amounts of sodium:

• Iodized fine grind salt - 2,300 mg
• Kosher salt, coarse - 1,920 mg
• Coarse sea salt - 1,560 mg
• Pink Himalayan salt - 2,200 mg

What Can I Do to Limit My Salt Intake?

Here are some practical ways to manage your salt consumption:

• Read labels carefully. Sticking with a whole-food diet will help lower your daily salt intake. Over time, as you reduce salt, your taste buds will get used to the lower sodium chloride. That allows the food's natural flavors to be more fully appreciated.
• Cook at home. Preparing meals from scratch allows you to control salt levels.
• Use herbs and spices. Flavor your dishes with alternatives like garlic, basil, or lemon instead of salt.
• Rinse canned foods. Removing brine can significantly reduce sodium content.

If you just can't reduce your salt intake, try switching from 100% sodium chloride to 50% potassium chloride and 50% sodium chloride. That will reduce the amount of sodium you consume by half. Adding black pepper, fresh herbs, and other spices to your foods can also help keep food from tasting bland.

How Can Supplements Help With Salt Regulation? 👍🏻

Balancing your sodium intake isn’t just about cutting back—it’s also about ensuring a proper ratio of sodium to other essential electrolytes like potassium and magnesium. These nutrients work together to maintain fluid balance and circulation, heart health, and overall cellular function.

Top Products to Support Salt Regulation:

• Priority One, Potassium Orotate: Supports proper potassium levels for balanced electrolytes.
• Integrative Therapeutics, Krebs Magnesium Potassium Complex: Aids muscle function and cellular health.
• EcoNugenics, Circutol: Promotes healthy circulation and cardiovascular function.
• Bioclinic Naturals, Berberine HCL: Supports metabolic health and cholesterol balance.
• Natural Factors, PeptAce Fish Peptides: Helps maintain healthy blood pressure levels.
• HumanN, SuperBeets Heart Chews: Boosts nitric oxide for better circulation.
• Pure Encapsulations, CholestePure Plus II: Supports cholesterol balance.
• Xymogen, Bergacor Plus: Offers heart health benefits similar to bergamot.
  
  

Further Learning and Resources

For more insight into salt, heart health, and related topics, explore these resources:

• Stephen Smith, Retired Functional Medicine M.D., explains how natural alternatives like bergamot compare to statins in managing heart health. Watch the video here.

• National Institute of Health Article: The Imbalance of Sodium and Potassium Intake.

• Agape Nutrition: What Happens With Too Much Or Too Little Salt

• Agape Nutrition: Bergamot vs. Statins: Related to Heart Attacks: Research Blood Pressure, HDL, LDL, TRI Results

Managing salt intake doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With the right knowledge, tools, and products, you can maintain a healthy balance and take control of your well-being.