What's so bad about salt?
 

My title says it all... I keep reading about people taking salt out of their diet and I don't understand why it's so bad. While I eat mostly whole foods and home cooked meals, I always add salt (and like it a lot!). Will this hinder my weight loss?

Table salt or sodium chloride is an inorganic sodium compound formed by the union of sodium and chloride. Sodium chloride causes the body to retain fluid trying to shield the cells from this protoplasmic poison in an effort to keep it out of the cells. High salt and high fat both seriously impair the immune system. Salt also clogs up the blood stream.

I'm not going to lie, i googled that :)

I haven't seen any credible studies tying salt intake to immune system issues. Did you find any? I would really be interested in seeing the evidence because immune system issues are a big concern in my house.

If your blood pressure is healthy the biggest issue with salt might just be water retention. Salty foods can make us retain water and keep our weight up. I often feel really puffy when I've had too much salt and nothing seems to fit right. I do use salt all the time, just not too much.

Nothing in my opinion unless you want to stay away from water retention (like before an event). Its one of my low cal "vices" like soy sauce. In a couple months I will go light on it so I can fit into a dress lol.

Oy, I don't mean to be unpleasant, linnyc, but... what you Googled just isn't grounded in much objectivity or facts. I mean, the chemical description is right, but calling it a poison is a bit much. Anything can be toxic; the dose makes the poison.

Salt does cause the body to retain more water - that's just a biological reality. Some people seem to be more sensitive than others, or at least notice the change more. It can be relevant if you have blood pressure concerns, as it does raise blood pressure. (It is actually used as a treatment for low blood pressure!) In moderation and balance, it's healthy. When you add salt to home-cooked meals, the overall sodium is probably still quite a bit less than manufactured food 'product.' But you can always reduce salt if you want to see a temporary drop in water weight.

My husband stays away from salty things as he's had blood pressure concerns in the past.

I... don't have those concerns for me. Salt is one of those things I don't pay attention to. That's not to say I go salt crazy, but I pay attention to so many other things, salt just isn't high on my priority list.

The only thing it does to hinder weight loss is that salt can sometimes raise water retention in the body. If I have a rather salty weekend, it means I sometimes feel "puffy" for a day or two.

Absolutely. I don't worry too much about salting my unprocessed, home cooked meals. It's the sodium levels (used as a preservative) in the processed foods that makes me cringe, especially if I was regularly taking in 4000+ mg per day - easily done with processed foods!
My blood pressure is fine, but I tend to feel the bloat if I have something extra salty.

I also add salt according to taste. Salt is only "bad" if you have high blood pressure (or are leaning in that direction), as it causes you to retain more fluid, which causes your blood pressure to go up. If you have low blood pressure, as I do, there's nothing wrong with salting to taste.

F.

It depends.

Some people are more salt sensitive than others. This is a genetic thing. If you are salt sensitive salt can be a very bad thing. If you are not salt sensitive the safe range is a little more unclear. Most "recommended" levels are given for salt sensitive SEDENTARY people.

On the other hand the body NEEDS some sodium. I get very very concerned when I hear people say they are eliminating all the salt from their diet AND saying "when I get hungry instead of eating I drink a lot of water to fill me up". The combo can kill you. Especially if you exercise. Sweat removes salt from your body and you NEED to replace it. Low electrolytes is far far far far more dangerous than dehydration

Salting homemade fresh food is rarely an issue. Most people will not put on with a saltshaker in a week what a meals worth of processed food holds.

I have low blood pressure but blow up like a balloon if I go over 2500mg of salt (Its one of the things I monitor on my food app)....then I get frustrated if the scale won't budge...do I do keep an eye on it....but it is the thing I most go over on my food plan.

Nothing is bad about salt, it has been unnecessarily demonized by many a badly controlled study, and is being exonerated quite thoroughly these days.

Sodium is a good thing, especially when balanced with potassium and magnesium, and the 'problems' with salt come about from the overly processed foods that use it as a preserving agent and to cover their degraded nutrition and lack of taste, not the substance itself. Many conditions once attributed to sodium aggravation are now being proven to have a genetic component that is the biggest factor in their expression, not dietarily linked with salt.

Salt to taste, with real salt that provides plenty of other trace minerals, and you're fine unless you are one of the rare individuals with a sodium-sensitive condition. It isn't common and certainly most normal individuals eating a healthy, whole foods diet are not taking in too much sodium (processed, packaged foods are the culprits, not home cooking) by and large, and there is no reason to restrict intake unless medically indicated (and even then, some of those recommendations are bunk).

**DING DING DING**

I would go a step further and say if you're not salt sensative that sodium is simply no big deal and the body will get ride of excess sodium.

Having said that - sodium can cause you to retain water. It's not so much the sodium but rather the sodium to potassium ratio.

Furthermore, salt sensative or not a low sodium diet can keep help reduce blood pressure so if you're someone with high blood pressure a low sodium diet can help.

Personally we switched to salt lite a couple years ago. Tastes like salt but is half salt/half potassium.

Too much salt causes the body to retain water. It makes the heart have to work harder to pump all of that extra fluid, and increases blood pressure in most people.

I am extremely salt sensitive. Even a little causes swelling, fatigue, and tingling of my feet.

It's best I avoid it.

Some people though, can eat a lot of salt and nothing ever happens to them. Depends on the person.

I have noticed that alot of low-carb cooking seems to have really high sodium content? Why is that?

^This^ :D

Since when? I do a lot of low carb cooking and my food does not have a high sodium content. In fact it is quite the opposite.

Salt sensitivity isn't even universal among folks with high blood pressure. Many people with high blood pressure do not experience an increase in blood pressure with increased salt intake.

I'm on meds for high blood pressure, but I've been told by several doctors that I don't have to worry about salt content for several reasons. It doesn't seem to affect my blood pressure, and my blood sodium levels tend to be on the very low side (on several occasions too low, once to the point I had to take a prescription sodium supplement).

I do tend to eat a relatively low-salt diet, because I was raised in a family that always reduced or cut the salt from all recipes, and salt was virtually never put on the table at meals (corn on the cob and fresh tomatoes were about the only exceptions).

For the most part, I continue that habit, but I'm lucky not to have to watch sodium too carefully, just because my body seems to shed it fairly easily (possibly because I do eat a lot of potassium-rich foods).

I do retain water with salt, but that's easily remedied (and sometimes even preventable) just by drinking extra water along with or after eating saltier foods.

There are some other health issues associated with sodium, so it really is good advice to check with your own doctor before deciding that you should or shouldn't watch sodium levels.

I have a serious issue with salt/sodium. I get so bloated and puffy, I literally woke up one morning after having ate olives the night before and I was so swollen it scared me.

Salt does not cause your body to gain or lose fat. In fact, salt has no calories. High consumption of salt only results in temporary weight gain as it causes your body to retain water. Conversely, low consumption of salt can result in temporary weight loss as it causes your body to expel water.

It is interesting to note that many crash diets which boast quick weight loss rely on foods with little or no salt content. The weight loss is mostly water, and as soon as you eat foods containing salt again you regain the weight.

But do not be so quick to believe that salt has nothin to do when it comes to long-term weight loss. The reason why salt is typically associated with weight gain is that high levels of salt in our diets usually come from calorie dense, fiber poor, processed foods, like those found in fast food and restaurant meals, as well as on supermarket shelves. If you adhere to a low salt diet, it will likely consist of the lower calorie, healthier foods associated with weight loss.