Benefits And Dangers Of Salt Intake: Everything You Need To Know!

We have always heard a lot about the effects and dangers of salt consumption, but it also contains many properties and benefits that we should know about. Here I’ll disclose all the benefits and dangers of salt intake for our health.

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Salt was once used as a currency.

Such has been the importance of this mineral that it even became the means with which all sorts of workers were paid for their labour.

The word “salary” comes from the Latin “salarium”, which in turn comes from “salt”.

Common salt or sodium chloride (NaCl) is not only what we add to food as salt in the kitchen or table, but there is also the salt that enters into the composition of food and its preparation.

There is a belief that if a food is not salty, it means that it doesn’t contain salt, but this is not true, since there are foods that have high amounts of salt and this is not noticeable in the taste.

This is the case with packaged foods in which excess salt is camouflaged with other ingredients.

It also appears in sweet foods but is not noticed because sugar hides its flavour.

Both excess and lack of salt intake can be harmful to health, so we are going to highlight its benefits and learn about its contraindications in order to make good use of it.

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Benefits And Dangers Of Salt Intake

Properties And Benefits Of Salt

Although we have always heard about the harms of excess salt intake, it’s worth noting its multiple health benefits.

Some are:

• It is essential to keep the body well hydrated, so the cells have the necessary water. It regulates the body’s fluids and it’s extremely important for the nervous system to transmit impulses to the brain properly, just like those known as “brain” foods.
• It contributes to the functioning of muscles and nerves, in addition to balancing the levels of liquids present in the body.
• It’s useful in digestive processes and in the intestinal tract since it has the ability to speed up digestion and stimulate the production of saliva and gastric juices.
• It helps us to achieve the necessary balance between potassium, calcium, chloride and sodium. Its natural properties help to give us energy.
• It reduces the insulin needs required by the body.
• It activates the production of serotonin and melatonin, essential hormones to sleep well and regulate sleep – they are also necessary to achieve a state of relaxation, essential for the rest of the body.
• The consumption of salt is necessary to keep the bone system in optimal condition, preventing the loss of water and sodium, one of the main causes of osteoporosis. Its regular intake prevents the appearance of cavities, contributing to our dental health.

Dangers Of Excessive Salt Intake

If we consume too much salt, blood pressure rises, the blood vessels are more compressed and the heart makes an additional effort to pump the blood, which produces hypertension.

This disorder is one of the main factors of cardiovascular disease, therefore, it’s essential to control salt intake.

Eating too much salt can cause:

• Fluid retention that can increase obesity
• Diabetes
• Irregularities in the nervous system
• Kidney, liver and thyroid problems
• Heart problems that can lead to heart attacks
• Cramps or arthritis
• Lack of control of the nervous system
• Depression and anxiety

Special attention must be paid to processed and canned foods, since they contain, as we have seen, high amounts of salt.

Instead, it is preferable to eat dishes prepared at home and larger amounts of fruits, vegetables and legumes.

The body gets used to consuming it, therefore, if we consume more salt than recommended, our system will get used to it, and we will feel the need to keep ingesting it.

It’s recommended to replace it with seasoning, aromatic herbs and spices. And never bringing the salt shaker to the table.

There are studies that state that adding salt directly to a dish that has already been cooked, can cut life expectancy.

Exercising and eating healthy and in moderation decreases the chances of contracting sodium chloride-related ailments.

What Is The Ideal Amount Of Salt?

According to the WHO, the ideal is not to exceed 5 grams of salt a day, which would be equivalent to a teaspoon of seasoning for the whole day.

But, in addition, we must take into account the salt that many foods already contain, and that is also included in these 5 grams.

In the UK, the average consumption is about 8.4 grams, almost twice the recommended amount.

There are studies that affirm that those who take less than 3 grams a day can suffer alterations in their health as seriously as those who exceed 7 grams, including heart-related diseases.

Another issue to take into consideration is the contamination of commercial sea salt with microplastics, which can be harmful to our health.

It’s highly recommended to switch the consumption of common white sea salt for either Himalayan salt (pink) or Celtic sea salt (grey), as they are extracted from layers formed millions of years prior to the invention of plastics, and therefore, it doesn’t contain plastic particles in them.

Final Thoughts

We have always heard about the damage caused by excess salt, but a deficiency of it can also cause damage to our health.

Salt is essential, but in its proper measure (as everything in life!).

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