How to understand you eat too much salt? Eating too much salt is very dangerous for your health. How much is too much? We’ll answer this tricky question and show you the 9 clear signs that you need to quit salt immediately.
Today, there are around 14,000 uses for salt, and food, industry, and medicine are the best-known ones. If salt is so important and has been around for centuries, how can it do me any bad?
Well, it can if you have too much of it. Salt can be very dangerous for your health. Cook by Color has put together a list of 9 signs clearly showing you are eating too much salt.
- You are always thirsty.
Although humans can’t survive without water If your mouth feels dry and you are craving for water all the time, chances are you are consuming too much salt. Salt consists of SODIUM 40% and CHLORIDE 60%. Sodium in large amounts takes water from your cells. You brain’s thirst center will get the signal and it will do anything possible to help your body to restore the balance of fluids. Notice that on those days, when you eat food rich in sodium, like chips, pizza, and other junk food, you feel tired and thirsty. Make sure to drink plenty of water! Remember that constant thirst can be a sign of diabetes, so it’s a good idea to see the doctor just to be sure.
- You need to go to the bathroom a lot.
You might find it’s logically connected with the previous point – more water you drink, more often you need to go to the bathroom. Frequent urinating can be a sign of diabetes as well, especially when you have a need to go in the middle of the night. When you urinate you lose Calcium, and when there is not enough calcium your blood, your body will take it from somewhere else - your bones! As a result, if you eat too much salt for a rather long time you will get a higher risk of osteoporosis.
- You are craving unhealthy food
Did you notice how much salt do you add to your foods? We know - A LOT! Because it doesn’t taste all that good to you without it. If you don’t have time to cook and choose easy-to-get meals, such as sandwiches, sausage, pizza, chips, bacon, can soups, ham…What about broccoli and carrots? No, thanks? If you are losing interest in healthy foods unless you sprinkle a good amount of salt on it – you may be on your way to become a SALTADDICT. Next stage – you won’t be able to eat unsalted food at all! People who eat too much salt basically turn off their taste buds. They become so accustomed to big amounts of salt – they want to eat salt with every meal! Sounds familiar?
- You have muscle cramps
If you experience muscle cramps “too often” or “every day” and you are not an elderly person or an athlete than salt might be the one to blame. Why does it happen? Salt consists of Sodium and Chloride; Sodium and Calcium help muscle contraction. Potassium which is an essential mineral salt - helps muscles to relax. If you mess up the sodium-potassium balance, your muscles respond as they become sore. So put that shaker down and indulge in some rich in potassium foods like apricots, avocados, asparagus or cauliflower.
- Frequent fatigue and headaches
Too much salt can bring you headaches and fatigue. It doesn’t mean that a bag of salty chips will put you to sleep, however overeating salt on a regular basis will make you dehydrated, which is the number one reason for headaches and fatigue.
- Your kidneys hurt a lot
Kidneys are your body’s powerful chemical factories. They remove waste products, balance fluid levels and control the production of red blood cells. But when you are giving them too much work to do their productivity can fail. A diet rich in sodium can cause kidneys dysfunction, increase the amount of protein in your urine which is a huge risk factor for kidneys disease. If you have pain in your kidneys – consult with your doctor.
- You have high blood pressure
According to the American Heart Association, normal blood pressure is 120/80 and below. If the pressure is higher than that and you do nothing to change it, it can lead to some serious consequences – heart disease, heart attack, or worsening of cognitive functions. An excess amount of sodium holds more fluids in your body which makes your heart work harder. Eating low sodium diet and adding heart beneficial foods such as nuts, pomegranates or oatmeal can help you improve your heart risk condition.
- Your body is swelling in strange places
Puffy eyes can be a sign that you are eating too much salt. Your body is storing extra water in places like ankles or fingers, or under your eyes. It could be a symptom of the more serious condition, but cutting out salt can improve your swelling, bloating and even help you look thinner.
- Sometimes you can’t think straight
Not expected? Who could imagine that salt can affect your brain functioning? In 2011 Canadian study on 1,200 adults has found a connection between salt overdose and brain productivity. Those who had more sodium in their diets had more cognitive decline than those who ate just right amount of salt.
How much salt is too much?
Americans have almost 3,400 milligrams of sodium every day. And, it's more than double the optimal amount! According to the American Heart Association, 1,500 milligrams of sodium is your healthy limit. That's 0.75 teaspoons of salt. That does not sound like a lot, but we have faith you can be strong, limit your salt consumption and start experiencing a real taste of food with the help of our salt-free handcrafted seasonings.
So what can you do?
Try to add a real flavour to your meals, by adding Cook by Color seasonings that are made with zero salt at all and will surprise you with the amount of flavour that they add to any dish. Cook from scratch whenever you can and control the amount of salt that you consume!