Salt - Why We Need It

As your nutrition advocates we wanted to shed some light on this topic - salt.  It has been long thought that we need to make sure we limit our sodium intake to no more than 2,300 mg per day, which is about 1 teaspoon.  But, new research is showing that this may be too low.  Interestingly, one study found that data from 130,000 people from 49 countries that sodium intakes lower than 3,000 mg was associated with an increased risk of stroke, heart attack or cardiovascular disease.

So why do we need salt?  Well, for one your body needs sodium to live.  This mineral is an important nutrient that is necessary for some biological processes such as controlling blood pressure and keeping your nerves working.  If you're nervous about your salt intake, your body has measures to control sodium levels from getting too low.  If it gets too low hormones are released to keep the sodium you have, but those hormones can cause inflammation in your arteries and organs.

Another study published in the American Journal of Hypertension discovered that when sodium intakes were below 2,645 mg or above 4,954 mg coincided with an increased risk of mortality - whether or not other health conditions were present.  With that in mind, most Americans are not at risk for consuming too little, but we may be at risk for consuming too much.  Right now, the average American gets about 3,400 mg of sodium daily.

Researchers are hoping that recommendations about sodium intake will change and cause a shift away from being too restrictive. In any case, though researchers have not agreed yet on an ideal range they do agree on watching the source.  Try to avoid eating too much of these foods as they are heavy handed in sodium: pizza, cold cuts, processed foods, and bread.

Reference: EatingWell, March/April 2017, Sodium Shake Up (pp. 20).