How much salt/sodium do you need per day?

[Woodznutz]

It is fairly simple.
Don't eat fast food.... only on rare occasions.
Don't eat processed foods. (Basically anything that is not a raw/unprocessed)
Learn to cook.
The American diet is atrocious. Damning. And is shown quite obviously in our poor health statistics.
Diabetes, exploding cancer rates, exploding HBP rates - all happened after the 1950s when corporations and the government took over the food supply and started adding every chemical/preservatives known to man to increase shelf life. And shorten ours.

We can be resilient. I have survived prostate cancer and CAD (coronary artery disease) and am still kicking at 86. Modern medicine has saved me from an early death. I'm forever grateful, but my future longevity is pretty much in my hands and I'm dedicated to healthful living.

See my signature below.

 

[Muhammed]

Getting too little is rare. Too much can damage the kidneys. It does affect blood pressure as well. I can tell when I need to cut back on the salt as my blood pressure goes up by as much as 20 points if I overdo it.

If you have certain health conditions, or if you're taking certain medications, you may need to restrict sodium intake, but heathy people don't.

Healthy bodies easily excrete excess sodium.

Sodium is an essential nutrient. If you suffer from cramps, that's often caused by a sodium deficiency.

Generally, physically active people need more sodium than desk jockeys. Lazy sedentary people don't need as much.

 

[iamwhatiseem]

We can be resilient. I have survived prostate cancer and CAD (coronary artery disease) and am still kicking at 86. Modern medicine has saved me from an early death. I'm forever grateful, but my future longevity is pretty much in my hands and I'm dedicated to healthful living.

See my signature below.

My benefit is I like to cook, and I want to make it all myself. So we eat very little processed foods. This has been true since the 90s, When I have bloodwork done, the doc has said before "you have the blood of a 30 year old". I very much believe that is from eating well. No corporate frankenfood, and very-very little fast food - maybe once a year.
If anything on this entire forum I could get across and actually get through to someone - it is eating better and for the love of God stop drinking pop. Eating bad, drinking pop is worse than smoking. Literally you have a greater chance of dying well before your time by lifelong pop/fast food and frankenfood than if you smoke.

 

[braalian]

Healthy bodies easily excrete excess sodium.

Small to moderate amounts of excess sodium, sure

Most Americans consume far more than moderate amounts, leading to fluid retention and high blood pressure, especially over time and coupled with a sedentary lifestyle

Trust me, most Americans definitely should decrease their sodium intake by quite a bit

Indisputable fact

 

[Muhammed]

Small to moderate amounts of excess sodium, sure

Most Americans consume far more than moderate amounts, leading to fluid retention and high blood pressure, especially over time and coupled with a sedentary lifestyle

Trust me, most Americans definitely should decrease their sodium intake by quite a bit

Indisputable fact

Optimal sodium intake varies widely between individuals.

If you work in the hot sun a lot you need more sodium. If you drink a lot of beer, you need more sodium etc etc.

The sodium scare is unfounded by science.

 

[braalian]

Optimal sodium intake varies widely between individuals.

If you work in the hot sun a lot you need more sodium. If you drink a lot of beer, you need more sodium etc etc.

The sodium scare is unfounded by science.

Not sure why you’re fighting this so hard. Got stock in a salt mine?

Most Americans consume far too much sodium. Are there exceptions? Sure. I administer sodium to patients who are hyponatrermic regularly. Sodium is a vital electrolyte that literally keeps the heart pumping.

But most Americans consume too much and would benefit f on cutting back.

Simple fact

 

[Muhammed]

Not sure why you’re fighting this so hard. Got stock in a salt mine?

Not sure why you are fighting this so hard. Got stock in the lucrative salt substitute industry?

Which is more profitable on the grocery store shelves, salt, or sodium free salt substitute? Which one gets the coveted eye level spot.

 

[braalian]

Not sure why you are fighting this so hard. Got stock in the lucrative salt substitute industry?

I’ve been a nurse for 16 years. I know for a fact that an excess of sodium intake contributes greatly to the epidemic of hypertension and chronic kidney disease

Compared to that, the number of people who are deficient in sodium is statistically negligible

Simply saying “sodium is vital to life” is meaningless

Glucose is necessary for cellular function, but we all know Americans consume that to excess as well

 

[Muhammed]

I’ve been a nurse for 16 years. I know for a fact that an excess of sodium intake contributes greatly to the epidemic of hypertension and chronic kidney disease

Compared to that, the number of people who are deficient in sodium is statistically negligible

Simply saying “sodium is vital to life” is meaningless

Glucose is necessary for cellular function, but we all know Americans consume that to excess as well

You are talking about sick people. A healthy body is very good at regulating electrolytes.

Salt doesn't cause chronic hypertension or kidney disease. However, lowering sodium intake may help those folks.

 

[braalian]

You are talking about sick people. A healthy body is very good at regulating electrolytes.

there are always limits to what the body can safely process and excrete. Healthy bodies included. Consuming too much sodium is one of the ways healthy bodies become unhealthy ones.

Salt doesn't cause chronic hypertension or kidney disease. However, lowering sodium intake may help those folks.

Of course too much sodium raises blood pressure. Which causes cumulative stress on the kidneys. Which leads to chronic kidney failure.

these are all facts

 

[Muhammed]

there are always limits to what the body can safely process and excrete. Healthy bodies included. Consuming too much sodium is one of the ways healthy bodies become unhealthy ones.


Of course too much sodium raises blood pressure. Which causes cumulative stress on the kidneys. Which leads to chronic kidney failure.

these are all facts

It's not that simple.

That's not caused by eating too much salt. If you consume too much sodium your body will excrete the excess, unless there's something pathological going on that is making it retain sodium. For example, insulin is a sodium retentive hormone. People with metabolic disease will often suffer from chronic hypertension.

Fact = Plenty of people consume a lot of salt without ever getting chronic hypertension.

 

[braalian]

It's not that simple.

That's not caused by eating too much salt. If you consume too much sodium your body will excrete it, unless there's something pathological going on that is making it retain sodium. For example, insulin is a sodium retentive hormone. People with metabolic disease will often suffer from chronic hypertension.

Plenty of people consume a lot of salt without ever getting chronic hypertension.

 

[Muhammed]

salt-sensitive =/= healthy

 

[sparky]

Most Americans suffer from high blood pressure because of high sodium foods.

oh? i thought is was liberals......my bad.......~S~

 

[jacksonlamb]

oh? i thought is was liberals......my bad.......~S~

Oh, you said the porkers and porkettes in our evangelical and fundamentalist and Pentecostal congregations. Sooey!

 

[ahmad49]

Honestly, I stopped obsessing over the exact milligrams once I realized how much hidden sodium is in literally everything processed. I try to stick to around a teaspoon of salt a day, which is roughly 2,300mg, but I definitely notice I feel less bloated and have more energy when I focus on whole foods and season things myself. If you’re active or sweating a lot, you might actually need a bit more to keep your electrolytes in balance, but for most of us, just swapping the table salt for some high-quality sea salt and drinking enough water does the trick without needing a calculator.

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

We can be resilient. I have survived prostate cancer and CAD (coronary artery disease) and am still kicking at 86. Modern medicine has saved me from an early death. I'm forever grateful, but my future longevity is pretty much in my hands and I'm dedicated to healthful living.

See my signature below.

Wow! Congrats! In a few years I can call you Methusaleh like initforme.

 

[Carl in Michigan]

I've had genetic high blood pressure all my life. I eat a pretty natural diet. My salt intake is minimal.

 

[Leo123]

IMO, it's a good idea to use iodized table salt especially if one does not consume seafood, dairy products, eggs and seaweed. Maybe not all the time though.

 

[MarathonMike]

The only way to KNOW where you're at with Sodium intake is your blood work numbers. I consume far more salt than my wife, yet my Sodium numbers are lower than hers.