Recently I have been hearing a lot of buzz around how salt is unhealthy. I even hear celebrities talking in their interviews that they cut down on salt completely to prevent water retention and puffiness .
But is it really healthy to cut down on salt completely?
It is a great salt debate as I must say!!
Salt is nothing but Sodium Chloride. 40% sodium and 60% chloride, both minerals which play an important role in the body.
But salt gets a bad name because of Sodium in it. Even most of the time Sodium gets a lump in to category of nutritionally No-No, but it is important to understand that sodium plays an important role in your body.
Sodium is required to for many important function in your body, like maintaining your nerve function.Sodium helps you sync and message signals to and from the brain.
Sodium also helps in keeping your heart beat steady.
Sodium is also required for holding water in your body so you stay hydrated.
Most importantly Sodium helps you to maintain your blood pressure. Omitting or minimising sodium/salt completely from your diet can lead to low blood pressure which in extreme cases can lead to death.
Salt is an excellent source of electrolytes , which has shown to prevent muscle cramping during excercise.
Excess salt intake can also be harmful for people with high Bp, and so people suffering with hypertension should have salt in controlled proportion as advised by their doctors & Nutritionists .
RDA suggest: 2000 mg/day for age under 50 years
: 1500 mg / day for age above 50 years
What type of sodium intake is unhealthy- The sodium which you take in from your salt overloaded processed foods. It is even difficult to track how much salt your are consuming.
Bottom line:
Salt is important part of our daily diet and its compensates for essential roles in our body. So don't blindly cut it down unless it is advised to you by your doctor.
So, don't be afraid of consuming salt but just be mindful of the amount you are consuming.
Comments