The Dangers Of A High Salt Diet

Doctors say most of the salt we eat we never see. Why? Most salt we eat is hidden in processed foods and packaged foods. That’s what makes us feel hungry, and that’s what makes us feel heavy. More importantly, that’s what leads to high blood pressure, which puts you at risk for heart disease, stroke, and much more. What’s too much sodium? If you are like most people, you probably consume more sodium in your diet than you realize. It is recommended not to exceed more than 2300 milligrams (1 teaspoon) per day. Limited my salt intake to less than 2000 milligrams per day has been a huge plus for me. When your high salt diet consist of restaurant foods or processed foods, you could double the 2300 milligrams in a single meal. Ask me how I know. The next time you eat a “Lean Cuisine” or any other packaged meal, check the sodium content on the nutrition label. Having said that, here are some serious health consequences from a high salt diet.

1. Brain Damage.
High salt intakes over time could reduce blood flow to the brain, which could lead to mini strokes and possibly dementia. Physical exercise can help protect the brain effect’s from excess salt.

2. High blood Pressure.
Too much salt affects your blood pressure over time. An increased blood pressure forces the heart to pump harder across the whole cardio vascular system because you have too much salt and you end up not excreting all of the salt.

3. Osteoporosis.
Too much salt could be bad for bone health. Try to limit your pizza, hot dogs, fries, and deli meats.

4. Weight Gain.
Okay not so dangerous but could affect your waistline. When you eat too much salt, you add weight and retain water. Get into the habit of reading what’s on the labels. Those hidden salts can sabotage your weight-loss goals.

5. Kidney Damage.
Too much salt from an elevated blood pressure could do harm to your kidneys. When the kidneys stop functioning it can’t filter the blood, which means toxins can build up into your blood stream. Kidney disease could lead to kidney failure and the need for dialysis treatments. So protect your kidneys!

Examples of High Salt Foods:

   1. Packaged Lunch Meats.

   2. Cheese.

   3. Pickled Foods.

   4. Beef.

   5. Fries.

   6. Ham.

   7. TV Dinners.

   8. Canned soups.

   9. Snack Foods.

10. and much more.

9 Ways To Reduce Your High Salt Intake.

1. Hydrate – Drink more water.

2. Add more cardio exercises to your regimen. A good sweat can help purge the salt out of your system.

3. Add herbs and spices as a flavor instead of salt.

4. Cook more home meals from scratch.

5. Buy fresh or frozen veggies.

6. Eat Low-sodium foods.

7. Eat less process foods.

8. Eat less packaged foods.

9. Eat less restaurant foods.

Is Too Much Sodium Bad?

The fact is we do need small amounts of salt in our diet. If your daily diet consists of salty foods, you will take in too much salt. As mentioned before, the result being you leave yourself open to heart attack, stroke, obesity and other health issues. In short, turn your high salt diet into a whole foods diet if want to change your life!