Did You Know That Excess Salt Is Harmful? by: Cindi Gass Salt (sodium)
plays an important role in the regulation of muscle contraction, fluid balance
and nerve impulses in the human body and it is essential for overall good
health. All our body fluids including blood, sweat, tears, etc contain sodium.
It is essential to maintain proper balance of sodium in these fluids. Sodium
in the body is mainly found in fluids that surround the body’s cells, such as
blood and lymph fluid. When sodium intake exceeds the amount the body can
handle it builds up in the interstitial areas and the kidneys have to work
extra hard to excrete it. A build up may cause the body to hold extra fluids
in the blood and around the cells, which contributes to increased blood
pressure and also excess weight gain from water. The reason why water
retention can be so hard to diagnose is that almost all the body’s tissues
have plenty of capacity to hold a little extra fluid without looking abnormal.
This extra fluid is what makes one look fat. Generally, we should only eat
between 1,000 and 3,000 mg of sodium a day, so it’s easy to go overboard. The
Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for sodium is about 2,300 mg - slightly more
than one teaspoon. While sodium occurs naturally in many foods and is used in
food additives such as monosodium glutamate (MSG), salt itself still accounts
for more than 90 per cent of the sodium in our diets. In fact, three-quarters
of the salt in our diets comes from processed foods, with just 10 per cent
coming from the salt we add during cooking or at the table, and the remaining
15 per cent that occurs naturally in food. This means they key to keeping salt
intake down is to eat fewer processed, salty foods such as sauces, pickles,
crisps, canned meats, sausages, ham, and canned soups. The good news is many
of these foods are also high in calories and fat making them poor choices if
you’re trying to lose weight. The more highly processed a food is, the more
likely it is to have high sodium content. That’s why, when it comes to eating,
it’s wise to stick mainly to the basics. Fruits, vegetables, lean meant, beans
and whole grains all have little sodium. Tips to Reduce Sodium in Your Diet
Eat canned soups or broths sparingly. These can be very high in sodium. Use
fresh poultry, fish, and lean meat, rather than canned or processed types.
Switch to low-sodium margarine, or low-salt butter. Avoid salted nuts, chips,
pickles and other snack foods. Avoid using table salt. Do not add extra salt
at the table. Reduce sodium when shopping. Read the food labels carefully to
find out more about what is in the foods you eat. This will help you choose
the right foods. This will help you limit the amount of sodium you eat
everyday. Rinse salt from canned foods. About The Author Cindi Gass also
writes on hemorrhoids. More info:
http://www.internal-external-hemorrhoids-pictures.com/.

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