The Truth About Salt

Insidious health threat, or innocent flavor enhancer? Take a closer look at the planet’s tastiest mineral

By Maria Masters, Men’s Health

America has declared war on salt. The nutrition militia, claiming that the enemy is attacking you and your buddies, points to hypertension stats: More than 20 percent of American men between 35 and 44 have high blood pressure. Even the Institute of Medicine is leaning on the government to set standards for sodium content in foods; and the American Heart Association, along with the City of New York and 30 other cities, is promoting a new National Salt Reduction Initiative.

So should you enlist? It’s a tough battle. “If people want to avoid salt, they really can’t—not unless they skip processed, prepared, and restaurant foods,” says Marion Nestle, Ph.D., M.P.H., a professor of nutrition, food studies, and public health at New York University.

20 Little changes you can make today for a healthier life.

What’s more, salt may not even be the true enemy. Before you sign up to fight, tune out the hysteria and plunge into the latest nutrition intel.

Can I live without salt?

Nope

Salt is essential to health. Your body can’t make it, and your cells need it to function, says Aryan Aiyer, M.D., director of the heart center at Magee-Womens Hospital at the University of Pittsburgh medical center. In fact, the Institute of Medicine recommends consuming at least 3.8 grams of salt a day (just over 1/2 teaspoon), mainly for the sodium.

Eat this, not that: The 30 saltiest foods in America.

Sodium is an electrolyte, a humble member of that hyped class of minerals that help maintain muscle function and hydration; that’s why sport drinks contain sodium. You’re constantly losing sodium through sweat and urine, and if you don’t replenish that sodium and water, your blood pressure may drop far enough to make you dizzy and light-headed. “Sodium acts like a sponge to help hold fluids in your blood,” says Rikki Keen, R.D., an adjunct instructor of dietetics and nutrition at the University of Alaska.

However, people who chug too much water can lower their sodium levels so far that they develop hyponatremia, a potentially deadly condition more common among recreational exercisers than professional athletes, says Marie Spano, R.D., a sports nutritionist in Atlanta. Salt does more than just make our food taste good; without it, we’d die.

1 of 5

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

jane r.

7:05PM PST on Nov 27, 2011

Moderation.

send a green star

Ellie D.

6:06PM PST on Nov 11, 2011

thanks

Eternal G.

7:32PM PDT on Aug 20, 2011

Thank you for posting.

Lynn Marie M.

4:08PM PDT on Aug 13, 2011

Good info. Thanks.

Debbie L.

7:49PM PDT on Aug 11, 2011

Great article, thanks!

KrassiAWAY B.

4:21PM PDT on Aug 8, 2011

Noted with interest. I need salt, because I have low pressure.

mariana c.

8:16PM PDT on Aug 7, 2011

Very interesting article , thanks

Lika S.

1:18AM PDT on Jul 31, 2011

Well, unless it's baked potatoes, I don't put the salt shaker on the table. Only pepper. I go for the spice, and my fajitas contain NO salt. My family eats it up.

If high blood pressure is a slight problem, sea salt is supposed to be better because you use less to get more salt flavor. If it's still a problem, Morten has "Salt Lite" which is a combo of sodium and potassium.

Bananas are great for potassium, and at our house, we also eat our veggies. Yet we all have high bp's, when I don't use a lot of salt... it doesn't' get added to water for boiling pasta. I don't put extra into spaghetti sauce, because the paste has salt in it. I use fresh veggies in it. When cooking foods from the Orient, I use soy, but don't add soy or msg - at all.

Rudolf A.

12:37PM PDT on Jul 29, 2011

Salt is insidious, you first get a taste for it when you are very young; if your mother uses it there will be traces in her breast milk if you are bottle-fed there will be traces of it in formula food. As we move onto solids we get more and more of it. Salt should be banned from food. If we take junk food such as crisps and bagged peanuts we get vast quantities of it. Pretty soon we are as addicted to it as others are addicted to heroin. Food tastes 'bland' and 'not right' without it. Give it up or suffer the likely consequences in later life, not least heart attacks.

Past Member .

10:17PM PDT on Jul 28, 2011

A little salt is fine, but fast and processed food not only adversely affects the body, it can improve your chances of getting dementia. After spending my youth making meals out of Twizzlers, Twinkies, and diet soda, I'm grateful to still be able to form coherent sentances. I was stopped in my tracks by a food intolerance and then a diagnosis of Celiacs. I was circling the drain of obesity, high cholesterol, and other ugly health issues. Moderation by all means.