{"id":58705,"date":"2017-05-17T07:15:56","date_gmt":"2017-05-17T11:15:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=58705"},"modified":"2017-05-18T09:42:18","modified_gmt":"2017-05-18T13:42:18","slug":"salt-sodium-recommendations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/health\/salt-sodium-recommendations\/","title":{"rendered":"Should You Really Shake Your Salt Cravings?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Should
Photo: Twenty20<\/a><\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For years, the thinking on salt<\/a> has been that less is always better: Too much raises blood pressure, which can increase your risk of heart disease. So we all curbed our French fries addiction and laid off the salt shaker. But new research shows that the factors affecting blood pressure are much more complex.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>Why Salt Is Not the Enemy\u2026If You Use It Right<\/a><\/p>\n

The Current Recommendations on Sodium<\/h3>\n

The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends<\/a> a maximum of 2,300 mg of sodium a day for most people \u2014 that\u2019s about one teaspoon of salt \u2014 ideally 1,500 mg.<\/p>\n

James R. Johnston, MD, Professor of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, explains that\u2019s essentially a no-added-salt diet. \u201cYou\u2019re not using the salt shaker for cooking or at the dinner table,\u201d he says. \u201cMy patients say it\u2019s like eating cardboard. We have a very highly developed taste for salt.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most of us get 50 percent more than the AHA\u2019s recommendation \u2014 in large part due to packaged foods. A just-released study<\/a> found that, on average, people eat 3,500 mg of sodium per day. Packaged and restaurant food is the leading source (70.9 percent). Conversely, salt added in home cooking (5.6 percent) and at the dinner table (4.9 percent) barely registered. These numbers led the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to release voluntary guidelines<\/a> last June, calling for food manufacturers to ease up on the salty stuff, too.<\/p>\n

So How Low Should You Go?<\/h3>\n

But ever since we\u2019ve demonized salt and limited it from our diets, a number of recent studies have questioned whether the current limit might be too low. A preliminary study<\/a> found that people who consumed less than 2,500 mg of sodium actually had a higher<\/em> risk of high blood pressure than those who got 3,500 mg. Another much larger review study published last year<\/a> found that eating less than 3,000 mg of sodium per day was associated with an increased risk for high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease, as was eating more than 7,000 mg.<\/p>\n

Because of this discrepancy, researchers are taking another look at sodium recommendations because the current ones don\u2019t work for everyone, says Johnston. \u201cWhat causes high blood pressure is very poorly understood. Some groups of people are much more sensitive to salt intake. A lot has to do with genetics,\u201d he says. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to find out the best value.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>The Truth About Salt: Should You Shake the Habit?<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>This new research also points out that not getting enough potassium<\/a> can increase your risk for high blood pressure and heart disease. Potassium helps your kidneys get rid of sodium, Johnston explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe whole idea that sodium is acting alone in causing high blood pressure may be false,\u201d says Johnston. \u201cMaybe it\u2019s not only sodium but potassium. The data before didn\u2019t control closely enough for potassium. Now we\u2019re looking at it closely again, but we\u2019re not close to having it worked out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Potassium comes mostly from fruits<\/a> and vegetables that most of us aren\u2019t getting enough of. \u201cIf we got more fruits and veggies, it could help us better control blood pressure,\u201d says Isabel Smith, R.D.<\/a><\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>Is It All In Your Gut? The Sleep-Gut Connection<\/a><\/p>\n

Why We Need Sodium<\/h3>\n

Before McDonald\u2019s, Doritos and Hot Pockets, we had to seek out salt to live. \u201cSodium helps our bodies hold on to fluid so we\u2019re not dehydrated<\/a>. It helps muscles contract and keeps our nerves healthy. At less than 500 mg per day, you can\u2019t survive,\u201d says nutritionist Karen Ansel, R.D.<\/a> She explains that sodium pulls water into your blood vessels \u2014 which is why too much can increase blood pressure.<\/p>\n

And you will feel the effects if you\u2019re not getting enough. Ansel says for years she experienced dizziness. She later found out it was due to very low sodium levels. \u201cWe see that with health-conscious people. I had to change the way I ate because of that,\u201d Ansel says. \u201cSo we do need sodium. But most of us are eating too much.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>You\u2019d Never Guess These 7 Dehydration Symptoms<\/a><\/p>\n

How Much Salt Should You Eat?<\/h3>\n

A person\u2019s ideal sodium consumption depends on many factors. Some people are more sensitive: A level that raises one individual\u2019s blood pressure might not affect another person\u2019s at all, says Ansel. What\u2019s more, people who exercise and sweat<\/a> a lot need more sodium than those who are less active.<\/p>\n

For most of us, experts say we should still aim for no more than 2,300 mg of salt per day. But that doesn\u2019t necessarily mean skipping the shaker. \u201cIf you eat few processed and\u00a0packaged\u00a0foods, and you eat a lot of vegetables and fruits, which contain potassium, and exercise, most people don\u2019t have to worry too much\u00a0about\u00a0too much salt,\u201d says Smith. \u201cI like\u00a0people\u00a0to focus on other healthy behaviors that naturally help keep blood pressure down.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>Do You Have to Sweat to Get a Good Workout?<\/a><\/p>\n

6 Expert Tips to Keep Your Sodium in Check<\/h3>\n

For now, experts agree on the following.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Get your blood pressure checked. <\/strong>If it\u2019s too high, cut down on salt and eat more fruits and veggies, says Johnston. Start slowly: \u201cYou can retrain your taste for salt, but if you abruptly go to a low- or no-sodium diet you\u2019re going to be miserable,\u201d he says.<\/li>\n
  2. Skip processed foods.<\/strong> \u201cMost of the salt we eat is not from cooking,\u201d says Ansel. Cut out as many salty packaged foods like deli meats<\/a>, hot dogs and ready-made pasta as possible.<\/li>\n
  3. Cook when you can.<\/strong> Since restaurant foods are high in sodium, cooking meals with fresh ingredients makes a big difference in terms of your overall intake.<\/li>\n
  4. Keep an eye on portions.<\/strong> Ansel points out that bread is actually the number one source of sodium in our diets \u2014 not because it\u2019s super salty but because we simply eat so much of it. \u201cIf you\u2019re having eight slices of bread or two big bagels a day, that\u2019s too much,\u201d she says.<\/li>\n
  5. Sprinkle salt on top of, not in, foods. <\/strong>\u201cInstead of using salt in dressings and sauces, I\u00a0like\u00a0people\u00a0to use it on top of their food in\u00a0small\u00a0quantities. It feels more decadent and\u00a0like\u00a0they’re getting\u00a0more\u00a0than they\u00a0actually are,\u201d says Smith.<\/li>\n
  6. Use whatever type you prefer.<\/strong> Ansel says there\u2019s not really a difference nutritionally between table and sea salt. Table salt<\/a> has added iodine, which helps your thyroid function (and you might need more if you don\u2019t eat fish). \u201cSea salt does have more of a mix of minerals that can give different flavor to food,\u201d Ansel adds.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    RELATED: <\/strong>The 10 Worst Fast Food Sandwiches (Plus Healthy Swaps)<\/a><\/p>\n

    The bottom line: More research needs to be done to revamp the recommendations. \u201cWe keep scratching the surface with science. The next thing we learn is always changing everything we think we know,\u201d Johnston says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Salt has gotten a bad rap over the years, but new research shows that sodium isn\u2019t the only factor that affects blood pressure and heart disease risk. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":105,"featured_media":58707,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,7],"tags":[41,71,326,341,402],"class_list":["post-58705","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diet-nutrition","category-health","tag-diets","tag-nutrition","tag-portion-control","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2heart-disease"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58705","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/105"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58705"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58705\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58707"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58705"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58705"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58705"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}