Table salt contains sodium chloride, which is a necessary mineral for a healthy human body. However an excess of salt intake can cause several health problems. While we all ‘know’ that chips, nachos, pickles and chutneys have high salt content, we should also know that cheese, bread, sauces, ketchup and processed food also contain high levels of salt. Besides adding flavour to our food, salt also plays other roles. Since our body cannot make sodium and chloride ions itself, these need to be consumed through our food intake. Sodium regulates the volumes of fluid in our body. It also aids the uptake of various other nutrients into the cells. The normal pH, or acid-base level, of blood is also influenced by the sodium levels in the body. Salt helps in water retention. If we eat too much salt, the extra water stored in our body raises our blood pressure. So, the more salt we eat, the higher is our blood pressure. High blood pressure can strain our heart, arteries, kidneys and brain. This can lead to heart attacks, strokes, kidney disease and dementia. An average adult requires less than 1 gram per day - and children need even less. However, most of us consume more salt than the recommended maximum of 6g per day, putting us at risk to multiple health problems. The good news is that by just reducing our salt intake we can lower our blood pressure and the risk of several diseases. Since salt ‘draws’ water, it interferes with the normal absorption of water, which possibly leads to constipation and the accumulation of toxins in the intestinal tract.
Salt is preservative in nature. It kills living bacteria on a food item and therefore slows the decay process of that food. However, most table salts are depleted of minerals that the body needs, and have additives that are harmful when ingested. However, the correlation between salt intake and poor health needs further studies. Part of the problem is that individuals vary in how they respond to salt. This could be because the human kidney is designed to respond differently to varying levels of salt intake. For now, it is best to just limit our salt intake.
'Sodium Free' often means that the product contains less than five milligrams of sodium per serving. And 'Reduced Sodium' can mean reduced (from an 'original') by twenty five percent. When you are scanning for sodium content, do not ignore various other forms of sodium - like sodium ascorbate, sodium bicarbonate, sodium benzoate etc., which are equally harmful. 'Natural' salts, like 'sea salt', are partially refined; sea Salt is becoming popular and is being sold as a table salt replacement.
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