Top 7 Signs That You’re Eating Too Much Salt

Maintaining the right sodium-potassium balance is vital to your health as these chemical elements are responsible for muscle contraction. If you upset the balance by overdoing it with salt or eating too many salty foods, you may experience cramping or cramping and muscle pain.

The sodium present in salt helps balance the fluids in your body. When you eat too much salt, your body needs more fluid to help get rid of the excess fluid so that muscles and other organs can function properly. It’s your body’s way of regulating its sodium-to-water ratio, and drinking water is the best way to get things back to normal. Remember that not drinking enough water can force your body to draw fluid out of your cells and this can make you dehydrated.

Consuming too much sodium increases blood volume, so it takes up more space in your blood vessels. This dilation of blood vessels causes high blood pressure (hypertension) and as a result can cause severe headaches.

A buildup of sodium in the body can cause serious changes in urination, and there are two reasons it happens:

• Consuming a lot of salt causes your kidneys to work harder to remove this substance from your body. This can lead to kidney disease, causing you to urinate frequently with clear or completely clear colored urine.
• Having too much sodium in your body as a result of fluid loss often leads to dehydration. When the body is significantly dehydrated, your urine output will decrease and turn dark yellow and thick.

High blood pressure caused by eating too much salt can damage the arteries leading to the brain. This can affect your ability to think clearly and make it difficult for you to focus on your day-to-day tasks. Besides, constant dehydration can lead to poor memory, feeling tired and slow reaction ability.

If your bust is a little tight, your feet are swollen, or your eyes are puffy in the morning, you’re probably eating too much salt. The condition when your body begins to retain extra water from eating a lot of salt is called edema and needs to be treated with a more salt-restricted diet.

How to reduce your daily salt intake:

• Stay away from “Salty Six” foods – sandwiches and rolls, pizza, sandwiches and burgers, cold cuts and frozen meats, canned soups, burgers and pies.
• Avoid any processed or restaurant foods as they are often not only loaded with additives and preservatives, but also high in sodium.
• Always look at the nutrition label and check the sodium percentage – it’s better to choose foods with 5% or less of the daily sodium value per serving.
• Experiment with new flavors! Instead of adding salt, try to flavor your meals with fresh or dried herbs, or acids like lemon juice and vinegar.

Sources: Brightside

Eating salty foods can be a big obstacle to your strong bones. When you eat too much salt, the kidneys will not be able to eliminate it completely and this increases the amount of calcium lost a lot. Chronic calcium deficiency can lead to weak bones, problems with your teeth and possibly even osteoporosis.