If you’re sprinkling salt on everything from mashed potatoes and steak to your morning omelet, it may be obvious that you’re getting too much sodium. However, it’s also very easy to overdo it with sodium, even if you never add extra salt to your meals.
If you often eat out or consume canned or packaged foods such as:
soups,
canned vegetables,
beans and frozen meals or
drink sports drinks and other drinks where electrolytes have been added,
you may be consuming far more sodium than your body needs.
In fact, you may be getting your daily recommended amount of sodium from packaged foods alone, without even touching the salt shaker.
While your body needs sodium, most people consume about 3,400mg of sodium per day, or much more than your body needs, and that’s not good for your heart. It also increases the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure.
How dangerous is salt for the heart?
According to the 2020-2025 US Dietary Guidelines, it’s a good idea to keep your sodium intake below 2,300 mg per day. The American Heart Association ideally recommends reducing your intake even further to 1,500 mg.
However, it can be difficult to calculate how much sodium you are eating based on the numbers alone. But there are some common signs that you may be getting too much sodium. If you find this to be the case, try to reduce it. This means you should:
eat more fresh food,
avoid the salt shaker,
stay hydrated and
limit meals out.
5 Signs You’re Eating Too Much Salt
You feel swollen and bloated
You have frequent headaches
You feel very thirsty
Frequent visits to the toilet
You crave salty foods
You feel swollen and bloated
Feeling swollen and bloated? It could be the salt.
“Consuming too much salt causes your body to retain water, and because of the excess fluid in the body’s tissues, it leads to swelling, bloating, and edema,” says Maggie Michalczyk, MS, RDN. This can make you feel uncomfortable in your clothes, and you just won’t feel or look as refreshed as you could without all that sodium.
In addition, it can also affect your physical condition. “While too much salt doesn’t directly affect your training, some athletes have noticed that the heaviness they feel from bloating after consuming too much salt hinders their performance,” adds Michalczk.
So because it’s good to consume some salt and other electrolytes post-workout to replace the stores lost through sweat, you should start this workout with a lower overall sodium intake.
Frequent headaches
Frequent headaches may be related to salt intake. Consuming too much sodium disrupts the fluid balance in your body, causing sodium to be flushed from your water stores, causing a dehydration headache. “When the body loses a lot of water, the brain shrinks because of the loss,” explains nutritionist Michalczyk.
In addition, excessive consumption of salt can cause unpleasant symptoms such as:
motion sickness,
dizziness and
vomiting (in extreme cases)
All of these make the headache worse. If you get a headache, drink plenty of water to flush the sodium out of your body, helping the pain go away.
Intense thirst
Do you often feel your mouth dry and have a strong desire to drink something to quench your thirst? It may be due to high sodium levels in your body.
“Because salt causes your body to retain water, drawing it from your stored fluids, excess salt causes a fluid deficit, leading to thirst,” explains Michalczyk. “This is your body’s response to let you know that its fluid balance has been disrupted and it needs help to restore itself.”
The solution; Drink water to quench your thirst, but also watch what salty foods you eat. This includes reading labels on products you buy, as sodium can be hiding in foods you wouldn’t suspect.
It is important to note that excessive thirst can also be a sign of diabetes. If you reduce the salt in your diet and your thirst doesn’t go away, it’s a good idea to see your doctor.
Frequent visits to the toilet? Is it the salt?
Feel like spending your day on the toilet? The problem may be related to salt consumption. “Salt affects fluid levels in the body, causing intense thirst,” explains Michalczyk. “Once you’ve quenched your thirst, your body responds by increasing bathroom visits to flush out the excess salt that caused the thirst in the first place.”
So if you visit the bathroom frequently throughout the day and drink a lot of water because you are constantly thirsty, salt may be to blame. “Salt significantly affects the kidneys – your body’s filter – reducing their efficiency. “Excessive salt consumption over a long period of time can even lead to kidney failure,” adds Michalczyk.
Bottom line: To reduce the burden on your kidneys, reduce your salt intake.
Craving salty foods? How to break the cycle
Can’t get that bag of chips or salty fries out of your mind? When you get used to eating salty foods, you tend to want more and more. “When your body gets used to the taste of salty foods, it adapts to it, and then you crave more of that same satisfying taste,” says Michalczyk.
Unfortunately, it becomes a cycle that is hard to break. Gradually reduce your salt consumption by adding less and less or by modifying your dishes when you eat out. Michalczyk’s advice? “Buy condiments without added salt or ask the waiter to make the dish with less salt – restaurant dishes are notoriously loaded with sodium.”
To make up for the loss of flavor that salt offers, replace the salt shaker with spices and herbs.
Cut back on salt: How much do you really need?
Salt is an essential nutrient, but excessive consumption is harmful. Unless you’re losing a lot of sodium through sweat or urine. In this case you should keep your daily sodium intake between 1,500 mg and 2,300 mg.
You can achieve this by:
Increasing eating fresh, whole foods: Fresh fruits, vegetables and grains do not contain added salt.
Avoiding the salt shaker: We usually add much more salt than our food needs.
Limiting ready meals and packaged foods: These items are usually high in sodium.
Choosing low-sodium or no-salt-added canned vegetables and legumes: While canned foods are a convenient option, go for those with lower sodium content.
Additionally, washing them under cold running water can remove some of the sodium.
Signs of excessive sodium consumption:
Feeling of fluid retention
Frequent thirst
Desire for salty foods
If you notice any of these symptoms, it’s a good idea to reduce your sodium intake. However, these symptoms can also be related to other conditions. Consult your doctor and nutritionist to identify the cause and treat it properly.
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