Here’s What You Need To Know:
● A component of salt.
● Salt is comprised of 40% sodium and 60% chloride.
● Salts draw water out of food hence why its been such a useful food preservative overtime.
● Required to live.
● Body needs to regulate it tightly.
● Also required for fluid regulation, nutrient transport, blood pressure regulation and expansion of blood volume that accompanies tissue growth.
● Excess levels leads to high blood pressure, strokes and heart attacks.
● Cash cow for food manufacturers.
Sodium
● What You Need To Know:
○ Average North American now consumes 3,400 mg of Sodium per day.
○ Experts recommend we consume < 2,300 mg of Sodium per day.
■ < 1,500 mg if you’re in a high risk group.
○ Its nearly impossible to consume more than 1200 mg sodium per day from unprocessed foods alone.
■ A diet of ⅔ plant foods and ⅓ animal foods = 600 mg of sodium per day w no other salt added.
■ A 100% plant based diet about 300 mg per day.
○ Example: Denny’s Meat Lovers Scramble (eggs, bacon, ham, sausage, cheese, bacon strips, sausage links, hash browns, pancakes) = 5,690 MG of sodium!
○ Excess sodium leads to increase blood pressure in an effort to rid the body of excess sodium and fluid.
○ The kidneys filter out sodium we dont need and we excrete it in urine.
○ When kidneys aren’t functioning optimally, we accumulate sodium and fluid, hence swelling.
● How Much Sodium Should You Consume?
○ If you currently eat a lot of processed foods (microwave meals, canned foods, restaurant foods (even salads), deli meats, dairy, processed meats, yogurt) DO NOT ever add salt and work to decrease the amount you consume.
○ If you eat a diet based on unprocessed and whole foods, sprinkle sea salt on your veggies or proteins.
○ If you normally eat whole foods, on days you indulge in processed foods, be mindful to minimize sodium intake before/during and after that meal.
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