Salt does make food taste better. But, adopting a low sodium diet can make you healthier. Processed foods are loaded with salt and other unneeded ingredients. It all goes back to the original premise this website was based upon.
Try to eat food the way it was made by nature and don’t alter it. You will most likely get healthier, lose weight and live longer. Avoid refined and processed food as much as possible. There’s usually too much added salt, sugar and oil added.
Salt is not found in natural food in large amounts. This is healthy, because we do need sodium in smaller amounts for our bodies to work right. For example, the sodium in celery.
Is it OK to use salt on your food? I think a dash or so of it is OK, especially if it makes the difference between eating plant based whole food or not. I don’t think a little hurts. It’s a flavor enhancer, just like a little sugar is. We need to make our food tasty or we will not stick to a healthy diet.
Our bodies do require sodium or salt, but in amounts that are in fruits and vegetables. We were raised on salty food. We know no different, but we can train ourselves to read labels and not use the salt shaker as much.
Unfortunately, too much table salt is toxic to our bodies. Yes, it tastes good, but try to limit it. Furthermore, salt does pervert our taste buds making us crave plainer whole foods less.
Salt also impairs digestion and elimination. You also must know it swells us up and makes us retain water thereby making us gain water weight. Salt also impairs the potassium/sodium ratio on a cellular level disrupting our natural water balance.
If you have high blood pressure or kidney disease, you should lower your intake of salt. Read labels. There is added salt to nearly every processed food. Don’t add salt when you cook or boil water; add spices to your recipes instead that don’t have added salt. For example, use pepper, oregano, rosemary and/or powdered garlic.
Prepare all your own foods. I freeze beans and rice for later. This way, you know what’s in it. Avoid buying anything in a bag, can, box, bag or package. Cut back or cut out entirely condiments like mustard, ketchup and mayonnaise.
These have a lot of salt added. The obvious of course if soy sauce. Too much salt can raise blood pressure, increase risk of stroke and heart disease. We all can learn to live with a lot less of it or without it entirely.
Note- before you change your diet contact your doctor.
USDA guidelines More on Salt and Sodium
