While most of us are working hard to lead a balanced and healthy lifestyle, paying attention to the contents of your diet is just as important as overall healthy living. Sometimes cutting back on calories means choosing products that end up having a higher sodium count than what you’d expect. As a standard and average measurement, daily sodium intake should not exceed 2,000 milligrams – sounds like a lot, right? Well, if you’re not paying attention it can add up very quickly.
Believe it or not, overly salted foods pose just as much of a health risk as foods that are high in calories and in fat, and keeping it all in check is essential to being your healthiest you. Take a look at the dangers of eating too much sodium and let’s make sure you’re on the most balanced path possible.
- Enlarged heart and abnormal heart development. Eating too much salty food can result in making your heart work much harder than it has to in order to function normally. When it has to work that hard, it can result in an enlarged heart, leading to chest pains, chronic fatigue and even makes it tough to breathe.
- Osteoporosis. Loss of bone mass can occur because diets high in sodium make it difficult for the body to absorb and use calcium efficiently. If you’re already at risk of osteoporosis, you should be especially careful about limiting sodium intake.
- Hypertension. High sodium or salt intake causes water retention in the body leading to an increase in blood pressure. Spikes in blood pressure can trigger hypertension related emergencies like stroke and heart attack. You can lower your blood pressure simply by lowering your sodium intake in your diet, putting you at much lower risk for these health issues.
- Swelling and dehydration. Have you ever noticed after eating salty foods, you’re immediately thirsty? This is the body’s direct response from the excess sodium drawing the water out of your cells and filling your tissues with fluid. This is what leads to feeling bloated and swollen, especially in the ankles, feet and calves.
- Digestive issues. Acid reflux, heart burn and other digestive issues are no fun and all can be triggered by too much salt in the body. Lowering your salt intake can help curb these issues while also preventing the long-term damage too much salt can cause to the digestive system.
Is this making you think twice about how much sodium you have in your diet? What can you easily cut out to reduce your salt intake?
