Table salt, also known as NaCl, is what makes food taste great, but too much is not good. Salt and water follow each other so when the salt intake is up the body retains water to balance the effect of the salt. If you have high blood pressure, diabetes, swelling of your extremities or heart disease, salt is not your friend.
A general rule of thumb is an adult should keep the salt intake to 1,500 mg or about 2/3 of a teaspoon a day. If you are a healthy adult, the American Heart Association says you can have up to 2,000 mg of salt daily. Using a dash of salt in cooking is ok, but leave the salt shaker off the table.
The salt shaker is not your only enemy. Just as, or more importantly, is the unrecognized sources of salt. This includes food from restaurants, fast foods, canned vegetables, canned soups and snack foods. These foods are saturated with salt, and unless we are aware of the risk and read labels, we are causing undue risk to our bodies. Do not automatically think that if the label says low salt, that the food actually has safe levels of salt. Salt content is often written in percentages on labels so take the time to do the calculation. If the food item has 50% of daily intake of salt, it is not a “healthy” option. Do not be duped by advertising and labels.
Salts that are pink or black or labeled as specialty salt are still salt. They may have other minerals in them, but they are still salt with the same chemical makeup of that purchased in stores. Iodized salt is not a specialty salt, but salt that has iodine added. Iodine is necessary for thyroid function and is a good source for this essential element.
Take a look at your salt intake. If it is too high, speak to a dietitian or your health care provider for information and education. Salt does make a difference in your health and long term well-being, and it is something you have control over.