Myths and Facts About Salt. Some of these questions have been directed to us. Is salt really bad for you? Eating too much salt isn’t good for your health, but what’s the limit? Knowing the Myths and facts about salt will help you know what exactly to believe about this compound.
Myths and Facts About Salt
Salt is a natural resource found everywhere including the ocean and our tears, it’s tasty and it can be really cheap to buy in most places. But like many things, what is good is bad if consumed too much. Too much salt isn’t great, especially for our health. The consumption of this compound more than the average may lead to Cardiovascular disease.
Now what about salt is really true, and what are the Myths?
Myth 1: Salt can kill You and You Shouldn’t Eat Any of it
No doubt that eating too much salt can contribute to high blood pressure, which is a situation linked to conditions like heart failure and heart attack, kidney problems, fluid retention, stroke, and osteoporosis. That doesn‘t mean you should cut out salt completely, notwithstanding salt is actually an important nutrient for the human body. Salt has so many uses in the human body and should not be totally avoided.
Myth 2: Pink/black/rock/sea/Himalayan salt is better for you than other types of salt
You might have seen adverts portraying some varieties of salts as having extra health benefits that regular table salt doesn’t, like containing minerals that are good for your body. According to consumer advocacy group CHOICE, Australians should be wary of these kinds of health claims, because the minerals found in salts like Himalayan Sea Salt are often present only in very trace amounts.
Do not take too much salt because you are looking for the extra benefits of salts, which can lead you to serious health troubles.
If you want to get extra nutrients or minerals, try getting them from fruits, vegetables, and a variety of other types of foods.
In all, no matter what type of salt it is, it‘s still salt.
Myth 3: Some People Naturally Crave more Salt than Others
Contrary to what many people think, the taste for salt is not naturally configured, it is learned. You can train your taste buds to appreciate and like foods with less salt.
- Try eating mostly fresh food instead of processed food, these foods tend to be high in added salt.
- It is advisable to go for packaged and canned foods labeled ‘no added salt’, ‘low salt’ or ‘salt reduced’
- Always check packaged foods by looking at the food labels and choosing the item with less sodium content.
- Choose canned fish (in spring water) or leftover meat from your last meal over deli meats like ham.
- Always use small amounts of sauces with a high salt content
- flavor your cooking with a variety of herbs and spices and not just salt.
Myth 4: You can Tell that Food is Salty by Tasting it
This is not always true, some foods with a high salt content will not even taste very salty at all. A lot of packaged foods that contain a lot of salt have other ingredients that balance out the salty flavor so that the salt is effectively hidden in the food.
Myth 5: You Should Eat or Drink More Salt After Working Out
The fact that you lose salt through urine and sweat doesn‘t mean that you should take in more salt whenever you break the sweat.
If you have exercised continuously for a long period of time, say 90, minutes, you can take Sports drinks for rehydration purposes.
Myth 6: If you had High Blood Pressure caused by too Much Salt, you’d be Able to Tell
Research has it that more than 30% of Australian adults have high blood pressure, half of them don’t even know it.
sometimes most people with high blood pressure don‘t even show any symptoms, so it’s very important to get a blood pressure check-up regularly.
Finally, good health is a very important possession and should be taken as important as possible. Do what you need to do to stay healthy, visit your doctor for a check-up regularly, take healthy foods and fruits, beware of high salt and sugar intake and look out for others with a depreciating health condition.
