Why You Should Shake The Salt Habit Now

New studies show that a high-sodium diet is even more dangerous than we thought




Based on this research, the US government is revisiting its sodium guidelines. The new thinking: Adults should consume no more than 1,500 mg of sodium per day (two-thirds of a teaspoon), down from the previous limit of less than 2,300 mg.

This adjustment means that Americans are seriously overdosing on salt, getting 3,436 mg a day--more than double the recommended amount. Where's all that sodium coming from? The greatest concern isn't the flaky stuff you shake on at the table--it's the salt that's already in your food. The biggest culprits are processed and packaged foods, which load up on salt for flavor but also for color and texture and to prevent spoilage. About 80% of the sodium in our diets is found in the premade crackers, cookies, cereals, soups, frozen dinners, and pasta sauces we eat at home. And that doesn't even cover fast food and other restaurant meals.

Here's how a single ingredient with zero calories can be such a major cause of weight gain and killer health problems--and how you can sleuth out hidden sodium to protect your health.

Adapted from The Salt Solution by Heather K. Jones, RD, with the editors of Prevention (Rodale, January 2011).

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Why Salt Is Addictive

Your body does need some sodium--to maintain the right balance of fluids, transmit nerve impulses, and contract and relax your muscles--but only about 500 mg per day. When you eat far more than that, your brain chemistry is altered.


Loading up on salt also increases thirst. This wouldn't be an issue if we usually turned to water--but we don't. Research has found a close link between the consumption of salt and intake of sugary beverages. (Diet sodas aren't the answer: They're full of sodium!)

Eating too much salt may cause weight gain in less noticeable ways too--by changing how your body makes and metabolizes fat. Studies show that a high-salt diet boosts the production of insulin, the hormone that tells the body to store excess sugar as fat. Simply put, the more insulin you have, the more fat you store and the more weight you gain.

Kicking Your Salt Habit

You can cut back on sodium with a 2-week salt cleanse, which will boost your metabolism and increase your energy as you cut excess sodium from your diet. You'll also feel thinner, because you'll drop water weight from bloating. Losing those pounds and inches will help motivate you to make low-salt eating a way of life as you reset your tastebuds to enjoy low-sodium foods.

Here's how: For 14 days, you'll eat three 300-calorie meals per day, each with less than 300 mg sodium. You'll also drink a 300-calorie Mineral Boost Juice daily (for recipes, see page 6 of this article), which provides potassium, calcium, and magnesium to help rid your body of excess sodium. Plus, you'll eliminate processed and packaged foods, as well as alcohol.

The good news is that your palate will adapt quickly. Most of us have about 10,000 tastebuds, each one made up of 50 to 150 receptor cells that live for only 1 to 2 weeks and then are replaced by new receptors. So after eating a cleaner diet for 2 weeks, you'll not only begin to taste and enjoy more subtle flavors, you'll also have less of a craving for salt.




The Silent Killer

It's no longer just heart attacks and strokes you need to worry about if you eat too much salt. Evidence now connects sodium to other serious health problems, including:

Cancer: Salted foods are linked to a 15% increase in cancer risk, according to a 2010 Japanese study. In other research, high salt intake has been associated with deaths from stomach cancer. Salty foods irritate the stomach lining, which can cause infection by H. pylori, bacteria that lead to stomach cancer.

Osteoporosis: High-salt diets have been shown to increase calcium loss, which weakens bone and leads, over time, to osteoporosis. A 2-year study of postmenopausal women connected a decrease in hip bone density to sodium intake.

Diabetes: Eating lots of salt may promote insulin resistance. Diabetes already puts you at greater risk of hypertension and heart disease-- and a high salt intake only raises these risks.

Dementia: Hypertension may also affect your brain. Results of the 2010 Women's Health Initiative Memory Study, which took MRI scans of 1,400 women age 65 or older, revealed that those with high blood pressure had more abnormal brain lesions 8 years later. Other research shows that people with hypertension are up to 600% more likely to develop stroke-related dementia.

Sleep Apnea: High blood pressure is a villain here too. It is a vicious cycle--sleep apnea causes sleep deprivation, which can increase blood pressure.

Kidney Disease: Hypertension eventually damages blood vessels throughout your body, including the kidneys. The damage can be gradual: Symptoms may not occur until kidney function is less than 10% of normal.


300-Calorie Mineral Boost Juices

Drink one of these easy-to-make juice recipes each day during your salt cleanse. They're packed with healthy minerals like potassium, calcium, and magnesium, all of which rid the body of excess sodium.

Almond-Blueberry and Banana Smoothie
Combine 1 ½ cups unsweetened almond milk, ¾ of a medium frozen banana, 1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries, 1 cup chopped kale, 5 unsalted whole almonds, and 2 teaspoons honey into a blender. Puree until smooth, about 1-2 minutes and serve.

Calories: 323
Sodium: 300 mg
Potassium: 957 mg
Calcium: 413 mg
Magnesium: 89 mg

Banana-Spinach Smoothie
Combine 1 medium frozen banana, 1 cup fresh spinach, 1 cup plain unsweetened soy milk, 2 ½ teaspoons almond butter, and 1 teaspoons honey in a blender. Puree until smooth, about 1-2 minutes and serve.

Calories: 319
Sodium: 174 mg
Potassium: 805 mg
Calcium: 359 mg
Magnesium: 72 mg

Berry-Mango Smoothie
Combine 1 cup chopped kale, ¾ cup frozen mixed berries, ¾ cup milk, ½ medium frozen banana, 1.2 cup fresh or frozen mango cubes, and 2 teaspoons honey in a blender. Puree until smooth, about 1-2 minutes and serve.

Calories: 321
Sodium: 191 mg
Potassium: 934 mg
Calcium: 526 mg
Magnesium: 88 mg

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