amount of necessary sodium in a diet
Your body cannot make these elements on its own, so you must get them from your diet. However, not all salts are created equal. Natural unprocessed salt, such as sea salt and Himalayan salt, contains about 84 percent sodium chloride (just under 37 percent of which is pure sodium). This equates to nearly 16 times more potassium than sodium. Compare that to the Standard American Diet where daily potassium consumption averages about 2,500 mg (the RDA is 4,700 mg/day), along with 3,600 mg of sodium. This may also explain why high-sodium diets appear to affect some people but not others. The average American gets about 3,400 mg of sodium a day — much more than recommended. Here are the main sources of sodium in a typical diet: 1  Processed and prepared foods. 2  The vast majority of sodium in the typical American diet comes from foods that are processed and prepared. Not only did more than six grams of sodium a day raise the risk for heart disease, so did levels lower than three grams per day. In short, while there is a relationship between sodium and blood pressure, it’s not a linear relationship. The Importance of Salt in Your Diet. If you are under the impression that salt is just another way to decrease your health and add to your waistline, then you should know there are benefits to adding a little salt to your diet. You probably aren't even aware of just how much sodium is in your diet. Consider that a single teaspoon of table salt, which is a combination of sodium and chloride, has 2,325 milligrams (mg) of sodium. And it's not just table salt you have to worry about. Many processed and prepared foods contain sodium. See how sodium sneaks into your diet and ways you can shake the habit. Salt Stimulates Muscle Contraction. Salt is important to the nerves, as it stimulates muscle contraction; this will also help prevent your muscles from cramping. Salt also keeps calcium and other minerals in the bloodstream. It also stimulates the adrenal glands. Sodium regulates the fluid outside of the cells and is needed to pump fluid into the cells as potassium carries by-products out. Most adults should not consume more than 2300mg of sodium per day. This is comparable to 1 tsp of table salt. Some individuals, such as endurance athletes who compete for more than 2 hours at a time, may have a higher need for sodium, because it is lost in the sweat. Others may need to consume fewer than the recommended 2300mg per day due to hypertension or sodium sensitivity. Food items which have been highly processed usually contain a large amount of sodium. Unprocessed, or fresh foods, will contain less. Roughly 75% of the sodium in our diets is added by manufacturers. Salt in moderation is actually very important to your diet. Check out why: Salt Helps Retain Water in the Body. Our bodies rely on electrolytes, including salt, to help carry out electrical impulses that control many of our bodies' functions. To keep our bodies functioning as they should, our bodies need the proper amount of electrolytes. Current dietary guidelines in the US recommend limiting your salt intake to anywhere from 1.5 to 2.4 grams of sodium per day, depending on which organization you ask. The American Heart Association suggests a 1.5 gram limit. For a frame of reference, one teaspoon of regular table salt contains about 2.3 grams of sodium.
3,600 mg