Hidden Salt In Our Diets

I was in the Supermarket when lo and behold I came across my favorite herb Tumeric in the form of Curry on sale for $5.00 for two large bottles; this was a blessing in disquise. Upon further inspection I found that these bottles of Curry weren't the benign, pure and salt-free Curry which I buy on a regular basis, but were two bottles of mostly salt

Salt or its chemical name Sodium Chloride is a naturally occuring element which is used as a condiment and is as old as water if not older. It was used in ancient times to preserve food because it kept food from spoiling rapidly, and due to its importance was used to barter in the place of currency. Today some primative societies still barter with salt. There is even a mention in the Bible of a Salt punishment in which Lot's wife was turned into a plllar of it for some infraction. Salt has a long, long history.

Sodium which is in all living things is vital for regulating the water in our bodies, transmitting nerve impulses and influencing the contraction and relaxing of muscles. The recommended requirement for Sodium for a healthy adult is 1500 to 2400 mg a day; a teaspoon of table salt is 2,325 mg. And if we take into account all the salt we take in during the day we would be surprised for very few foods do not contain sodium.

The kidneys regulate Sodium in the body by eliminating it if there is too much and storing it if there is not enough. Once the kidneys cannot eliminate the sodium, it goes into the bloodstream, retains the excess water in our bodies and this causes an imbalance. As result of this water builds up in our bodies and , this raises the Blood Pressure which causes Hypertension; this can cause Stroke and Heart Attack along with other things.

Surprisingly we get most our daily requirement of Sodium and most likely over that from processed foods, as salt is a preservative which keeps food fresh and stable. One only has to look at the Nutritional Facts on the side of the package of processed food to see how much sodium is in it. For people who are Salt sensitive, retain more sodium and thus more water in their bodies, it is incumbent upon these people to take care so they don't get hypertension and damage their Kidneys.

Generally we should be aware of what we are ingesting and be moderate in our intake. However our choices should be dependent on our physcial makeup and our activity level. Active people may need more salt than a person who lives a sedentary life, as exercise changes the fluid in the body. People in warm climates like the Desert need more salt than someone living in the North Pole. It may be best to have a conversation with your physican about salt. However know your body and know your limits as I did when I placed the salted Curry back on the store shelves. As Sherlock Holmes use to say "It's elementry Dr. Watson.".