The benefits of salt
Salt mainly consists of 93-99% sodium chloride. This is one of the most important elements that takes part in all biochemical processes of the body, at the cellular level. The unique spice enhances the taste of food, helps transmit nerve impulses, maintains muscle tone. And most importantly, sodium takes part in maintaining the water-salt and acid-base balance of the body and the production of gastric juice. If sodium is not enough, a person loses water, and a condition such as hyponatremia may occur (the concentration of sodium in the plasma decreases to a level of less than 135 mmol/l). It leads to serious heart rhythm disturbances, a decrease in blood pressure, and in severe cases, to confusion, seizures and fainting. Salt may contain small amounts of calcium, potassium, iron, zinc and iodine. Therefore, it partially compensates for the body's need for them. It is a good preservative, as it inhibits the growth of bacteria in food. Therefore, it is not worth giving up salt completely.
Harm of salt
When the recommended daily salt intake is exceeded (more than 5 grams), sodium accumulates in the tissues, edema forms, and blood pressure increases. This is accompanied by vascular spasm, inhibition of metabolic processes in the body, and oxygen starvation. There is a risk of developing strokes and heart attacks. The World Health Organization (WHO) has long been sounding the alarm: the number of strokes and heart attacks is increasing in the world. Their main prerequisite is hypertension, and one of the leading causes of the latter is salt abuse.
Excess sodium can contribute to the development of diseases such as obesity, osteoporosis, cataracts, glaucoma, atherosclerosis, stomach cancer, etc.
Weaning off salt should be done slowly, replacing it with other spices – dried garlic, thyme, parsley, basil, cilantro, lemon or lime juice can be a worthy replacement for salt. But the best alternative is seaweed, which contains many nutrients. We emphasize once again that a number of diseases can be avoided or alleviated by simple restrictions – WHO recommends consuming no more than 5 grams (1 teaspoon) of salt per day. (taking into account the salt contained in all consumed foods).