Sodium is the form of salt that your body uses. Next time you’re having a look at the nutritional values of something you have bought at the shop, check how much sodium it contains.
You’re only supposed to be getting around
1,500mg a day. This is equivalent to less than a teaspoon of salt! One fast food burger is already a third of this at 500mg.
That doesn’t leave much more for the rest of your meals.
Salt is essential in small amounts to keep your body running
The importance of salt in your diet it to keep the fluids in your body moving around properly.
Salt also makes nerve impulses transmit smoothly.
Your muscle contractions rely on the exchange of salt.
Your kidneys hold and release salt to maintain balance in your body
In people with normal salt levels, your kidneys function well. When there’s a little too much salt, they get rid of it. When there’s too little they hold on to it.
These little excretory machines weren’t made to deal with the amounts that’s now taken in through our diets, and they struggle when there’s far too much.
The higher your
blood pressure, the harder your heart muscles need to pump to get the blood through to the rest of your body.
Your heart muscle becomes strained and overworked. Like any other muscle in your body, this tends to lead to injury and your heart starts to fail.
An easy solution to decrease the risk of heart failure is to decrease your salt intake
It’s as easy as taking in less salt. But don’t only try this when it’s too late, change your diet immediately. Become salt savvy and protect your heart.