Ping
I’ve always thought that the anti-salt thing has been way overdone.
No, you don’t want to eat too much salt. But these days, I’ll bet that the greater problem is all those people who eat too little salt.
I'm in awesome shape. Slim, trim, and I have good blood pressure.
Salt enables muslce function and hydration, which keeps the blood from thickening and causing high blood pressure and damage to delicate organ function. The solution (in most cases) is not to lower salt, because salt is so crucial, but to drink a lot more water. Studies have shown that age decreases the sensation of thirst when you’re actually thirsty, so you have to fight back against it. I recommend the book “Your Body’s Many Cries For Water” by F. Batmanghelidj, M.D. (who should receive the Nobel for his research).
Only vegans need be concerned about too little sodium, since all animal products contain sodium. Everyone else should reduce their sodium intake as much as possible. Each person reacts differently to excess sodium, but generally high sodium levels increase blood volume and constrict capillary size. Hypertension (high blood pressure) develops over decades and usually only rears its head late in life. The 30-year old marathoner drinking several coffees a day and consuming several grams of sodium per day is subtracting years from her or his life expectancy.
p.s. Table salt is sodium chloride. Foods contain sodium in many forms. Sodium is the culprit. For example, milk and bread are high in sodium.