I usually have no problems winding down at night, so I thought it was odd that my heart was racing, my body felt swollen, and I couldn't fall asleep a few hours after dinner. After some late-night Googling which is rarely a good idea, but in this case it actually helped , I found out that my body was probably reacting to the excess salt from my meal.
It turns out in three pieces of hot chicken, there's over 3, mg of sodium — well over the health target of 2, mg per day — and I wasn't even counting the fries I had. A study from the Center for Disease Control showed that 90 percent of Americans eat too much salt , and the average adult has an average daily intake of 3, mg. Over time, your kidneys have trouble keeping up with excess sodium, so your body holds onto water to dilute it hence why you might feel bloated and puffy.
This process increases the fluid around the cells and the volume of blood in your body. Increased blood volume means that your heart has to work extra hard — over time, this could lead to high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke.
Cooking Light's Nutrition Director, Brierley Horton, MS, RD, says, "Overdoing it on sodium can easily happen when you're consuming prepackaged foods or eating out at restaurants, especially if you have a salt sensitivity. The best thing you can do is listen to your body.
While we definitely don't encourage you to regularly have a salt fest, eating too much sodium happens. Holding onto too much sodium not only causes fluid retention, but may also increase blood pressure. To restore balance, and feel more comfortable in your pants, flush sodium out of your system by upping your water intake and eating high-potassium foods. Your kidneys are responsible for getting rid of sodium in your urine. Drinking more water increases urine production and helps flush out excess sodium.
On average, adults need 8 to 12 cups of water a day to replace normal losses, which means you may need to drink more to get rid of the extra sodium in your system. To stay on target, fill a to ounce container with water to drink throughout the day to make sure you get what you need to flush the sodium. For example, you may not think a bagel tastes salty, but a typical 4-inch centimeter oat bran bagel has about mg of sodium, and even a slice of whole-wheat bread contains about mg of sodium.
So how can you tell which foods are high in sodium? Read food labels. The Nutrition Facts label found on most packaged and processed foods lists the amount of sodium in each serving. It also lists whether the ingredients include salt or sodium-containing compounds, such as:.
Try to avoid products with more than mg of sodium per serving. And be sure you know how many servings are in a package — that information is also on the Nutrition Facts label. The supermarket is full of foods labeled reduced sodium or light in sodium. But don't assume that means they're low in sodium. It's only lower in sodium compared with regular chicken noodle soup, which has more than mg of sodium in a cup. Salt substitute is made by replacing some or all the sodium with potassium, magnesium or another mineral.
To achieve that familiar salty taste, you may use too much of the substitute — and get too much sodium. The potassium in some salt substitutes may be a problem for some people. Too much potassium can be harmful for people with kidney problems or who take medicines that cause potassium retention, such as ones used to treat high blood pressure and congestive heart failure.
Your taste for salt is acquired, so you can learn to enjoy less. Decrease your use of salt gradually and your taste buds will adjust. Consider using salt-free seasonings to help with the transition. After a few weeks of cutting back on salt, you probably won't miss it, and some foods may even taste too salty. Then throw away the saltshaker. As you use less salt, your preference for it diminishes, allowing you to enjoy the taste of the food itself, with heart-healthy benefits.
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This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. See more conditions. Healthy Lifestyle Nutrition and healthy eating. Products and services. Sodium: How to tame your salt habit Find out how much sodium you really need, what high-sodium foods to avoid, and ways to prepare and serve foods without adding sodium. By Mayo Clinic Staff. Thank you for Subscribing Our Housecall e-newsletter will keep you up-to-date on the latest health information.
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