Our body is a complex system nourished by various nutrients and minerals; an excess or deficiency of any essential element can take a toll on our health. Sodium is one such essential nutrient. Your body needs a certain amount of sodium in order to function well; it forms an integral part of your circulatory system and ensures a sufficient tissue perfusion. It also allows nutrients and minerals to move into your cells from the blood vessels. We get most of the Sodium the body needs from everyday salt. Too much or too little salt in the body can have adverse effects on your well-being. Have you ever wondered what happens when your body is short of salt? How much salt do you really need in a day? And finally, how can you find out if your body is salt deficient? We have got all the answers for you. Show According to Neha Shetty, Senior Dietician, Reduce Talwalkar's, "Salt is 40% sodium and 60% chloride. So when we discuss about the salt recommendation, it is majorly due to the sodium intake. Sodium is an important electrolyte in the body and is essential for life. In fact, no mineral is more important than sodium; it is a nutrient that cannot be produced naturally by the body. Many foods like eggs, meat, milk etc. contain sodium but the major amount comes from our daily salt." Major health organisations including World Health Organisation (WHO) recommend not more than 2300 mg of sodium per day which roughly comes to one teaspoon of salt per day.(Also read: How to Cut Down on Salt and Choose the Right Foods)  Salt is 40% sodium and 60% chlorideDietitian Neha shares, "We always worry about high intake of salt but on the contrary, even low salt intake can serious implications. Some of these implications include depression, weakness, nausea, vomiting, cramps, headache, irritability, confusion etc. Serious deficiency can even lead to seizures, coma and in some cases it may be fatal too. Some of the signs of salt deficiency may include 1. Headaches Your nervous system requires sodium to function and when the levels of sodium drop, it can lead to severe headaches. 2. Nausea and vomiting This is your body's way of getting rid of the excess water which is causing an imbalance in the sodium level. 3. Confusion Your nervous system is quite dependent on the sodium levels in order to send messages through its neurons. If you are deficient, chances are your brain
will not be able to receive the message and further cause confusion. Your nervous system requires sodium to function 4. Fatigue If your body is short of sodium, then your blood's ability to deliver nutrients and flush the waste may get hampered, which may further cause fatigue. 5. Muscle weakness and cramps If your muscles do not get rid of the waste products, like excess lactic acid because of your low blood sodium levels, there is chance that the waste products may cause cramps and spasms in the various parts of the body. While it is good to keep a balance, you should also ensure that you are not loading up on processed foods that contain a good amount of sodium. So considering the current lifestyle of any adult these days, salt intake needs to be taken care of as it could have a direct impact on our health. Find out the daily salt recommendations for adults, children and babies and learn how to use nutrition labels to spot the
salt in food. A diet high in salt (or sodium) can cause raised blood pressure, which can increase your risk of heart disease and stroke. High blood pressure often has no symptoms, and many people who have high blood pressure do not know it. For tips on how to cut down on salt, read
Tips for a lower-salt diet. Adults Adults should eat no more than 6g of salt a day (2.4g sodium) – that's around 1 teaspoon. Children Children aged:
Babies Babies should not eat much salt, because their kidneys are not fully developed to process it. Babies under 1 year old should have less than 1g of salt a day. If a baby is breastfed, they will get the right amount of minerals, including sodium, from breast milk. Formula milk contains a similar amount of minerals to breast milk. Do not add salt to your baby's milk or food and do not use stock cubes or gravy in meals for your baby as they're often high in salt and their kidneys cannot cope with it. Remember this when you're cooking for the family if you plan to give the same food to your baby. Avoid giving your baby salty foods such as bacon, sausages, crackers, crisps, ready meals or takeaways as these are often high in salt. Food manufactured specifically for babies should meet the recommended levels. If in doubt, always check food labels. Check salt on labelsIn the UK labels on pre-packed food must say how much salt they contain. Look out for the salt content in the everyday foods you buy, and choose lower-salt options. Most pre-packed foods have a nutrition label on the back or side of the packaging. Many foods also display information about the salt content on the front of the packaging. This may show the salt content as a percentage of your reference intake (RI), or have colour-coded nutrition information to show whether the salt content is:
Try to eat high-salt foods only occasionally, or in small amounts, and aim to mainly eat foods that are green or amber. If the label only gives sodium, you can work out the amount of salt in it by multiplying the total sodium by 2.5. For example, 1g of sodium per 100g is 2.5g of salt per 100g. Foods that contain saltSome foods are almost always high in salt because of the way they are made. Other foods, such as bread and breakfast cereals, can contribute a lot of salt to our diet. But that's not because these foods are always high in salt – it's because we eat a lot of them. High-salt foodsThe following foods are almost always high in salt. To cut down on salt, eat them less often and have smaller amounts:
Foods that can be high in saltIn the following foods, the salt content can vary widely between different brands or varieties. That means you can cut down on salt by comparing brands and choosing the one that is lower in salt. Nutrition labels can help you do this. These foods include:
Soluble vitamin supplements and painkillersIf you routinely take an effervescent (dissolvable) vitamin supplement, or take effervescent painkillers when necessary, it's worth remembering that these can contain up to 1g salt per tablet. You may therefore wish to consider changing to a non-effervescent tablet, particularly if you have been advised to watch or reduce your salt intake. Talk to a doctor or pharmacist before changing any medicine you take. How do I know if I am lacking salt?Loss of energy, drowsiness and fatigue. Restlessness and irritability. Muscle weakness, spasms or cramps. Seizures.
What happens when your body runs low on salt?Salt loss (hyponatremia)
Hyponatremia is a condition that occurs when the sodium in your blood falls below the normal range of 135–145 mEq/L. In severe cases, low sodium levels in the body can lead to muscle cramps, nausea, vomiting and dizziness. Eventually, lack of salt can lead to shock, coma and death.
How can I raise my sodium levels quickly?Treatment. Intravenous fluids. Your doctor may recommend IV sodium solution to slowly raise the sodium levels in your blood. ... . Medications. You may take medications to manage the signs and symptoms of hyponatremia, such as headaches, nausea and seizures.. |
Signs you are not getting enough salt NHS
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