Benefits and side effects of eating salt

Benefits and Side Effects of Eating Salt

Sodium chloride, or salt, is well known as a popular food seasoning and an important preservative. Salt can be founded in every kitchen all aroundthe world, although most doctors may prevent their patients from eating it in abundance. In fact, salt is one of those products that play a double role: it is essential for health since sodium contentin salt allows an optimal bodily function, but it is highly harmful in big quantities, and contributes to heart-related illness.

Salt is one of the most popular and traditional condiments usedto enhance the flavor of food. Also, it has been used to preserve aliments since many centuries ago. It is recommended to eat a certain quantity of sodium, approximately one teaspoon of salt per day,for our body to receive the benefits of it.

Nowadays, people consume a much higher quantity of salt than necessary. There is a large number of foodstuff in which sodium is added such asmarinated meat, smoke fish, precooked food, hotdogs, ham, canned meat like corned beef and sausages, chips, popcorn, pretzels, dry salted fruits like nuts, dressings, prepared sauces, olives, and chesse.Moreover, many of consumed aliments in fast-food restaurants contain an excessive quantity of salt as well. On the other hand, many products with high content of salt do not taste salty since theyhave high levels of sugar as well. Furthermore, taste buds get used to salty flavor, so it is hard to detect excess of salt in food.

Our body needs around three grams of salt per day, otherwisenausea and weakness would appear as symptoms of low sodium in the organism. Eating the right amount of salt per day favours proper digestion, helps to maintain the right level of corporal liquids,allows the absorption of potassium, and compensates the loss of liquids because of sweat, vomit and diarrhea. Moreover, without salt we couldn’t sleep properly, the intestine may not absorb the...