Sodium Chloride: Commonly Known as Salt

Beware of high levels of salt in prepared foods. Most of the salt we eat is already in the food we buy. Check the labels on foods, a food is high in salt if there is more than 1.5 g salt (or 0.6 g of sodium) per 100 grams. Adults should eat less than 6g of salt altogether one day - which is about a teaspoon.

They add it because of the flavor, but it is high in fat as well as calories. To flavor your food add vegetables and fruits such as onions and pickles. Salt is a little thing that can lead to a big negative impact. Fast food contains a lot of sodium and too much sodium consumptions can lead to high blood pressure. According to MedPage Today, high salt intake is the main contributor cardiovascular diseases. A study by the New York City Health Department surveyed 6,580 meals bought at local fast food restaurant chains. The results found were mind-blowing. 57 percent of the meals exceeded the recommended 1,500-mg daily sodium level. Just one meal can pass the sodium level recommended for the entire day. Some healthier options at a burger chain are the following. Instead of that double-patty hamburger with cheese, mayonnaise, and bacon get a regular, single-patty hamburger without the mayonnaise no cheese. An easy change that can make a big difference is changing from fried or breaded to grilled. Healthier choices are out there, but it’s just a matter of being strong enough to say no to the extra calories, fat, and grease.

Sodium recommendations are set low enough to protect against high blood pressure, but high enough to allow adequate intake of other nutrients with a typical diet (Page. 379). The recommended adequate intake (AI) for sodium for someone my age and sex is 1500 mg a day (Page. 379). On day 1 of my 3 day analysis I consumed 1507.83 mg of sodium. On day 2 I consumed 1627.11 mg, and on day 3 I consumed 1632.12 mg of sodium. Summarily, during my three day analysis I was well with range of the recommended AI for sodium consumption.

The average American consumes more than double the daily recommendation of sodium. These levels are above the upper limit that is considered to have no adverse effects on our bodies. The CDC lists heart disease as the most common cause of death for Americans, as well as kidney disease at number nine on the top ten causes of death. These are conditions that can be exacerbated by high sodium levels. Not only that, but high blood pressure affects nearly 1/3 of Americans and chronic kidney disease effects about 10% of the population. These are conditions in which reduced sodium in take could be very therapeutic. Especially considering that these very common medical conditions cost many billions of dollars a year to treat. Tenapanor has been developed to help meet the needs of those who need to reduce their sodium intake.

Salt – the only rock we eat – has made a glittering, often surprising contribution to the history of humankind.

Salt is thought to be responsible to speed up the body’s loss of calcium. Australian adults are recommended to consume less than 4g to 6g of salt. This is equivalent to one teaspoon a day.

Perhaps the reason why salt is not discussed earlier in the chapter is that humans require the nutrient of salt intake. Per author Jeremy Likeness in the article, the “The skinny on salt” at bodybuiliding.com informs that body needs the nutrient of sodium and chloride that cannot produce in the body. Furthermore, Likeness believes that it is not the sodium amount that is important rather the sodium in the diet is the ratio of sodium to potassium (Likeness). As sodium potassium effects, fluid balance in the body. As a result, if there is too little sodium it will cause the body to retain water. Unbeknownst to me, I did not realize how important it is to get the right amount of sodium into my diet. Perhaps Bushman wanted all readers to gain a basic understanding of physical activity and diet before

Before we can look at the impact it has had, it should be discussed why these food items are important. Salt has become equated with commonality in the last century. This was not the case though for the millennia beforehand. As a necessary mineral to maintain life, salt has been hunted and searched for as long as time itself. Mark Kurlansky explained in his writing on the subject that, “whoever controlled salt was in power.” This statement has been proven correct time, and time again, when those who are attempting to attain sovereignty, often will begin with maintaining control over the salt.

The American Heart Association recommends aiming for a dietary pattern that achieves five percent to 6 percent of calories form saturated fat which is about thirteen grams of saturated fats a day. To get the nutrients you need you need a diet of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, poultry, fish, and nuts. Research shows that the dietary antioxidants including Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and Provitamin A have contributed to the prevention of coronary heart disease. High blood pressure is a leading cause of cardiovascular disease. Many people are at risk for developing health problems related to salt consumption including people over age 50, people who have elevated blood pressure, people who are diabetic, and African Americans. In your body your kidneys have trouble keeping up with the excess sodium in the bloodstream. This leads to increased blood volume which means more work for the heart and more pressure on the blood vessels. Over time, this can leading to high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke. High salt intake increases blood pressure and high potassium intake can help relax blood vessels and excrete the

First, in the Bible salt symbolizes peace and friendship. It is also a symbol of wisdom. Scriptures do not contain any mention of salt being used as a preservative. Salt was procured by the Jewish from the Dead Sea. They frequently gathered sea salt, filled rock crevices with it, and left it for the hot summer sun to evaporate. After evaporation, salt crystals were collected. (2 Samuel 8:13,

“Salt, A World History,” is an extensive aspect of world history by Earth’s one edible rock - salt. The book begins at the start of recorded history, and highlights humanity’s dependence on salt, up to roughly present day times. It focuses on the effect salt had on, and its contributions to, humankind. The book details how salt affected, economics, religion, science, and culinary practices all over the world.

Fast food is food that is calorie dense and nutrient poor. In recent fast food has consumption in the United States have increased dramatically with twenty five percent of people have contributed to fast food diet. This trend has occurred with crossing of numerous diseases and accounts for a long list of reasons why eating fast food is bad. High sodium levels are a defining characteristic of many fast foods and one of the contributing factors to the overconsumption of salt which contributes to high blood pressure, heart, liver, and kidney diseases. According to the Harvard Health Publications," the average American eats five to ten times more salt than the 2,300 milligrams per day recommended by the u.s. Dietary." (Roizman, Tracey. "Reason Eating Junk Food Is Not Good."

This article focused on lowering the salt intake of children and their families with the help of a program that educated them on the harmful effects and ways to lower their daily consumption of salt. 279 children from 28 primary schools in Changzhi, northern China were assessed and randomly assigned to a control or intervention group. Children in the intervention group were educated the negative influences of salt and how to reduce their ingestion. These children then went home to their families and relayed this information. This intervention lasted one school quarter which is approximately 3.5 months. The control group was not intervened with this information. Two outcomes were taken from the differences in salt intake in each group. The

The “silent killer” is high blood pressure, or hypertension, a disease that’s responsible for as much as 25 percent of end stage kidney failure, and has no noticeable symptoms. Too much salt can raise one’s blood pressure. African Americans’ blood pressure is very reactive to salt because their African ancestors weren't fed or given much water, if any, to drink when they were taken to America against their will by slave traders. This resulted in a very high death rate on the ships, so those who had a natural propensity to retain high levels of salt, maintaining enough water to avoid deadly dehydration, had a better chance to survive. This ability, along with a modern salt-filled diet, leads to increased rates of hypertension.

Figure 3. Haemolymph Sodium levels as a function of seawater Sodium at 4 concentrations; 100%, 75%, 50% and 25%. Values are mean ± SEM. N=7 for all groups.