Our western diet is literally loaded with salt and contains far, far more salt than our body requires.  We can gain all the salt we need naturally from the food we eat, we do not need to add it to our food on the plate or to cooking.  Processed foods are laden with salt and contain little of the mineral potassium, whereas foods still in their natural state, such as fruits and vegetables, naturally have a high potassium, low salt ratio.

A certain amount of salt (sodium) is vital for our health; its the excess salt that is the problem.  Salt is something our body needs, but on most days many of us eat 4 times the amount that is really needed.  Many of the foods we eat already contain salt in their natural state.  If we eat processed food in tins or packets then salt is usually added by the manufacturer, then we add even more salt at the table. 

Most of the salt in the Western diet is hidden in processed foods, some breakfast cereals are so loaded with salt they have a stronger concentration of salt than sea water.  Foods such as pizza, baked beans, tomato ketchup and cheese are all loaded with salt and a bowl of tinned mushroom soup contains 5 times as much salt as a packet of salted peanuts. 

Some people are more sensitive to salt than others but excess salt can be a factor in the development of the following conditions:

Excess salt causes the body to retain water in order to neutralise the salt. 

Excess salt is a chemical stressor and stimulates the adrenal glands to release stress hormones.  Contrary to popular belief a certain amount of salt is vital and healthy its the amount of salt that we consume that is the problem.

Researchers have estimated that 40,000 lives a year could be saved if the food manufacturers reduced the amount of salt in their products.

High Blood Pressure

People who have a lot of salt in their diet seem to be more likely to have high blood pressure, and they have an increased risk of stokes and heart disease.  In nations who are still consuming a low salt, plant food diet there is little evidence of high blood pressure even with age.  In the west peoples blood pressure rises as they get older, this is not natural it is partly to do with diet and lifestyle because the contrary happens in countries eating a plant based, low salt diet, their blood pressure decreases slightly with age.  Yet in nations who have a high salt diet like that of the Japanese have high levels  of high blood pressure.

It is the sodium in the salt that contributes to High Bp.  The recommended maximum daily amount is 6 grams/day, but the body only needs 1 gram.

(One gram of salt = one fifth of a teaspoon)

Salt Content of Some Foods