Sodium or Salt is a very essential component of your diet which helps maintain the water levels in the body. We might have seen people adding drinking Salt Water when they get muscular cramps. Reason, Salt helps hydrate your body and cramps obviously are the effect of dehydration.
But the questions that I kept asking myself was "How much salt do I really need?" and "When should I have more Salt". Some googling and talking to friends helped me figure out (to a certain extent) what is that I would need to do when it comes to Sodium intake. Most of the stuff here on this post are available on multiple sites in google but having done a lot of research thought I would post my experience anyway. And again these are the little things that worked wonders for me in my quest.
Some information ...
A pinch of salt here and there can quickly add up to unhealthy levels of sodium since just one teaspoon of table salt has 2,325 milligrams (mg) of sodium. Again with Indian style of cooking where salt and spice play a major role, sodium levels could get out of proportion pretty soon.
How much do I need?
As per what I have learnt I understood that I don't need much but :) but if you really wanted a number I would say it ranges between 1500 and 2000 mg unless you have been advised otherwise but your physician.
So why do I need to cut down on Sodium, I learnt lower Sodium means stronger muscles so I low
Where does the Sodium come from apart from the salt I use?
Processed and prepared foods. The vast majority of sodium in the typical American diet comes from foods that are processed and prepared. These foods are typically high in salt, which is a combination of sodium and chloride, and in additives that contain sodium. Processed foods include bread, prepared dinners like pasta, meat and egg dishes, pizza, cold cuts and bacon, cheese, soups, and fast foods.
Natural sources. Some foods naturally contain sodium. These include all vegetables and dairy products such as milk, meat. While they don't have an abundance of sodium, eating these foods does add to your overall sodium intake. For example, 1 cup (237 milliliters) of low-fat milk has about 107 mg of sodium.
What did I do and Why?
So when I cooked I made sure I used just less than enough salt and chose fresh ingredients over processed meat n vegetables. Started checking the nutritional value behind every stuff that I bought and started buying stuff that had lower sodium for snacking.
The reason why I reduced sodium is because more the sodium intake the longer its gonna take to develop muscles. Sodium I feel keeps the body loose and does not help gain strong muscles. So reduced it and it worked like a charm.
But the questions that I kept asking myself was "How much salt do I really need?" and "When should I have more Salt". Some googling and talking to friends helped me figure out (to a certain extent) what is that I would need to do when it comes to Sodium intake. Most of the stuff here on this post are available on multiple sites in google but having done a lot of research thought I would post my experience anyway. And again these are the little things that worked wonders for me in my quest.
Some information ...
A pinch of salt here and there can quickly add up to unhealthy levels of sodium since just one teaspoon of table salt has 2,325 milligrams (mg) of sodium. Again with Indian style of cooking where salt and spice play a major role, sodium levels could get out of proportion pretty soon.
How much do I need?
As per what I have learnt I understood that I don't need much but :) but if you really wanted a number I would say it ranges between 1500 and 2000 mg unless you have been advised otherwise but your physician.
So why do I need to cut down on Sodium, I learnt lower Sodium means stronger muscles so I low
Where does the Sodium come from apart from the salt I use?
Processed and prepared foods. The vast majority of sodium in the typical American diet comes from foods that are processed and prepared. These foods are typically high in salt, which is a combination of sodium and chloride, and in additives that contain sodium. Processed foods include bread, prepared dinners like pasta, meat and egg dishes, pizza, cold cuts and bacon, cheese, soups, and fast foods.
Natural sources. Some foods naturally contain sodium. These include all vegetables and dairy products such as milk, meat. While they don't have an abundance of sodium, eating these foods does add to your overall sodium intake. For example, 1 cup (237 milliliters) of low-fat milk has about 107 mg of sodium.
What did I do and Why?
So when I cooked I made sure I used just less than enough salt and chose fresh ingredients over processed meat n vegetables. Started checking the nutritional value behind every stuff that I bought and started buying stuff that had lower sodium for snacking.
The reason why I reduced sodium is because more the sodium intake the longer its gonna take to develop muscles. Sodium I feel keeps the body loose and does not help gain strong muscles. So reduced it and it worked like a charm.
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