Understanding the Affects of Salt aka Sodium....

I know I'm not the first person to tell you this and I know I won't be the last - loose the salt!

It is common to add a pinch here and there to help "season or flavor" foods when cooking. I have no problem with that because only 11% of our intake comes from that dash we add at the table or during food prep. However, it is the astonishing 77% that kills me. And where does this enormous amount come from? Come on, take a guess....processed foods!

Don't get me wrong, we do need some sodium to do bodily functions such as influencing the contraction of muscles, transmitting nerve impulses, and even balancing fluids in the body.

Take note that the kidneys are responsible for regulating the amount of sodium in the body. Too little sodium, your kidneys will conserve more sodium and if too much the excess sodium is released through urine. Therefore proper kidney functionality is essential. If the kidneys can't eliminate proper amounts of sodium, it will then begin to build up in your blood. In part, this contributes to congestive heart failure, cirrhosis, and chronic kidney disease.

It has been widely accepted that your sodium intake should not exceed 2400 mg per day. The main sources of sodium in our diets come from processed foods, condiments, and natural sources of sodium.

Canned vegetables, soups, lunch meats, and frozen foods contain high amounts of sodium to preserve the food and improve the taste. In most cases one serving of soup will carry half the amount of a person's recommended daily intake. And remember, the label will often dictate that serving as half a cup - who actually eats and gets full off a half a cup of soup?

One teaspoon of table salt has 2,325 mg of sodium and the same serving of soy sauce has roughly 1,000 mg of sodium in it. Adding either of these to your meal can significantly raise the sodium intake of your meal.

Naturally you will find sodium in foods like meat, poultry, dairy products, and even vegetables. However in most cases it is a much smaller amount such as a cup of low-fat milk. It carries about 106 mg of sodium.

Now to relate this to your fitness goals let me make this clear, high sodium does not affect your fat levels. However, it does and will affect water retention. When you are stepping on the scale and your body composition has changed but your water retention has either remained the same or increased, the scale can be your worst enemy.

You want to reduce the amount of sodium so that you are healthier and to eliminate excess water from the body. This reduction in water weight will make you not only lighter but will also give you a more toned look to your body. Who doesn't want that?

If you have ever had a conversation with me about reading labels, you will know that I make every attempt to educate people on the misconceptions of those labels. Ultimately, I believe people should understand thoroughly what happens to the foods and crap they ingest and how it affects the body.

So what's your sodium intake? Is it too high?