Of course, the tricky thing is that “you often don’t even taste how salty these foods actually are because they contain so much sugar that the taste of salt is masked,” notes Ahlemann.
What happens if you eat too much salt?
Too much salt increases blood pressure and increases the risk of developing high blood pressure, note the experts at John Hopkins Medicine. Since high blood pressure is one of the most important risk factors for cardiovascular disease, increased salt consumption also indirectly increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. Luckily, you can usually tell pretty easily whether you are eating too much salt.
Four signs that you are eating too much salt
1. Puffy face, bloating, and water retention
Have you ever woken up with a puffy face the morning after eating out? “This can occur, for example, when you eat sushi in the evening: The soy sauce that goes with it is extremely salty, which can lead to you waking up in the morning with a puffy face and swollen fingers,” explains Ahlemann: “This is a typical water retention effect that occurs due to high salt consumption.”
2. Intense thirst
If you are constantly very thirsty , this may indicate that your salt consumption is too high. “The body tries to compensate for the increased sodium concentration by simply requesting more water to dilute the salt. This leads to water being drawn out of the cells to dilute the blood again and causes you to become dehydrated and very thirsty,” says Ahlemann. The expert continues: “If you drink more, this helps to desalinate the body, as the salt is excreted via the kidneys and thus via the urine.”
3. Increased urge to urinate
A secondary and annoying symptom of eating too much salt? Making frequent trips to the bathroom. “Of course, if you suddenly start drinking a lot of water to compensate for the increased sodium content in your blood and thus force your kidneys to excrete more sodium, you will naturally have to urinate more often,” Ahlemann notes. This may sound helpful, but the expert emphasizes that every time you urinate, you lose other electrolytes in addition to the salt. “Drinking more often and the resulting urination can disrupt the electrolyte balance. So rather than trying to compensate for the excess salt by drinking more water, it is better not to eat too much salt in the first place.”
4. Rapid weight gain
Although salt has no calories, it can still lead to the appearance of rapid weight gain. How? “If you feel like you have gained five pounds overnight, you can assume that this is water retention. The body tries to compensate for increased salt levels—as already mentioned—by trying to thin the blood. In order to thin the blood, it first has to absorb water and hold on to it,” explains Ahlemann. Eventually, the body does gradually excrete the water, which reduces the appearance of extra weight. “But the temporary water retention causes the weight to quickly increase,” says Ahlemann. “Depending on how well the kidneys are working, the breakdown can take a few days.”
How to eat less salt
“If you eat natural foods, i.e. not ready-made meals, the likelihood of consuming too much salt is greatly reduced,” says Ahlemann. “It is very, very unlikely that you will consume as much salt on your own at home as you would if you bought a take-out or ordered a pizza.” Similarly, the FDA recommends reducing your consumption of processed foods and instead integrating more whole foods such as vegetables and fruit into your diet.
