Salt (sodium) plays an important role in the regulation of muscle contraction, fluid balance and nerve impulses in the human body and it is essential for overall good health. All our body fluids including blood, sweat, tears, etc contain sodium. It is essential to maintain proper balance of sodium in these fluids. Sodium in the body is mainly found in fluids that surround the bodys cells, such as blood and lymph fluid. When sodium intake exceeds the amount the body can handle it builds up in the interstitial areas and the kidneys have to work extra hard to excrete it.
A build up may cause the body to hold extra fluids in the blood and around the cells, which contributes to increased blood pressure and also excess weight gain from water. The reason why water retention can be so hard to diagnose is that almost all the bodys tissues have plenty of capacity to hold a little extra fluid without looking abnormal. This extra fluid is what makes one look fat.
Generally, we should only eat between 1,000 and 3,000 mg of sodium a day, so its easy to go overboard. The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for sodium is about 2,300 mg – slightly more than one teaspoon. While...