
Sodium is important and some facts about sodium
Many people already know that sodium is actually a harmful ingredient in salt. Today, almost no product is without sodium. Moreover, each person should take in certain amounts of sodium.
Sodium is always a component of every food that keeps it fresh for weeks and months. Sodium is therefore a preservative that prevents the development of microbes and improves the taste and appearance of the product. 77% of sodium consumed in food comes from industrial products – bread, crackers, cereal flakes, canned food, powdered soups, frozen vegetables, meat and sausages. Even chicken is pumped with salt water to increase weight and volume. Sodium from brine makes up only ¼ of total sodium consumed. Vegetables and fruits are the only foods that do not contain sodium. In other natural products – fish, game, cereals, sodium exists in small quantities. But it seems that this dose is just necessary for health.
Nutritionists believe that the abuse of sodium is harmful to health. Experts from the World Health Organization agree with them. Between 2.5 and grams of sodium per day is present in the human diet, while the human body needs much less sodium, i.e. 1.5-2.3 grams. Our body is regulated by the fact that sodium in the body is closely connected with potassium, which is necessary for the good work of the heart and blood vessels. There is not enough potassium in the diet. It is normally 4.7 grams and according to estimates people generally take a total of 2.5 grams a day. When a person eats a lot of sodium products (sausages, smoked products, soups and concentrates, pizza, marinades, smoked and salted fish), the body removes excess sodium through urine. Then, however, both useful and necessary sodium is washed away. Sodium levels drop as the body begins to build up sodium. As a result, metabolism is disturbed, blood pressure rises and the elasticity of blood vessels decreases. The conclusion is that there should be less sodium in the diet and more potassium. It is very easy to reduce sodium intake. You should eat more products that have not undergone industrial processing. These can be fresh fruits and vegetables, cereals, fresh chicken and beef and freshly stored fish.
Salt is a mineral that contains about 40% sodium. People cannot live without salt because then the organism loses its ability to self-regulate, which can end in severe consequences. You need 5 to 6 grams of salt or one flat spoon a day. This amount contains exactly the daily required dose for a healthy adult, i.e. 2.3 grams. However, people absorb a lot of latent salt, which causes hypertension, kidney stones, joint disease, osteoporosis, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. If the doctor recommended a certain dose of salt, then the amount of sodium should be multiplied by 2.5. This provides information on the presence of salts in the product. For example, if the packaging of chicken dumplings says that the portion contains 0.28 g of sodium, then multiply that number by 2.5 and you get 0.7. The product therefore contains 0.7 grams of salt.
The human body has a lot of sodium if a person is constantly thirsty. Due to the high level of sodium in the blood, the body then needs a lot of water and fluids to dissolve and expel the excess. There are also analyzes that can confirm the exact amount of this element in the body. Sodium is very important in the body. Sodium regulates water metabolism, blood pressure, participates in the transmission of nerve impulses. Sodium is not harmful but sodium doses. The relationship between sodium and potassium products is also important. It is good for health if there is 5 times more potassium in the body than sodium. But it’s usually the other way around. Foods rich in sodium, ie sausages, ready-made or semi-finished products and the like, worsen the ratio of potassium and sodium and cause an increase in blood pressure. Symptoms of potassium deficiency include fatigue, constipation, weakness and muscle spasm, and arrhythmia. In case of excess sodium in the diet, then potassium, calcium and magnesium are lost. If a person is constantly tired then the skin is dry, muscle weakness occurs, reactions are slowed down. The culprit may be a lack of magnesium and calcium in the words of excess sodium could disrupt these other two values.