Pass the salt: Who hears that anymore? Salt's been nearly banished, and rig
Pass the salt: Who hears that anymore? Salt's been nearly banished, and rightly so. Too much salt affects blood pressure -- and not in a good way. But for some people, cutting back has a downside.
Take stock of the facts.
Too little salt -- iodized salt, that is -- is dangerous, too. It's the iodine in iodized salt that helps the body make thyroid hormone, which is critical to an infant's brain development.
A little salt is essential to good health. Healthy adults should consume salt and water to replace the amount lost daily through sweat and to achieve a diet that provides sufficient amounts of other essential nutrients.
The American Heart Association and NIH advise adults to get no more than 2,400 milligrams of sodium daily. That's about 1 teaspoon of salt. Just think how salty your favorite snacks taste. Eat too many salty foods (even soft drinks have sodium), and you easily go overboard.
