top 10 early signs that you're eating too much salt are you consuming too much salt according to the food and drug administration 90 of americans consume more than the recommended amount of salt that is 2 300 milligrams a day you could be one of them even if you watch your intake while preparing meals it becomes difficult when eating out or consuming processed foods which most often have a high quantity of salt knowing about the symptoms of eating a lot of salt can surely help you to cut your intake at the right time and save yourself from serious complications in today's video we will share with you the top 10 early signs that your salt consumption is going too high let's see what they are number one you have a never-ending thirst if you notice yourself being thirsty all the time despite drinking enough water maybe you should check your salt intake consuming too much salt can mess up the body's fluid balance your body demands more fluid to dilute the excess salt so if you are taking more sodium you need to take it in with more water to balance it out another reason salt makes you feel thirsty has to do with the makeup of salt it is 40 sodium and 60 chloride sodium draws the water away from your cells so when you eat salty food excess sodium will draw the fluid out from inside your cells the cells will then send an urgent message to your brain that will cause you to drink more water do you find this video interesting so far please don't forget to subscribe to my channel hit the like button and ring the notification bell if you want to see more content like this number two frequent bathroom visits the increased desire to drink more fluid will result in more frequent bathroom visits it can be irritating especially if you have to get up in the middle of the night according to maron movasagi md in case of excess salt consumption kidneys have to work extra hard to clear out the excess salt which could make you pee non-stop so if you have to urinate a lot check your salt intake maybe it's not the table salt that you are putting in your meals but the salt present in processed and canned foods and it is essential not to stop drinking water due to frequent urination as it can cause hypertension kidney stones and other serious complications number three swelling in strange places have you noticed swelling in strange places usually hands or feet it could be due to high salt intake when we consume excess salt our body tries to compensate for that extra salt by retaining water to dilute it and excess water results in swelling swelling around the ankles is particularly alarming it is called edema it occurs when small blood vessels leak into nearby tissues when it happens in your ankles not only does the area swell but the skin above the area looks shiny and stretched swelling is usually among the first signs that you are consuming too much salt number four you find food bland and boring if the food you eat tastes bland unless you douse it with salt you are probably eating too much salt it is because your taste buds have become so used to the salt that anything that is not very salty tastes off to you your taste buds develop a tolerance to salt so when you eat salty foods you do not even realize the amount of salt you are eating due to the dulling taste buds from high salt exposure it makes reducing salt intake even more difficult the studies have shown that a lower sodium diet eventually becomes accepted with time and even the food with the previous amount of salt starts feeling like too much salt but it all takes time and patience number five you crave salty foods salt is addictive so when you start eating more you will find yourself reaching for the salt shaker more often a study published in the journal medical hypotheses proves that sodium chloride is capable of producing addiction craving caused by dietary salt triggers the same genes as drug addiction so you should cut down extra sodium from your diet before you get addicted to salty foods to combat addiction remember one thing most of the salt we eat comes from commercially processed foods not from the food we cook at home or added salt right at the table number six frequent mild headaches headaches are pretty common and could be due to any reason but when you start getting headaches more frequently without any known cause it could be an indication that you are consuming more salts than you should to remove the extra sodium your body makes you urinate more which results in dehydration and headache a study published in the british medical journal indicates that people who consume a low sodium diet get a less frequent headache than people consuming a high salt diet hydrate yourself and control your salt intake to get rid of these types of headaches number seven your brain feels foggy if you are experiencing mental confusion and memory loss it could be due to dehydration caused by too high of a sodium intake it can negatively affect the way your brain works and can even cause memory loss but that's not the only way high salt is affecting your brain it also disturbs the blood flow towards the brain by reducing the production of nitric oxide which results in trouble performing a cognitive task according to research by the national institute of health a high salt diet can cause clumping of proteins in the brain which increases the risk of dementia so it is essential to modify your diet by reducing salty processed food to prevent brain damage number eight you have muscle cramps maintaining sodium potassium balance is essential for the normal functioning of the body sodium and calcium help the muscles to contract while potassium helps them to relax when this electrolyte balance gets disturbed due to excess salt intake muscle soreness and cramps can occur maintain the balance by eating natural foods rich in potassium calcium and be considerate when putting salt in your meal number nine you have high blood pressure high blood pressure or hypertension is a dangerous condition that can lead to further complications such as heart diseases stroke and kidney problems so it is vital to keep it in control check your blood pressure if it is frequently high the reason could be your salt intake a study published in the international journal of epidemiology shows the positive association between salt intake and blood pressure in children and adolescents it becomes difficult for kidneys to remove excess water from the system which then builds up in your system and causes your blood pressure to rise high blood pressure could also be a sign of other diseases consult your physician and improve your diet to avoid serious complications number 10 you always feel bloated uncomfortable bloated feeling and swollen tummy could be due to the high salt intake excess salt will make your body retain excess water which can cause gastrointestinal issues with bloating on top according to a study published in the american journal of gastroenterology a high sodium diet increases the risk of bloating you could prevent sodium-induced bloating by consuming potassium-rich foods it will maintain the electrolyte balance and flush out the excess water and salt but most importantly cutting off a high salt diet if you are frequently bloated as it is your body's way of telling you you need to watch your diet try to eat the recommended amount of salt that is one teaspoon plus watch the salt coming from processed foods and other sources and be aware of the above signs of high salt consumption take care of your diet to live a healthy happy life because you deserve it did you find this video helpful or informative let us know in the comments section below make sure to subscribe so you don't miss out on my future videos don't forget to like and share stay healthy [Music] you
