How Much Salt is Too Much?

If you're trying to eat right, you would never go to McDonald's and order a Premium Crispy Chicken Club Sandwich, a medium order of fries, and a medium Coca-Cola® Classic. The calories, the fat grams, and the sodium content - a whopping 2,970 milligrams- would blow your healthy diet to smithereens. When it comes to salt, it can sneak into your diet without you knowing it. Read this informative article and find out the answer to "How Much Sodium Is Too Much?"

Why Our Bodies Need Salt
Salt is one mineral our bodies can't live without. We most commonly use table salt, which is white or clear, solid crystals. Our bodies need salt because it helps regulate the amounts of fluids in our bodies. Salt also helps send nutrients to the cells. It helps the muscles expand and contract, and- this may surprise you- salt helps regulate our blood pressure.

If you suffer from illnesses like Hypertension, heart, or kidney problems, for example, your doctor has undoubtedly advised you to limit or eliminate salt from your diet. Even the average person should keep an eye on the amount of salt they consume every day. The bodies of healthy people simply throw off excess sodium through their kidneys. Still, just like with every other thing we consume, moderation is the key to good health. According to the article "Learn to shake the salt habit'' on msnbc.msn.com, "The average American consumes 50 percent more sodium - as much as one and a half teaspoons of salt - than the maximum recommendation." Too much sodium can lead to Hypertension.

How Much Sodium is Too Much?
According to The National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C., the average adult should only ingest about 500 milligrams of sodium a day, with an upper limit of 2,400 milligrams. The Council added that keeping your sodium intake to 1,800 milligrams would be better.