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1000 mg of salt contains around 400 mg of sodium.
The recommended daily intake of sodium is between 1500 mg and 2300 mg per day for general health. That’s about one teaspoonful of salt each day.
However the average American has been calculated to consume 3500 mg of sodium per day.
The problem with excess sodium is that it causes extra water to be retained in your body and hence increases your blood pressure. This can lead to heart disease, strokes and dementia. From a Menieres perspective the other damage excess of sodium can do to your body is damage your kidneys which you need working at optimum capacity to detoxify and cleanse your body.
However, Sodium is also crucial to good health. Sodium is essential for nerve and muscle function, cardiovascular health and to balance blood sugar.
So from a Menieres perspective it is important to keep within the recommended guidelines for daily intake of sodium to keep your body functioning healthily.
Too little salt can cause as much damage as too much.
It’s also important to be aware of when salt levels can be depleted and hence when you need to be taking more salt with your food.
Sodium levels are depleted during periods of stress as it is required by the stress hormone aldosterone. Sodium levels are also depleted through sweat, so if the weather is very hot or you are doing physical activity e.g. running, playing sports, gym workout. Then it would be important to take more salt to replace the salt which is lost.
Fatigue, nausea and cramps are all signs that you might need to add some additional salt to your diet.
Recent research shows that the best diet for Menieres is a whole food anti inflammatory diet. In other words eating real food rather than manufactured and processed food.
If you change to a whole food diet then you will have significantly reduced your salt intake by cutting out processed food which is where much of our salt intake comes from. If you’ve cut processed food completely then your daily sodium intake could be down to as low as 875 mg of sodium, which is well below the minimum guidelines and hence detrimental to your health.
Therefore if you have gone onto a whole food diet you may need to be adding some salt to your food either during cooking or during eating.
However, in doing so you should therefore note the different types of salt.
The problem with standard table salt and refined salt in processed food is that it is created by superheating natural salt to 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit, which destroys most beneficial compounds. Fortified with essential iodine, table salt is also bleached and devoid of trace elements, so it’s certainly not the healthiest salt you can buy. This type of salt often contains additives to slow moisture absorption so it is easy to sprinkle in your salt shaker. The refining process boils out all of the essential minerals salt contains and has a high sodium content.
The salt I’ve started using is Himalayan pink salt. This salt comes from ancient seabeds in the Himalayan mountains. The pink colour comes from the rich iron content. This salt is, in fact, quite rich in minerals, containing all 84 essential trace elements required by your body. It is also additive free. Pink salt can assist in many bodily functions, such as reducing muscle cramps, promoting blood sugar health and promoting healthy pH in your cells.
Many experts recommend pink salt as one of the healthiest salts you can consume. Its popularity has made it more affordable than other more exotic salts on the market.
Himalayan Pink Salt is readily available and you can buy it for example on Amazon here :
There is much information available on the internet on different types of salt, this article summarises the different types available and how you could choose between them :
https://www.ecowatch.com/best-backpacking-foods-and-meals-2637627920.html
So in summary, with Menieres you should aim to consume salt within the recommended daily guidelines. Research is showing you would be healthier on a low inflammatory whole food diet.
If you have moved to a whole food diet or are losing sodium in other ways e.g. sweating, exercise or excessive stress you should be taking additional salt with your food.
When taking additional salt you should ensure you take natural salt which is rich in vital minerals the body needs to function well, rather than refined table salt which has had all nutrients boiled out of it during process.
Hope that helps.