With low-sodium products available on restaurant menus and grocery store shelves, many people believe that you should attempt to eliminate salt from your diet to pursue a healthier lifestyle. While salt should only be eaten in moderation, this ingredient does provide your body with important substances. The sodium and iodine in salt help your body function normally and avoid potential health risks.
Benefits of Sodium
Sodium is an electrolyte in the blood that helps the body perform several essential tasks. Every person needs proper amounts of sodium in their diet in order to maintain nerve and muscle function. Sodium also helps to maintain blood pressure, says Penn State's Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. A lack of sodium in the diet may lead to hyponatremia, which is characterized by confusion, lethargy, nausea and muscle twitches.
Benefits of Iodine
Iodine is a mineral that is required in a person's daily diet. According to Aurora Health Care, iodine is responsible for keeping metabolic rates stable and promoting the synthesis of bone and protein. It also regulates the rate at which people grow and develop. A lack of iodine in the diet leads to weight gain and thyroid problems such as goiter.
History
Salt has become the major source of iodine in the United States and several other areas of the world. When the number of cases of iodine deficiency skyrocketed in the early 1900s, researchers began to experiment with adding iodine to salt to relieve the problem. Iodized salt became widely available in the United States by 1924, says the International Council for the Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders, and the results were extremely successful. The World Health Organization adapted this solution for other areas of the world with iodine deficiency problems.
Considerations
Although sodium is required for proper cell function in the body, individuals are advised to keep their sodium intake low to avoid rising blood pressure levels. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, about 2,300 mg of sodium should be the daily limit for most people. This amount equals approximately 1 tsp of salt. Those who are black, have hypertension or are middle-aged or older should keep their sodium intake below 1,500 mg per day.
Iodine is easily obtained through ingesting iodized salt. Aurora Health Care explains that about 1/2 tsp of iodized salt is enough to reach the Recommended Dietary Allowance of iodine for most adults.
Misconceptions
Some people are under the impression that sea salt contains less sodium than table salt. MayoClinic.org reports, however, that the two types of salt contain approximately the same concentration of sodium. Furthermore, sea salt loses much of its natural iodine during processing, says Aurora Health Care. Therefore, it is an inferior source of iodine when compared to iodized table salt.
References
- Milton S. Hershey Medical Center: Hyponatremia
- Aurora Health Care: Iodine
- International Council for the Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders: History of Salt Iodization
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005
- MayoClinic.org: Sea Salt vs. Table Salt: Which is Healthier?
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