According to the USDA, a teaspoon of table salt has no calories, carbs, protein, fat, fiber or sugar -- essentially, it's just a mineral that can enhance the taste and texture of food. Because the amount of weight you lose or gain depends on how many calories you eat, cutting salt from your diet won't help you slim down, but it is a healthy dietary move for other important reasons.
Fluid Retention
Fluid retention is one potential cause of weight fluctuations, bloating or swelling body parts. When you retain a lot of fluid, you might seem to gain weight or become bigger, but getting rid of the fluid might bring you back down to a more normal weight. According to the Better Health Channel, including a lot of salt in your diet can lead to fluid retention, and cutting your salt intake might solve the problem and make it easier for you to retain a healthy weight.
Benefits
Other benefits come with reducing salt intake, too. High salt intake has been tied to high blood pressure, but you can reduce your blood pressure and possibly even lower your risk of cancer by eating less salt.
Salt in Your Food
You might not end up reducing your sodium intake by a lot if you simply stop sprinkling table salt on your food, however. MayoClinic.com reports that "the vast majority" of sodium in a typical American's diet is from processed, prepared and restaurant foods, rather than from homemade fare. So in addition to going easy on the table salt, carefully read nutrition fact labels to see how much sodium you're getting in what you buy at the grocery store.
Weight Loss and DASH Diet
To lose weight, you must lower your net calorie intake. Avoiding salty foods might help you do that because many salty foods are also high in calories and fat, but it's not a guaranteed weight loss strategy. One promising option is to try the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or DASH, diet, which significantly reduces salt intake. The eating plan was named the "best diet overall" by "U.S. News and World Report" in 2011. Although it isn't a weight loss plan, the DASH diet can help you lose weight because it emphasizes healthy, low-calorie choices such as whole grains, lean proteins, nonfat dairy products, fruits and vegetables.
Considerations
Sodium is an essential mineral that the body uses to complete daily tasks, so cutting it out of your diet altogether is not a smart nutritional move. However, it is healthy to reduce sodium by relying on natural sources of the mineral, rather than processed and prepared foods. Before you begin any new diet plan, speak with your doctor.
Member Comments