4. Craving unhealthy food
If you consume too much salt, you might experience more cravings for unhealthy foods like candy and crisps. You might also think food tastes bland without some extra salt. You can solve this problem by slowly reducing your salt consumption. For example, next time you’re feeling peckish, eat a piece of fruit instead of some crisps.
5. Headaches
Do you often suffer from headaches? That, too, might be a result of eating too much salt. Research has shown that an adult who consumes 3.5 grams of salt each day has headaches almost one-third more often than people who’ve only consumed 1.5 grams.
6. More frequent muscle cramps
If you often experience muscle cramps after exercising, you might have a salt surplus. This has to do with the balance between salt and potassium. Salt causes your muscles to contract while potassium makes them relax. So, if you eat too much salt, the balance is disrupted and your muscles will contract during and after exercise.
7. Raised blood pressure
A surplus of salt can also have raised blood pressure as a result. When you’re blood pressure is too high, you should preferably lower your salt consumption or stop eating it altogether. In the end, high blood pressure can lead to heart disease, strokes and damaged kidneys.
How much salt a day?
Adults shouldn’t consume more than six grams of salt a day. That’s the equivalent of about one teaspoon. The easiest way to reduce your salt intake is to eat fresh and healthy foods. Generally speaking, processed foods contain the most salt.
Read more: Got leftover pickle juice? These are 10 handy things you can do with it
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Source: Margriet | Image: Unsplash
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