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Dealing With High Blood Pressure With Salt
Sea salt is frequently touted as being much healthier than regular table salt. But both regular table salt and sea salt have about the same basic mineral content. Sea salt contains about equal amounts of magnesium, potassium, and sodium by mass.

The dietary guidelines for Americans recommend limiting salt intake to no more than 2,300 mg a day, excluding sea salt which is already at its limit. For those on diets, there are alternatives to table salt that are lower in salt but still high in nutrition. One of the best is kosher salt, which is raised on farms that follow the strictest guidelines for farming and processing. Kosher salt contains no additives or preservatives. It is an ideal source of iodine, a nutrient that is necessary for the thyroid gland.

Most of the sodium in packaged foods comes from the refined grains crystals that have been cooked at high temperatures. Sea salt has a higher sodium content than refined salt because it is organic and unprocessed. Sea salt has less sodium than red or processed table salt because the minerals are more accessible.

High blood pressure levels can result from sodium consumption. If you have kidney disease, your blood pressure levels are elevated because the kidneys filter out sodium in the blood. The salt intake leads to increased fluid retention and decreases blood volume, which in turn contributes to hypertension. Because hypertension raises the fluid level in the body, it also raises the risk of stroke. Salt causes splashing of the fluid, which may lead to tissue damage, too much inflammation, and dizziness. Therefore, it increases the risk of having a stroke.

There are several factors that determine salt intake and the amount of sodium that a person ingests each day. The amount of salt in your food is determined by the method of preparation. Food is grouped into three primary groups: animal, plant, and dairy. Each group has differing levels of salt content. In addition to the amount of salt in a dish, cooking methods influence the amount of salt that is absorbed into the bloodstream. The recommended maximum amount of salt that a person can intake each day is three thousand mg per day for an adult.

To maintain good health, salt intake should be kept low, especially if there is a need to control weight. For example, the lower the fat content of a meal, the lower the amount of salt that should be included. Therefore, if a person needs to lose weight, reducing his or her sodium intake would help prevent clumping of salt.

The table salt we use for cooking has a texture that most people like. This texture may be fine for the majority of us, but not for others. Some people do not enjoy the texture of sea salt or table salt. They find it gritty and have a metallic taste to it. This type of salt can cause indigestion, heartburn, and other stomach conditions.

Salt-free alternatives to table salt are available to those who wish to change the taste and texture of their food. Some sea salt contains no salt at all, and is often called "Baker's salt." This salt does not undergo any processing, and has the same texture and flavor as regular sea salt. It is harvested from the ocean floor, which is why it is considered the purest form of salt. Another type of sea salt is called Evolutionary salt, and has no salt at all. It is harvested from fossilized marine corals that have lived in the same environment for millions of years.
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