Sodium (salt), the main cation in our extracellular fluid, is essential for human life! Without it, our nerves would have a hard time conducting electrical impulses throughout our bodies. This is why people can become confused and experience muscle weakness when their sodium levels are very low.
However, sodium deficiency is relatively rare. In fact, it is more common today for people to have an excess of sodium. Ballentine, in his book Diet & Nutrition: A Holistic Approach, writes that we need about 1/8 of a teaspoon of salt per day. Yet, the average modern human diet contains 2 whole teaspoons of salt!
While many naturopaths set the sodium standard at 1500 mg per day, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) promote a daily intake of 2000 mg1 – 2, with an absolute minimum of 500 mg. 2000 mg is just under 1 teaspoon and can be obtained from a diet consisting of natural whole foods. Although it may taste good, we actually do not need to add extra salt to our food.
There are specific conditions where a person may need to add extra salt to their diet, and I find myself in one of those situations. I’ll explain more about that later, but first, let’s explore some of the amazing functions sodium performs in our bodies.
Nerve Impulses
For nerve impulses, two minerals are critical: sodium and potassium. These are electrolytes that support the movement of electrons in water-based solutions.
In a healthy body, sodium concentrations are low inside our cells and much higher outside the cells, in the interstitial fluid (the fluid surrounding all our cells). Potassium, on the other hand, is high inside the cell and low outside.
When a nerve is stimulated, a temporary opening forms in its outer membrane, allowing sodium ions to rush in and potassium ions to rush out. This process propagates along the length of the nerve fiber, creating an electrical impulse that travels through the nervous system.
A similar mechanism occurs in the heart and muscles, where ion movement is essential for conducting impulses and triggering contractions. Low sodium or potassium levels can impair this process, reducing the cell’s ability to generate a response to stimuli.
For us, this can result in confusion, muscle weakness, sluggish reflexes, or even irregular heart rhythms. In extreme cases, severe imbalances may cause fatigue, dizziness, difficulty concentrating, cramps, or even paralysis.
Transporting Nutrients
Sodium helps transport glucose and amino acids across the intestinal wall into the bloodstream. Glucose is the body’s preferred energy source, and amino acids are used to synthesize enzymes, certain hormones, and repair tissues, among other things.
A sodium deficiency could mean that not enough of these two essential nutrients gets absorbed from the food you eat so they can be used by your body. They are quite important as we need them to generate energy, build muscle, or synthesize thyroid hormone, insulin, or estrogen. These deficiencies could thus affect your overall well-being.
Immune Function
Sodium is also important in controlling and fighting infections, especially in cases of skin wounds. Certain immune cells, like macrophages and neutrophils, use sodium to enhance their ability to kill bacteria. For example, higher sodium levels activate enzymes inside macrophages, making them more effective at breaking down bacteria.
Bone Mineralization
All our minerals—not just calcium—are crucial for maintaining strong bones. Sodium supports bone mineralization by being involved in transport systems that help calcium move across cell membranes. Calcium is placed in our bone cells by an exchange system that trades calcium for sodium. So sodium is moved out of a bone cell and calcium moves in. Without sodium in these bone cells, there is nothing to trade with and calcium won’t be allowed in.
Still we shouldn’t consume too much sodium, as excessive intake can make the kidneys excrete calcium alongside sodium into our urine. Losing too much calcium can then contribute to osteoporosis.
pH Regulation
Sodium plays a role in maintaining the correct pH of our fluids and tissues. pH is determined by the concentration of hydrogen ions in a given medium. A lot of hydrogen ions means a low pH (acidic), while a low concentration of hydrogen ions means a high pH (alkaline).
The body regulates pH through buffer systems, substances that can bind with or release hydrogen ions. One of these is sodium bicarbonate.
When hydrogen ions accumulate (making the body more acidic), sodium bicarbonate helps neutralize them by binding with them, forming carbonic acid, which is then converted into carbon dioxide and exhaled through the lungs. When the body becomes too alkaline (pH too high), sodium bicarbonate releases its own hydrogen ions to bring the pH back to a healthy range.
Maintaining the correct pH is crucial for our body to function well and sodium thus plays an important part in this process.
Water Balance
Sodium also helps regulate the amount of water we have in our body. Sodium holds water—or, rather, the body tries to balance sodium levels by diluting it with water. If you have too much sodium in your body, your body will retain more water to maintain fluid balance. This is why a high sodium intake can cause water retention, leading to swelling or bloating. To restore balance, the body pulls water from surrounding tissues, which can strain the kidneys and circulatory system.
How to Get Enough Salt
Natural whole foods provide all the sodium we need. For example, 100 grams of the seaweed Kombu provides 600 mg of sodium, celery contains 80 mg, an egg contains 35 mg, and carrots contain 70 mg.
Processed foods, on the other hand, are often very high in sodium. One slice of bread with butter and cheese can contain up to 450 mg of sodium, depending on the type of bread or cheese.
Fresh green peas contain between 5 and 10 mg of sodium per 100 grams, but once they are canned, they can have between 300 and 400 mg of sodium. This is one of the reasons we end up consuming too much salt, as we eat so many processed foods.
Consequences of Too Much Salt
Though many people consume too much salt, not everyone notices the effects immediately. In some cases, the consequences only become apparent later in life. Let’s look at some of the issues that can arise from excess sodium intake.
High Blood Pressure
As mentioned, high sodium levels lead to water retention, which increases blood volume and puts more pressure on the blood vessels, causing high blood pressure. Sodium also stiffens blood vessels, increasing the risk of conditions like ischemia, heart attacks, and strokes.
Cell Shrinkage
Because the body functions as an integrated system, various mechanisms work together to help balance high sodium levels. When sodium concentration in the blood increases, water moves out of the cells to dilute the sodium in the blood. This process, known as osmosis, causes the cells to lose water, leading to cell shrinkage. Cell shrinkage can impair normal cellular functions, like energy production or protein synthesis. If it affects the brain, it can lead to cognitive impairments.
Inhibition of the Body’s Natural Detox Processes
Our body’s cells prefer a low sodium, high potassium environment for optimal function. That’s why each cell has a sodium pump that expels sodium while bringing in potassium. If you consume too much salt, the sodium will try to creep into your cells, forcing the sodium pump to work harder to get it our again. This consumes energy that could otherwise be used for processes like waste removal, which can affect the body’s detox processes.
This is one of the reasons I exclude added salt from the diet when recommending detox plans. It supports the body’s natural cleansing processes and increases energy availability for detoxification.
Kidney Stones
Excess sodium can increase calcium excretion in the urine. When you consume more sodium, your kidneys try to excrete the excess through urine, often excreting calcium alongside it. Over time, this increased calcium in the kidney system and urine can contribute to the formation of calcium-based kidney stones.
How to Eat Less Sodium
There are two main tricks to eating less sodium: eat less processed food and don’t add extra salt to your meals.
Since natural foods already contain sodium, there’s no need to cook with salt and then top it up with extra salt when your food is on your plate. If you like salted food, opt for one or the other.
Another helpful tip is to eat fewer processed foods. These often contain added salt, and not always in obvious forms like dried fish preserved in salt. Remember the peas we just discussed? Well that happens with most foods when they are transformed or preserved.
When eating a lot of salt, make sure to also consume adequate amounts of water and potassium. Sodium can expel potassium, which also isn’t ideal for your health.
And remember, baking soda also contains sodium. While we typically consume small amounts of baking soda in baked goods, some people use it to counteract heartburn. Please do so in moderation or consult a specialist.
Situations Where Extra Salt May Be Needed
When we sweat, we lose some of our electrolytes, including sodium. People who exercise a lot or, like me, live in the tropics, may benefit from a bit of extra salt. This can help prevent muscle cramps, dizziness, or confusion.
People with very low blood pressure, adrenal insufficiency, or certain kidney issues may also need added salt in their diet. Consult a professional if you think this applies to you.
Just like sodium expels potassium, an excess of potassium can also disrupt sodium balance. If you spend a day eating only potassium-rich foods like bananas, potatoes, and avocados, you might want to balance that with a little salt on your avocados.
Personalized diet advice
Do you want help figuring out how to optimize not just your sodium levels, but your overall diet and health? Feel free to reach out—I’d love to support you! Together, we can create a diet that fits your lifestyle and tastes, helping you feel empowered in your body.