Why Restrict Salt?

Hi group,

I have to admit I'm confused on the "salt" issue in regards to dieting. I
see quite a bit of advice to restrict salt on a low-carb diet. Salt causes
water retention - true? So what? In my experience the more water I drink
the better results I see in my progress.

If drinking coffee (a diuretic) is bad because it causes dehydration, then
wouldn't salt be a good thing? (people with blood pressure issues excepted
of course) My current thinking, and admittedly it may be wrong, is that I
don't want to reduce salt in my diet, first of all because I enjoy it (in
moderation) and second, I don't want to try to appease the scale by
eliminating water weight. I'm concerned about losing fat - not water. If
my salt, and therefore water retention is stable, then when I see a pound
drop on the scale, I'm confident that it will be a pound of fat, not water.

Blaker
205/176/175

i don't remember ever needing to restrict
salt......................i did however switch my salt to NOSALT
because it tastes the same to me and it is the potassium that i
need!

--
rosie

the main reason Santa is so jolly is because he knows where all the
bad
girls live.
................................. george carlin




"blaker" wrote in message
nk.net...
Hi group,

I have to admit I'm confused on the "salt" issue in regards to
dieting. I
see quite a bit of advice to restrict salt on a low-carb diet.
Salt causes
water retention - true? So what? In my experience the more water
I drink
the better results I see in my progress.

If drinking coffee (a diuretic) is bad because it causes
dehydration, then
wouldn't salt be a good thing? (people with blood pressure issues
excepted
of course) My current thinking, and admittedly it may be wrong,
is that I
don't want to reduce salt in my diet, first of all because I
enjoy it (in
moderation) and second, I don't want to try to appease the scale
by
eliminating water weight. I'm concerned about losing fat - not
water. If
my salt, and therefore water retention is stable, then when I see
a pound
drop on the scale, I'm confident that it will be a pound of fat,
not water.

Blaker
205/176/175

"blaker" wrote in
nk.net:

Hi group,

I have to admit I'm confused on the "salt" issue in regards to
dieting. I see quite a bit of advice to restrict salt on a low-carb
diet. Salt causes water retention - true? So what? In my experience
the more water I drink the better results I see in my progress.

If drinking coffee (a diuretic) is bad because it causes dehydration,
then wouldn't salt be a good thing? (people with blood pressure issues
excepted of course) My current thinking, and admittedly it may be
wrong, is that I don't want to reduce salt in my diet, first of all
because I enjoy it (in moderation) and second, I don't want to try to
appease the scale by eliminating water weight. I'm concerned about
losing fat - not water. If my salt, and therefore water retention is
stable, then when I see a pound drop on the scale, I'm confident that
it will be a pound of fat, not water.

Blaker
205/176/175

I think some people recommend restricting salt because they may have a
tendency to retain water, are sensitive to it or have blood pressure
issues. Personally, I eat as much as I want without problems. I've never
gotten the impression that salt restriction was a requirement on LC.

~miette

It's not a *requirement*.. but yes it is an issue with some of us who have
water retention problems related to salt intake.

Teeb

"miette" wrote in message
.11...
"blaker" wrote in
nk.net:

Hi group,

I have to admit I'm confused on the "salt" issue in regards to
dieting. I see quite a bit of advice to restrict salt on a low-carb
diet. Salt causes water retention - true? So what? In my experience
the more water I drink the better results I see in my progress.

If drinking coffee (a diuretic) is bad because it causes dehydration,
then wouldn't salt be a good thing? (people with blood pressure issues
excepted of course) My current thinking, and admittedly it may be
wrong, is that I don't want to reduce salt in my diet, first of all
because I enjoy it (in moderation) and second, I don't want to try to
appease the scale by eliminating water weight. I'm concerned about
losing fat - not water. If my salt, and therefore water retention is
stable, then when I see a pound drop on the scale, I'm confident that
it will be a pound of fat, not water.

Blaker
205/176/175

I think some people recommend restricting salt because they may have a
tendency to retain water, are sensitive to it or have blood pressure
issues. Personally, I eat as much as I want without problems. I've never
gotten the impression that salt restriction was a requirement on LC.

~miette

On Sat, 13 Dec 2003 15:47:06 GMT, miette wrote:


I think some people recommend restricting salt because they may have a
tendency to retain water, are sensitive to it or have blood pressure
issues.

I'm one of those salt sensitive people. Too much salt bloats me right
up so I have been experimenting to find how much I can have without
giving it up all together and without retaining water.
Eggs without a pinch of salt are just *baaaaad*.

Taffy *Spongebobbett* Stoker

Yeah, my grandmother does, and it's not always just about the number on the
scale, water retention can be quite uncomfortable.

In article , "Teeb"
wrote:

It's not a *requirement*.. but yes it is an issue with some of us who have
water retention problems related to salt intake.

Teeb



--
-Michelle Levin (Luna)
http://www.mindspring.com/~lunachick
http://www.mindspring.com/~designbyluna

On Sat, 13 Dec 2003 17:46:15 GMT, Luna
wrote:

Yeah, my grandmother does, and it's not always just about the number on the
scale, water retention can be quite uncomfortable.

It is (in my case) *extremely* uncomfortable.

"Taffy Stoker" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 13 Dec 2003 15:47:06 GMT, miette wrote:


I think some people recommend restricting salt because they may have a
tendency to retain water, are sensitive to it or have blood pressure
issues.

I'm one of those salt sensitive people. Too much salt bloats me right
up so I have been experimenting to find how much I can have without
giving it up all together and without retaining water.
Eggs without a pinch of salt are just *baaaaad*.


Try course ground pepper instead. Breaking the salt habit is a lot like
breaking the carb addiction; make a conscious effort to try other spices
instead of reflexively going for the salt shaker.

JD

"blaker" wrote in message
nk.net...
Hi group,

I have to admit I'm confused on the "salt" issue in regards to dieting. I
see quite a bit of advice to restrict salt on a low-carb diet. Salt
causes
water retention - true? So what? In my experience the more water I drink
the better results I see in my progress.

If drinking coffee (a diuretic) is bad because it causes dehydration,
then
wouldn't salt be a good thing? (people with blood pressure issues excepted
of course) My current thinking, and admittedly it may be wrong, is that I
don't want to reduce salt in my diet, first of all because I enjoy it (in
moderation) and second, I don't want to try to appease the scale by
eliminating water weight. I'm concerned about losing fat - not water. If
my salt, and therefore water retention is stable, then when I see a pound
drop on the scale, I'm confident that it will be a pound of fat, not
water.

Some people have sensitivity to exercise induced asthma, which can be
exacerbated by too much salt in the body.
As well... too much salt in the body can upset some aspects of the PH
chemistry, resulting in problems with kidney stones, calcium loss in bones,
and a slew of other problems too numerous to go into.

I myself love salt... I would put it on everything if I could. However, I
went a week without salting my food and found that I when I went back to
using salt, I only needed a little bit to get my previous satisfaction, and
found that bacon etc. was simply too salty.

In any event, you should be able to get all the salt you need, in a much
better sodium/potassium ratio, if you eat plenty of dark green vegetables.

Great info all - thanks for the posts. The NOSALT was great, I'll start
using that when my current potassium supplement runs out. Kills three birds
with one stone - lower cost, more potassium, and less sodium chloride.

Wow - I never knew water retention could be associated with
uncomfortablness! Can you elaborate please? In what way does it make you
feel bad? And, other than the uncomfortableness and fluctuations in the
scale, are there other indicators you notice physically when you are
retaining water?


"Taffy Stoker" wrote in message
news
On Sat, 13 Dec 2003 17:46:15 GMT, Luna
wrote:

Yeah, my grandmother does, and it's not always just about the number on
the
scale, water retention can be quite uncomfortable.

It is (in my case) *extremely* uncomfortable.