Even just following a salt-free diet for 30 days can make a very dramatic difference to your body.
Stopping salt intake for as little as 30 days can make a dramatic difference to your body. Salt is a part of everyday life, one of the main spices used worldwide alongside pepper, and it is also a natural preservative.
Although it is an essential part of food, excessive amounts of salt pose serious health risks. There is no doubt that it is a very important nutrient and can be consumed in moderation, with a limit of 5 grams. On a theoretical level, however, experts have toyed with the idea of what would happen if salt were eliminated for a month from a person’s diet.
Salt-free for 30 days
All processed foods contain added salt, i.e. sodium, so a salt-free diet should not only focus on the salt in home-cooked food, but also on the ingredients in shop products. What can happen if you go 30 days without salt?
Improved kidney function
Kidneys are one of our main excretory organs, helping to filter out toxins. But there is a strong link between excessive salt intake and the development of kidney failure – sodium raises blood pressure, which puts extra strain on the organs, so the kidneys can’t function properly, excreting water and raising blood pressure even more.
Normally, our excretory organs help to keep the body’s water balance in check, preventing bloating and other kidney failure problems. When kidney function improves, water retention is reduced.
There is no bloating
Salt is a major cause of water retention, and if someone were to stop consuming it completely temporarily, more excess water would be able to leave the body. The feeling of bloating would also be reduced or eliminated.
Salt also reduces energy levels and makes one feel more tired, to the detriment of active time and exercise. Those who stop consuming salt may find that they become more energetic after a while. This is due to the fact that as the water retention subsides, one becomes more alert and more mobile.
Weight loss may start
Weight loss can even occur during salt-free periods, which at first is just a sign of excess water retention. But it’s not just water retention that is reduced, it’s also the consumption of high-calorie, ultra-processed or high-salt and high-sugar fast foods that causes obesity.
By eating a diet of whole foods and making sure you get enough fiber, you can reduce your salt intake, as well as your calorie intake, almost imperceptibly.
Salt substitutes
Salt is very important for the body, but few people can keep a healthy intake. Dietitians recommend herbs with a strong flavor, such as basil, marjoram, thyme, sage, oregano and iron oregano, the latter because of its slightly salty taste.