If you're anything like me, you would consider salt to be one of your best friends.

I basically put salt on everything and always add it even before I try the food. Sodium is in a majority of the foods we consume and is needed for daily functions but is unhealthy in large amounts.

You know when you wake up after a night of binge eating junk food with a swollen face? Thank sodium. Soda, energy drinks, and chips all have extremely high amounts of sodium and create the swollen appearance.

When foods or drink packets have "0 calories," those calories are replaced with large amounts of sodium.

Sodium is regulated in our body by the kidneys, which regulate your body's fluid amount. When there is excess sodium in the bloodstream, your body will pull water and put it into your blood vessels. This is the reason why your body swells up and you may look "puffy."

When there is more water in your blood vessels, it increases the amount of blood cells and leads to high blood pressure. The more sodium you consume, the greater chance of high blood pressure you'll have.

High blood pressure is one of the main factors of heart disease. It is the number one reason of death worldwide. High blood pressure is known as "the silent killer" because you may not even be aware you have it.

Consuming too much sodium will bring all the water you drink into your blood vessels so if you are trying to look your best for something, put the salt shaker down.

I'm addicted to chips and salt and anything with sodium basically, so trying to reduce my intake will be tough, but needed.

You don't want to be worrying about not consuming any salt when you're older because you ate too much as a kid. It's easier to prevent high blood pressure than to lower it once you have it.

We all need to consume sodium to stay healthy, but just be aware of the foods that are extremely high in sodium. Try to limit your intake of soda, energy drinks, "0 calorie sweeteners", and using the salt shaker before trying your food. Being more cautious of these foods/drinks will benefit you greatly in the long run.

https://sodiumbreakup.heart.org/sodium_and_your_he...