Steve has talked about this somewhere -and i'm too lazy to actually search... I believe his take was - that if you don't have the predisposition to hypertension - then it's not really an issue...

HOWEVER, Auntie Mal says - staying under 2500mg of sodium a day isn't that hard to do - if you keep to mostly unprocessed foods - then why throw extra stuff into your body that you don't need... Most people do not need 5000mg of sodium a day...

That's basically what I thought. I try to avoid processed foods anyway, and add salt after cooking (more bang for the buck that way), but I don't worry about it for the most part.

salting after cooking you get much more flavor and if you use kosher salt which has a flufflier flake you use a lot less salt - or go even fancier - with pink salt or gray salt or celtic sea salt-- they all have slightly different salty flavors and intensities and you do not need a whole lot.

I refill my salt mill every two years or so - my pepper mill every 3 months

I never salted food before, I didn't love it. So I saw no use for it. I thought I was getting enough by eating just my foods without re-salt everything, and I was.. and more.

Then I went to the doctor and was informed I have a salt loosing disorder, that they have no clue what it is, it doesn't have a name! lol, but my doctor said it is similar to Addison's .. all she knows is , my body hates salt, and doesn't keep enough like it should. They tested everything, my kidneys, adrenals.. it was so annoying.

so now I have to re-salt everything I eat. If not I have to take sodium pills. I also have my blood drawn every month at my endo's office, to make sure I am getting enough and it isn't going to low again.. It's alot of trouble actually!

I have so many different salts. I love the pink salt. It's so flaky and wonderful on the tongue. I use that on salads or anything where it doesn't disolve into the food. The celtic sea salt is hardier and goes great with eggs or meat. I love pulling out my salt collection to have people try the different flavors. When it's not just salt in a box it can be so much fun.

I love salt but I try to watch my intake for a few reasons:

1. I don't like feeling bloated
2. I've noticed it seems to hinder weight loss
3. Just part of eating a healthier diet

However, I have also noticed that if I don't get enough sodium my workouts suffer. I feel like I'm lacking energy or end up getting headaches. Like everything else, moderation is key.

I'm not a huge fan of salt. Or pepper. I avoid them as much as I can. And if theres a food thats too salty, I just dont eat it.

I'm the same way about butter. Hate the taste, hate the texture, hate it completely.

That pink salt sounds snazzy tho. Kinda makes me wanna buy it just to see how it tastes!

macaroni grill went out of business near my house...now i see why!

I just read that Caesar Salad is one of the saltiest foods but now I can't find that article. It has anchovies and parmesan cheese in the dressing. Then salty croutons and more parmesan cheese on top.

Don't they make a salt alternative?

Table salt (same as sea salt) is sodium chloride. Salt substitute is potassium chloride, which is also a salt, chemically. If you are trying to avoid sodium for blood pressure or heart reasons, you should definitely talk to your doctor about salt substitutes. Potassium is something that the body needs, but as with everything, you do not want to over do it, and high dosages can be particularly harmful if you are on certain medications.

As for strictly water retention of salt vs. salt substitute, I don't know that anything has been determined, but I'd be inclined to think that potassium chloride would have a similar effect.