Salt Addiction, Overeating, take it out and see :)

[Ramasta9]

My friend recently made this post about salt, she's in her mid 50s and looks 35. I was looking for a better explanation about salt as i was discussing with Natasha on another post but felt i did a poorer job, and this popped up in my feed today, just what I needed. Hopefully it clears up some confusion.

Salt is one of the main reasons people become addicted to cooked and processed foods, including desserts, because cooking destroys natural flavor, water, enzymes, and mineral balance. When food is cooked, especially grains, meats, and starches, it becomes bland, bitter, or even foul-tasting in its natural state. Salt is then added to chemically stimulate the tongue and nervous system, not to nourish the body. It overrides natural appetite regulation and makes otherwise unpalatable foods seem desirable. This is why “none of it tastes good without salt.”

Salt works by dehydrating cells and exciting taste receptors, creating an artificial “hit” that keeps people reaching for more. It increases dopamine release, reinforcing cravings, and it dulls sensitivity over time, requiring even more salt to achieve the same flavor response. This mirrors addiction pathways rather than true hunger. Natural foods like fruits and greens already contain sodium in biologically appropriate, water-bound forms along with potassium, which balances nerve signaling and hydration. They do not require added salt because they are designed to taste good as-is.

Desserts rely on the same mechanism. Salt is added to sweets because refined sugar alone is flat and cloying; salt sharpens sweetness and stimulates appetite, making cookies, cakes, and ice cream more addictive than sugar alone. Remove salt, and most cooked desserts lose their appeal quickly. This is why people say, “It needs a pinch of salt,” even in sugar-heavy foods.

In nature, salt is rare. Wild animals do not season their food. They crave sodium only when deficient, not constantly. Chronic salt craving is a sign of a cooked, dehydrating diet that strips potassium and water from cells, creating a false sense of need. Fruits and greens correct this by rehydrating the body and restoring mineral balance, causing salt cravings to fade.

In short, salt is not enhancing food; it is masking damage done by cooking and processing. It trains the palate away from real nourishment and locks people into dependence on cooked foods and desserts that would otherwise be rejected by the body.

https://www.aquariusthewaterbearer.com/doctors-and-experts/

[Leo Gura]

I am def addicted to salt. Love it.

I have yet to see any serious evidence that salt is harmful. The body knows how to regulate salt.

Edited 3 hours ago by Leo Gura

[Ramasta9]

Andrew Norton Webber had some good talks on the science of salt, distilled water and how inorganic minerals effect the body and build-up calcification and lead to severe dehydration over-time, but I am finding it challenging to find them, may need to search with " " specific quotations.

We are not really meant to turn into old shriveled up prunes. Plenty of yogi centenarians who don't look much older than 50 - 60 can be found all over india, often only consuming wild fruits, berries, herbs, raw honey and raw milk occasionally.

Almost never salt, sugar, flour or processed (modern foods) which prematurely age us.

Sri Tat Wale Baba at 75 - 80 years old for example...

 

Edited 1 hour ago by Ramasta9

[Natasha Tori Maru]

I haven't ever seen a study displaying the age defying effects of low salt. There could be so many variables contributing to this sort of persons apparent aging, as you seem to also highlight that low salt is usually hand in hand with some form of raw veganism / vegan etc diets. There are way too many other lifestyle factors that could be present that could account for the effects. Not to mention genetic variability.

Why do you think there are not more widespread general studies aligning with your premise?

I haven't come across many controlled studies showing evidence salt is harmful.

How do we know the human body has not evolved genetically to tolerate higher salt? After all, it was used as a preservative to maintain foods to avoid famine. It was essential for survival prior to refrigeration. It was a traded commodity in ancient Rome, Africa, China, Medieval Europe & India. Humans evolve to their conditions. Salt is the easiest way to get enough sodium for me. Nerves, muscles, blood pressure all rely on it. The volume of vegetables and fruits I eat, mean I need to intake additional salt as I am getting huge amounts of potassium and magnesium in my diet. As well as high intensity exercise most days. I deplete sodium very quickly. I add salt to my water on occasion if I feel my focus slipping and I am not experiencing low blood sugar. It enhances focus. Scientific consensus backs this. 

In addition, I still do not understand why making foods more palatable with sodium/salt is bad for health, provided it is done in a balanced way... the term 'addiction' is being thrown around and used WAY too liberally. People who do not have issues/disorders surrounding food do not usually use this term applied in this way.

I am convinced when I see backed up, cohesive arguments for these sorts of topics. Widespread data. And I usually self experiment. Removing all salt from my diet lowered my blood pressure in a very detrimental way to my functioning.

Unfortunately you make a lot of statements without any sort of widespread backing. I do see you mention some niche cherry picked sources but nothing with any sort of consensus.

I drink miso soup as part of breakfast every day. 

I just do not overeat with additional salt in my diet.

Edited 15 minutes ago by Natasha Tori Maru

[Natasha Tori Maru]

And to be clear, I am talking about a normal, balanced amount of added salt.

Not excessive. 

[Joshe]

SALT... SALT... Where's the SALT? That's what my dad says at every meal. lol.

I don't get what all the hype is about, myself.