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Salt (sodium chloride, normal kitchen salt) is naturally present in our body and in many foods, therefore it can never be “eliminated” from our diet and our life; nevertheless, in many circumstances and especially when certain issues exist, it's a good idea to keep it under control.
An excessive amount of salt can immediately be seen in cases of hypertension. A person with too much circulating salt retains too much water, has swollen ankles and often has troubles breathing (asthma). The premenstrual syndrome is a good example of temporary excess of water and those who experience it know that they can lose up to a kilo of liquid from one day to the next.
The situation becomes complicated when someone is also hypersensitive to natural salicylates, which are present in many foods - especially fruit and vegetables - not to mention artificial compounds such as aspirin. Here, too, the signs of intolerance are quite visible. A person bleeds easily (a typical effect of aspirin), immediate or chronic itching, heavy breathing (asthma) and, strangely enough, analgesics act in the opposite way as how they are intended.
A person who has a combination of these intolerances is usually annoyed by itching, his gums and mucosa bleed, he sleeps badly and if he takes a pain killer for headache, he feels even worse. He feels swollen, heavy and has trouble moving and breathing (asthma).
What does “regulating salicylates and salt” mean?
Salicylates are naturally present in many foods and therefore cannot be eliminated: it's enough to keep their intake under control, following your doctor's instructions. This means avoid eating foods that contain the highest amount of this substance in the same day. It's also possible to effectively supplement the diet with low dose hyposensitizing vaccines which allow a more comfortable contact with foods that contain salicylates.
Concerning salt, the situation is a little more complicated, since many prepared foods, even unsuspected ones like sweets, contain quantities of salt that we really ought to avoid. It's true that 100 grams of ham contain 5 grams of salt, but did you know that 100 grams of bread contain 4 grams?
How can a person manage the salicylates and salt diet?
Especially at the beginning, the salt control diet requires a healthy dose of skepticism towards all pre-packaged foods. Whether you're buying canned beans or ice cream, it's important to read the contents labels. You need to foresee a few days of adaptation before your sense of taste becomes attuned to the new taste levels. Sometimes, after a person has reduced salt for health purposes, they don't go back to using it because food tastes better; you immediately feel more tonic, you breathe and walk better, your shoes fit and your waist bands are looser.
Suggested diets
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