Salt is a very important part of the health of every human being. In fact, the sodium content in salt can help regulate blood pressure and hydrate your body. But unfortunately, consuming too much salt can also pose various health risks, such as high blood pressure, stroke, or heart attack. Therefore, try to maintain a stable sodium level in the body by keeping it hydrated, exercising regularly, and adopting a low-sodium diet. Also make sure you are careful about making any changes to avoid any new unwanted health risks!
Step
Method 1 of 4: Hydrate Body
Step 1. Increase water consumption
One of the best ways to get rid of excess nutrients and waste from the body is to keep it hydrated. Meanwhile, the easiest way to hydrate the body is to consume water. Although the amount that should be consumed each day varies from person to person, in general you can follow the following rules:
- The average adult male should consume about 3 liters of water per day.
- The average adult woman should consume about 2.2 liters of water per day.
Step 2. Get your fluid intake from a variety of other sources
Although drinking water is the best way to hydrate the body, the body can actually get fluids from various other sources, such as food. For that, try eating more fresh fruit, vegetables, and soups without added sodium to increase fluid levels in the body.
Step 3. Don't drink too many energy drinks
Even though they're great for hydrating your body after a strenuous workout, or when you're sick, energy drinks like Gatorade or Powerade are actually loaded with sodium! Therefore, do not take it if you are not doing long-lasting exercise (an hour or more), or if your doctor is not recommending it to treat dehydration due to certain health problems.
Method 2 of 4: Exercise
Step 1. Make the body sweat
Did you know that your body excretes water and salt when you sweat? That's why you need to do high-intensity exercise (or any other activity that can make you sweat) to flush excess salt out of your body!
- Try doing high-intensity exercise, such as circuit training, to help you stay in shape while getting rid of excess sodium in your body.
- In addition, you can also do low-impact exercises but still make the body sweat, such as hot yoga (bikram yoga). However, understand that hot yoga can be dangerous for people who have a low tolerance for heat. Therefore, always consult any type of yoga with your doctor beforehand.
Step 2. Keep yourself hydrated while exercising
A dehydrated body is actually more prone to salt retention, and a higher risk of developing a health disorder called hypernatremia. Therefore, make sure you always consume water when exercising, especially if you have to move in very hot weather and make your body sweat easily.
The amount of water that must be consumed depends on the needs of each person's body, the intensity of the exercise, and the duration. In general, you should only consume about 400-600 ml of water when doing light or moderate intensity exercise (such as working out at the gym for half an hour)
Step 3. Consult a doctor for methods to maintain electrolyte balance
In fact, losing too much sodium during exercise is also harmful to the body. Therefore, do not consume too much water when exercising so that the sodium and electrolyte levels in the body do not decrease too drastically and cause hyponatremia. To maintain a balance of sodium and electrolytes in your body while exercising (especially if you're on a low-sodium diet), try consulting your doctor for the right method.
If you have to do very intense or long sports, try consuming energy drinks or electrolyte fluids so that the stability of salt levels in the body is maintained properly
Method 3 of 4: Changing Your Diet
Step 1. Consult your salt intake with your doctor
If you're concerned about your salt intake, try consulting a trusted doctor or dietitian. They should be able to help identify the amount of sodium you have been consuming, as well as the level of sodium you should be consuming.
People with high blood pressure or diabetes are more likely to be asked to reduce salt intake by a doctor
Step 2. Reduce salt consumption
According to doctors' recommendations, most healthy adults should consume no more than 2,300 mg of salt per day. If you follow the standard Indonesian diet, chances are that the amount of sodium you consume every day has far exceeded that figure. To trim excess sodium in the body, make the following simple changes:
- Replace packaged foods with foods made from fresh raw materials. Packaged meats, such as ham, bacon, or sausage, generally have a very high added salt content.
- Look for products labeled “low sodium”. Before buying packaged foods, make sure you check the amount of sodium listed on the packaging.
- If possible, do not add salt to the dish. To keep the taste of food delicious, try using a variety of other herbs and spices, such as unsalted pepper or garlic powder.
Step 3. Increase potassium consumption
Like sodium, potassium is an important electrolyte component needed to maintain a healthy body. Many people consume too much sodium, but do not consume enough potassium. Therefore, try to increase potassium consumption to get rid of excess sodium levels in the body. Natural sources of potassium that are good for the body include:
- Baked potato with skin.
- avocado.
- Banana.
- Green leafy vegetables, such as spinach or swiss chard.
- Dairy products, such as yogurt or milk.
- Beans and lentils.
Step 4. Try the DASH diet
Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), is a diet pattern that focuses on reducing sodium intake in the body by referring to healthy eating portions. Although it really depends on your needs, it is likely that your doctor or nutritionist will recommend the standard DASH diet or the low-sodium DASH diet for you. On the standard DASH diet, you can consume up to 2,300 mg of sodium per day. Meanwhile, on the low-sodium DASH diet, you should not consume more than 1,500 mg of sodium per day.
Method 4 of 4: Safely Controlling Salt Levels
Step 1. Be careful when doing detox or crash diets
Various dietary patterns, such as cleansing using juice or salt water, are claimed to be able to remove toxins and impurities from the body, and can reduce water retention and swelling. However, in fact there is not much or even no evidence that shows the effectiveness of these two diets! In addition, both are said to be able to negatively affect sodium levels in the body.
- In fact, the detox method with juice can lower sodium levels to dangerous levels for the body, and risk causing hyponatremia that can damage your heart and nervous system health.
- Meanwhile, crash diets (crash diets) such as cleansing using salt water can stimulate the kidneys to work excessively and accumulate salt in the body. As a result, the body can experience various disorders such as dehydration, bloating, edema, or high blood pressure.
Step 2. Don't drink too much fluids
Although it sounds contradictory, forcing yourself to consume too much water during exercise or to cleanse the body, it actually risks making you hyponatremia or a deficiency of salt in the blood. Be careful, hyponatremia can trigger brain swelling which can be deadly!
You'll likely have a hard time identifying the right moisture content, especially when you're doing intense exercise or resistance training. In fact, the best way to identify the right fluid intake is to listen to your body's needs. In other words, drink when thirsty, and stop when thirst is satisfied
Step 3. Talk to your doctor about drastic lifestyle changes
Be careful, changing sodium intake or exercise patterns drastically will actually have a negative impact on your health, especially if you are currently suffering from health problems such as diabetes or high blood pressure. Therefore, always consult with your doctor or nutritionist for any lifestyle changes. Trust me, they can help recommend a safe and effective lifestyle change plan for your situation.
