Is extra salting necessary?

(Diana) #1

Some background, I read a post about a year ago that someone cut out additional salting to foods and this eliminated the extra bloating etc. So I did the same, I cut out all added salt, in essence only eating the salt that comes naturally with food (eggs, steak, low carb veg like spinach, salad mix etc). I don’t eat any processed meats and also cut out any sauces with extra sodium.

In the context of trying to lose the last 3-4 lbs of actual fat (not water weight as I realize that’s a quick fix). I have 2 questions. I’m already quite lean, so this is really trying to fix the last of the body composition.

  1. By cutting out all excess salt, am I actually doing myself a disservice and causing an appetite increase as my body looks to eat more food to get its salt requirements? (In essence am I eating more and I could lose weight faster if I added some salt?

  2. If I add salt now, how can I avoid water weight gain. Seeing any increase in the scale even when I mentally know it’s water is triggering. (But on that question if salt intake increases will the water weight drop off or stay as long as the salt level is higher)? For example right now on average I have total of 1200 mg sodium per MyFitnessPal pal. I track everything very closely so this is very accurate. If I were to increase this to let’s say 1500 would the water weight only be a few days and then drop or would it stay higher so long as my intake of sodium remained higher)?

I eat strict keto. Average is 16 g total carbs. Macros usually are 60% fat; 36% protein 4% carb. I’m also trying to do a bit higher protein in light of my goals for body recomposition.

(Robin) #2

These are good questions. Not ones I can answer tho. Sometimes on weekends, there are fewer of us on the forum. So be patient… you will hear from our more experienced folks and get some good information here.

#3

I am a super salter and have won tons of gains thru usings alot more ‘than what was ever recommended’ by the crap whatever science info out there…but is is WHO you are at at what point. After 5 yrs zc I am doing ‘watching shaken salt intake’ and dropped 3.5 and and other carnifvore into year 3 dropped all salt and lost 22 extra on top of her fab loss anyway so?..so it is who you are when you need to be you in what it takes long term ya know. Carnivore menu info, not sure if applies to keto plan as this forum is will focus this. :slight_smile:

just thoughts

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #4

There are a few issues here.

Firstly, the usual recommendation for people on a ketogenic diet is to take a bit more salt, because the kidneys excrete sodium more readily when glucose and insulin are not interfering. In other words, the kidneys slow down their excretion of sodium on a high-carb diet and return to the normal rate when carb intake drops.

There were a couple of large studies published a few years ago that indicated that the healthiest level of sodium intake is 4-6 grams a day. This translates to 10-15 grams of table salt (sodium chloride), and it includes the salt already present in food.

The mechanisms in the body that regulate our sodium level are interlinked with the mechanisms that regulate the levels of other minerals, especially magnesium, potassium, and calcium. The latter three are much more easily kept in balance when we are getting enough sodium.

Indications of low sodium can be lightheadedness, dizziness, headaches, and constipation. Myself, I find that I tend to get migraine auras if my salt intake is not high enough. Sometimes I get a bit constipated, too. I find, however, that it doesn’t seem to take much extra salt to be enough. You may be doing just fine as you are, and not have to worry.

People who’ve been on a zero-carb/carnivore diet for any length of time generally have found that they eventually stopped feeling a need to salt their meals, and that they are just fine on the amount of salt present in the meat they eat.

(Joey) #5

I’m a little confused by seemingly competing objectives in your post.

If you’re already lean, but you’re trying to do a little body sculpting (losing fat, not water), why are you focusing on salt? Adjusting salt is more likely to affect your body’s water weight - not fat composition.

I would recommend adding salt - not restricting it. As @PaulL notes, our bodies tend to use much more salt than we’ve convinced ourselves we need (actually, we didn’t convince ourselves … it was the low-salt food manufacturers who did this most effectively).

FWIW, after reading all the credible research I could find, I now salt everything heavily - including spiking my drinking jug with salt and magnesium.

Given consuming all this salt, I assume that any excess is simply being pee’d away. My blood pressure is healthy/low and I do not seem to be retaining a drop of extra water anywhere in my body.

I exercise thoroughly and regularly and eat what I’d describe as diligent keto. Honestly, I wish I weighed more, not less. Regardless of what I’d wish, my body gets to decide how it looks, not any preconceived notions I might what of how I should look.

My $0.02: Get plenty of salt and related electrolytes. Your taste buds are a reliable source of info when it comes to NaCl.

(Diana) #6

Thank you for the feedback. Apologies for the confusion….I think my concern initially was that salting food was making it too palatable and thus making it easy to over-eat. But now I’m worried that not salting anything at all and intentionally eating low sodium in general am i creating an environment where now I’m going to over eat as my body needs to get a certain level of sodium. At end of the day calories do matter esp when you are trying to lean out and get rid of final vanity pounds so this is why I’m curious about salt. And as noted any jump in scale does trigger me so trying to avoid that.

(Diana) #7

I cannot imagine consuming that much salt and it not causing massive water retention. Yikes.

I truly have none of the symptoms you noted. So perhaps for my body this sodium intake is okay. My other worry is am I doing any harm as I recently saw articles that too little sodium isn’t good either. But perhaps my body would tell me via the symptoms you noted if it is too little.

(Joey) #8

“The Salt Fix” by Dr. James DiNicolantonio is a great source of easy-to-read explanations backed by extensive references and citations to peer-reviewed science appearing in respectable journals.

I’ve often recommended it to those expressing concern about calibrating their salt/electrolyte intake and related water weight, blood pressure issues etc.

I’ll make this recommendation for your benefit again here…

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(Diana) #9

Oooh this looks interesting. Thank you!

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #10

Caloric intake on a ketogenic diet is not generally the concern it is when one is eating a high-carb diet. The high blood sugar resulting from eating all that glucose (i.e., carbohydrate) causes an elevation in the insulin level. And insulin blocks the hormonal signal from our fat tissue to our brain that tells the brain we no longer need food. This is why people on a high-carb diet tend to be hungry all the time.

On a ketogenic diet, however, with insulin low enough to no longer be blocking the satiety signal, we are not likely to overeat. The body’s hormonal signals regulate appetite to the point where it is set at a level that allows both our dietary fat and our excess stored fat to be metabolised. Eating in a way that works with the body’s hormones makes the process of shedding excess fat basically automatic. Trying to deliberately restrict calories has been shown to result in the activation of compensatory processes that interfere with the goal of trying to shed excess fat.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #11

It doesn’t have that effect on me. You can only go by the signals your body is sending you. If you are fine without salt, then don’t worry about it.

(Allie) #12

I never needed to add extra salt and felt fine functioning day to day, BUT… I decided to try it and the increased sodium has been of a massive benefit to my training and post workout muscle soreness.

(Edith) #13

If you search my name on the forum, you will see all kinds of posts I’ve made with my salt dealings. At one point I was needing to supplement an extra 2 teaspoons a day in addition to what was in/on my food to keep from getting muscle cramps, headaches, and blood pressure that was too low.

A few months ago, I stopped drinking diet coke, and I stopped carrying around a water bottle. I have not needed nearly as much salt. I think the diet coke, in particular, and maybe drinking a little too much water was flushing out my electrolytes.

I do still need to add some extract salt per day to keep up my blood pressure, but now I only need an extra 1/4-1/2 teaspoon a day. I’m currently in the winter season, so that amount may change when summer arrives.

I think you need to go by how you feel. If you feel fine, then don’t worry about it. If you start to feel light-headed, headachey, muscle crampy, or just generally bad, maybe rethink your intake? The worst that can happen is that it doesn’t help or you get a little fluid retention from too much.

And, I do have the same reaction as @Shortstuff, morning workouts are better with some salt pre-workout.