Salty, salt, salt...

My life revolves around salt! When I first went to Mayo Clinic in 2007, it was recommended I consume 3 grams of salt a day. That has now been increased to 10 grams a day! That's crazy talk! It's nearly impossible and I'd challenge you to try it, but I don't want you to have a heart attack.

The theory behind eating all this salt is that it will raise my blood volume and pressure. Some people think I'm lucky to have low blood pressure, but I've had it drop to 60/45 and that's a trippy experience! Who needs alcohol or drugs when you have a psychotic body? Anyways, back to the salt. I know it's not the answer to my problems. I have rare episodes where my blood pressure spikes through the roof (once to 175/140), so it's really all over the place. To me, it's obvious there is an underlying issue causing my body to have these blood pressure variations. But, until we figure that out, I eat salt!

To put this all in perspective, I would need to eat about 67 slices of bacon to get 10 grams of salt. I could also eat 11.5 cups of plain baked beans. If I'm having a bad tummy day and need bland food, I could eat 59 slices of white bread. If I'm having a sweet tooth, I could eat 31.25 cups of pudding. If I'm super thirsty, I could drink 37 bottles of Gatorade. If I'm feeling lazy, I could just chomp down 4.5 teaspoons of table salt (I'm sure my stomach would love that, see picture below)! I think you get the point!

So, I'm pushing salts as much as I can but probably not anywhere near 10 grams a day. Dr. Goodman recommended it, so I'm obviously listening. He is the expert after all. A not-so-tiny part of my brain worries about the side effects this salt consumption might bring along down the road. There was a recent study that linked high sodium diets and autoimmune diseases and I already have autoimmune tendencies. But, I will trust my doctor. Maybe, all of this salt will actually preserve my internal organs and I will live forever! Ha!

"After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, [even] four generations." Job 42:16 (Maybe he ate a lot of salt, too!)

Amy

*I should probably add that you should not go on a high sodium diet unless advised to do so by your doctor. For most people, this is a very bad idea! The only thing worse would be to go on a high fat diet in an attempt to add cushion and avoid injuries. Terrible idea!