This week the ADOFitness trainers will be addressing topics we get asked a lot of questions about. This week coach Joey discusses sodium.

First of all let me start off by saying sodium is not a bad thing to have in your diet daily. In fact, not getting enough sodium can be just as harmful for you as eating too much. Your body needs sodium in order to function – it plays a vital role in regulating blood sugar, maintaining blood pressure, proper blood circulation, and plays a role in your bone density.

With all of these positive benefits, it’s hard to believe that salt can actually be dangerous for you. Most people use common table salt to add flavor to their meals, but this is not true salt. Table salt is manufactured and processed; in order to make it, naturally occurring salt is heated to over 1200 degrees Fahrenheit which causes over 800 of the naturally occurring minerals to be lost. Many synthetic chemicals are also added to table salt, which in some instances can actually cause the salt to be toxic. Ingesting too much salt will cause a rapid spike in your blood pressure, can cause you to retain fluid, and can exacerbate chronic illnesses such as diabetes and gout.

So how can you get your body’s daily requirement of sodium while avoiding all of the negative consequences? Instead of using table salt, use naturally occurring salt like Himalayan or Sea Salt. These kinds of salt are harvested and allowed to dry naturally in the sun, without adding any chemicals to them. It’s also important to track your intake of sodium. You can do this using a macro-tracking app, like MyFitnessPal or MyMacros. Every food you eat contains some sodium, especially processed foods, so adding even more may cause you to have too much in your diet. The American Heart Association recommends keeping your daily sodium intake under 2300 mg. However, everyone responds differently to different amounts of sodium ingested. If you think your sodium intake needs to be adjusted or have questions it is always helpful to have a coach to guide you along with a proper nutrition plan.