Is low salt diet good or bad for your Kidneys?

Table Salt contains sodium and chloride minerals. Sodium mineral is normally required for proper function of our nerves and muscles. However, excess of sodium intake in the diet can led to retention of water in the blood vessels causing an increase in blood volume. This increase in blood volume causes rise in blood pressure. High blood pressure is a common causefor kidney failure, heart disease and stroke.

Our Kidneys have a key role to regulate our Blood Pressure (BP) by regulation the salt (sodium) content in our body and by production of hormones within the kidney called Renin and Aldosterone.

Studies in humans have shown that high salt intake increases protein leak in urine which is a major risk factor for developing kidney disease and cardiovascular disease. Reducing salt intake from 10 to 5g / day in a double-blind study has shown to reduce urine protein excretion by 19.4%. Similarly, high salt intake increases your risk for kidney stone formation. The minimum salt intake in a healthy adult is 3.8 grams of salt, to replace the amount lost daily through sweat and urine. The maximum salt an adult should consume is no more than 6 gm per day which is equal to 1.25 table spoon of salt.

It is estimated that an average Indian diet can contain about 8 to 11 grams of salt per day. By restricting the daily salt intake to 6 grams per day will protect your kidneys and at the same time provide the required salts your body need to keep you well.

There are number of ways to reduce salt intake in our diet:

• While cooking we should try to favour our food with spices rather than using excess salt.
  
• Lemon juice or tamarind juice can be used to reduce salt in our dishes.
  
• Have curd rice without salt.
  
• No added salt while having your meals. So, get rid of table salt from your dining table.
  
• Reduced intake of pickles and chutneys.
  
• Reduce intake of foods with high salt content such as Bread, Pizza, salted snacks (such as nuts, biscuits and potato chips), Ketchup, mayonnaise.
  
• Processed food also contains high salt and fat so it is best to cook your own fresh food.