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lliiraSo turns out it's not bad for us. (I've read more, and more recent, studies that back up what that Scientific American article says, but it's the most concise article I've found on it.) In fact, getting as little as some organizations recommend is probably very bad for most of us. Americans should be getting what we on average are.
I found studies in which women eat more salt before and during their periods and have far less painful periods. Looks like we crave it because we should have it. Chocolate is also quite likely helpful, the darker the better. I decided what the hell, things couldn't get worse, and loaded up on as much salt and chocolate as I wanted this time. Well, it's the first day of my period and I'm barely bloated at all. I feel a little tired, but perfectly fine otherwise. I'll see how things progress, but if it keeps going this way, I may leave some very angry comments a whooooole lotta places.
I haven't yet found anything that looks into why the salt panic started in-depth -- the one study that kicked it off was so pathetic, I have a hard time believing that could possibly be all of it. I have a theory, and it's not a tentative one. It's the same reason the panic about any food starts: Poor people eat it. Salt is a quick, easy, and cheap way to make things taste good. Food panic is almost always poorly-disguised class panic.
Anyway, in my diving into food stuff, I have found that even people with rational thinking and good research disagree on everything except a few key points. 1) Salt is not bad for you. Neither is saturated fat. 2) The "eat less move more" preaching is pernicious nonsense, as human bodies are complex and not fully understood biological systems, not car engines. 3) Governmental food recommendations are driven by agribusinesses, the weight loss industry, drug companies, and prejudice.
I found studies in which women eat more salt before and during their periods and have far less painful periods. Looks like we crave it because we should have it. Chocolate is also quite likely helpful, the darker the better. I decided what the hell, things couldn't get worse, and loaded up on as much salt and chocolate as I wanted this time. Well, it's the first day of my period and I'm barely bloated at all. I feel a little tired, but perfectly fine otherwise. I'll see how things progress, but if it keeps going this way, I may leave some very angry comments a whooooole lotta places.
I haven't yet found anything that looks into why the salt panic started in-depth -- the one study that kicked it off was so pathetic, I have a hard time believing that could possibly be all of it. I have a theory, and it's not a tentative one. It's the same reason the panic about any food starts: Poor people eat it. Salt is a quick, easy, and cheap way to make things taste good. Food panic is almost always poorly-disguised class panic.
Anyway, in my diving into food stuff, I have found that even people with rational thinking and good research disagree on everything except a few key points. 1) Salt is not bad for you. Neither is saturated fat. 2) The "eat less move more" preaching is pernicious nonsense, as human bodies are complex and not fully understood biological systems, not car engines. 3) Governmental food recommendations are driven by agribusinesses, the weight loss industry, drug companies, and prejudice.
