Is too much salt bad for you?

Is salt bad for you? Eating too much salt has been linked to high bood pressure,
osteoporosis, heart attacks, and a shortened life.

Welcome to the Disease Prevention book club.

Eat for Health is Dr. Joel Fuhrman's nutritional prescription for superior health. The information Dr. Fuhrman presents in his book about salt and the dangers of excessive salt consumption is more than interesting, it's life saving. Read on and you'll be able to answer the question, "Is too much salt bad for you?'"

Salt hides in just about everything.  No need to add it, because it's in there even before you shake the magic-flavor salt shaker over your food. One cup of boiled spinach contains roughly 120 milligrams of salt and one slice of whole grain bread contains nearly 125 milligrams.

Americans consume between 2,000 and 8,000 milligrams of salt every day. Cutting back on salt consumption can lead to major health and financial benefits. That's far more than the less than 1,000 milligram limit you should be getting per day, according to Dr. Fuhrman.

Not only does salt increase blood pressure, which increases both your risk of death from heart attack, stroke, and heart disease, but it also increases your risk for osteoporosis. Salt causes calcium to be leached from your body into the urine.The combination of salt and animal foods, such as chicken or eggs, can be very detrimental because animal foods have been shown to cause calcium loss as well.

Learning to live without the salt shaker can be difficult, but it is not impossible. Use other spices to add flavor to your food. Pepper, once referred to as the "master spice," has taken a back seat to this harmful mineral. Use herbs such as rosemary, thyme, and cumin to spice up your dishes.

You see, the answer to the question, "Is too much salt bad for you?" is a resounding, "yes!"