Without question one of the most common recommendations made when adults visit a medical practitioner is to reduce their sodium consumption. We’ve all been led to believe that salt is about the worst food additive out there and that it will make everybody hypertensive and affect heart and kidney functioning as well.
But much like the castigation of saturated fat, there is another side of this story we’re just now learning. Dietary sodium may have some very important positive attributes. Sodium, it turns out, it is important for the function of the hormone insulin and as such, deficiencies of sodium may relate to diabetes. Other problems that may be associated with not consuming enough salt include sleep dysfunction, poor energy, loss of mental focus, declining athletic performance, and even poor sexual performance.
Today’s interview is with Dr. James DiNicolantonio, author of The Salt Fix: Why the Experts Got It All Wrong and How Eating More Might Save Your Life. He’s also the author of the brand new book Superfood, with previous Empowering Neurologist guest Dr. Joseph Mercola.
I think you’re really going to enjoy this explanation of the importance of dietary salt from a perspective that is certainly not what mainstream medicine would have us believe. To be clear, Dr. DiNicolantonio is not telling us that high levels of salt consumption are for everyone. But what he does make clear is the fact that salt consumption may well be important for health for many people. It’s an interesting interview that I hope you will enjoy.
And if you want to stay up to date with the latest updates from Dr. DiNicolantonio, you can follow his work on his website, or on social media on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
