Whenever you think of weight loss, you think of following a healthy diet, limiting sugar consumption, and including exercise & physical activity. However, one factor that you may be overlooking, which has a drastic effect on your weight, is salt consumption. We all are aware of the fact that people who eat more salt tend to weigh more, due to water retention, which shows up on the scale as extra kilos. Salt causes water retention in the body, making you weigh more than you actually are. This weight is referred to as the ‘water weight’, and you are most likely to lose this kind of weight quickly, as soon as you cut down on your salt intake.
Another reason why salt can cause weight gain revolves around the kind of food that is rich in salt. If you read the ingredients of foods kept in your kitchen cabinet, you are likely to find that snacks like chips, fast foods, processed foods, etc are higher in salt, as compared to healthier foods such as oats, or other cereals. Additionally, all these foods are high in calories, which can be another contributing factor for weight gain.
If your diet contains a lot of bread, chips, snacks, fried foods, and restaurant meals, you’re not only consuming a lot of salt but probably also a lot more calories. That could certainly explain the link between sodium and weight. So, before consuming salt or salty food, bear in mind that salt has little nutritional value and should be only consumed in moderation, or it may increase the risk of various health issues.
