How does excess salt harm the kidneys?

Brazilians love a good seasoning in their food. Pepper, dendê, cumin, oregano, cilantro, and many, many others. But there is one, in particular, that is among the favorites: salt.

We like it so much that we consume 2.5 times more sodium (a component present in salt) than recommended by the WHO (World Health Organization). The ideal amount is 2 g per day, but we ingest 5 g daily.

But adding more salt than recommended will not only make the food salty, it will also compromise the proper functioning of your body, including your kidneys.

When the food we eat reaches the intestine, the absorption of nutrients occurs, which are broken down into molecules and sent to the bloodstream. If the food is very salty, a large amount of sodium will go into the blood.

Constantly, the blood passes through the kidneys to be filtered, in order to eliminate non-beneficial nutrients and return purified to the body. But of everything that passes through the filter, only 1% is expelled in the urine, which needs water to be formed.

However, sodium has a high osmotic capacity, “sucking” part of the water present in the blood. Therefore, the kidney cannot get rid of these excesses due to lack of liquid to form urine, and a large part of the sodium returns to the body.

And that’s when the vicious cycle begins: the kidneys send these particles back to the body, which later will return and once again will not be eliminated.

In this back and forth, the kidneys begin to accumulate impurities that, when clustered, can turn into kidney stones.

How to reduce salt:

One tip is to add monosodium glutamate to the list of seasonings, as it has 1/3 of the sodium found in salt and still enhances the flavor of food.

That is: with glutamate, food does not become bland and becomes healthier.

A good solution for those who do not want to give up taste and health, right?

Check if you are overdoing the salt you put in your rice and beans!