Sodium in food – Need & function for metabolism

High-salt foods contain a lot of sodium.
Sodium is mainly absorbed through foods containing salt. The mineral controls muscles, nerves and water balance.
Sodium is the most abundant mineral in the human body, accounting for about 100 grams. One third of sodium is stored in the bones and is released from there into the blood in times of insufficient supply. The main function of the mineral is to regulate the water balance and the acid-base balance in the body. The sodium requirement of an adult is 550 mg per day. The mineral is most frequently absorbed through the compound sodium chloride (table salt) in the diet, but this is far in excess of the daily requirement. A deficiency is therefore rare.

What is the function of sodium?

Sodium is absorbed through food, 75% of it from industrially produced foods such as bread, cheese or sausage. One third of the ingested amount is stored in the bones, the rest is excreted via the kidneys.

Sodium has important functions in the human body, it

• regulates the water balance together with potassium
• regulates the acid-base balance
• plays an important role in the transmission of nerve stimuli
• influences muscle contraction
• strengthens cell walls and bones

Which foods are particularly rich in sodium?

Sodium is found in combination with chloride in almost all foods, such as bread, sausages, ready meals, cheese, fish or soups.

Daily requirement

• Adults: 550 mg
• Children up to 10 years: 460 mg
• Infants up to 1 year: 120-200 mg

Sodium in the kitchen

In combination with chloride, sodium becomes common salt (NaCl) In addition to its taste component, salt has other properties in the kitchen.

Seasoning and preservative

In the kitchen, the mineral compound is mainly used for seasoning dishes, i.e. to enhance their taste. However, table salt can also be used to preserve food (pickling).

Bread preparation

In addition, table salt is used in bread preparation to influence the gluten properties of the dough, prevent premature yeast fermentation and make the baked goods last longer.

Meat and sausage production

In meat and sausage production, sodium chloride is used for its protein-binding effect. Another sodium compound, sodium glutamate, is used as a flavor enhancer. The preservative properties of sodium nitrates and nitrites are valued on the curing salt.

Cheese making

In the course of cheese production, sodium chloride acts as a flavor enhancer and influences water activity during cheese ripening, which in turn produces the desired perforation.

Sodium content in 100g of a food product

The sodium content of raw plant foods is very low, with the exception of a few root vegetables. In households and in industrial processing, considerable amounts of common salt are used for taste reasons and for preservation. Accordingly, convenience foods and the product groups bread, baked goods, canned vegetables, sausages, cheese, or ketchup contain high concentrations of sodium.

Ready-made products are often additionally enriched with flavor enhancers containing sodium. In the course of processing, the potassium content of many foods decreases. This leads to a shift in the ratio of the two bulk elements.

How does a sodium deficiency manifest itself?

Deficiency states are rather rare. They can occur when those affected eat a diet lacking in salt or when diseases of the gastrointestinal tract are present and vomiting or diarrhea occur.

Signs of chronic deficiency include:

• Headache
• fatigue, general weakness
• Concentration problems
• muscle twitching and cramps
• nausea
• falling blood pressure

A permanent sodium deficiency may involve a high loss of electrolytes and thus affect the regulation of water balance.

How can sodium overdose occur?

A diet high in salt can lead to overdoses. As a result, more sodium and calcium are excreted by the kidneys, and osteoporosis may occur. High consumption of table salt can promote high blood pressure, cause water retention in the tissues and, in the worst case, lead to dehydration and cardiac dysfunction.

Sodium: Why do we often consume too much of it?

About three quarters of the daily sodium requirement is taken in via processed products (e.g. bread, cheese, sausage, meat), and only about 1% via natural foods. The high consumption of meat and sausage products, cheese or bread leads to an excessive salt intake, as hidden salts are contained here. The daily recommended amount of salt is about 5 grams, the average daily intake actually consumed in Austria is 8 grams. In fact, however, the amount of table salt in a piece of bread (about 120 grams) is already 2.4 grams.

Sodium: How can the salt intake be reduced?

In addition to a conscious and targeted selection of foods, salt consumption can also be reduced by using herbs and spices. Appropriate flavor-conserving cooking methods also help to reduce sodium intake. For example, less salt is needed when steaming or poaching. Milk and eggs already contain much higher sodium concentrations than raw plant foods. Other foods of animal origin, such as meat or fish, are added cooking salt during processing in the kitchen. These foods include, for example, ham or gravlax.

Workout on keto can be a little tricky. You want to make sure that you’re getting the most out of your workout, but you don’t want to eat something that will knock you out of ketosis. Here are a few things to eat before a workout on keto.

First, you’ll want to make sure you have a good source of protein. This can come from meat, fish, eggs, or cheese. You’ll also want to make sure you have some healthy fats. This can come from avocado, nuts, or olive oil. And finally, you’ll want to make sure you have some carbs. This can come from vegetables or fruit.

Some good options for a pre-workout meal on keto include a piece of salmon with some steamed broccoli, a cheese and veggie omelet, or a chicken salad with avocado. These are all healthy, keto-friendly options that will give you the energy you need to power through your workout.

Sample Meal Plan

This is the sample meal plan that I follow every day. I find that it keeps me feeling energetic and healthy.

Breakfast

I usually have a bowl of oatmeal with some fruit and nuts. This provides me with sustained energy throughout the morning.

Lunch

I like to have a big salad with some protein like chicken or fish. This keeps me feeling light and energized.

Snack

I like to have a snack in the afternoon, like a piece of fruit or some nuts. This helps to keep my energy levels up throughout the day.

Dinner

For dinner, I like to have a light but filling meal, like a salad or some fish. This helps me to stay in shape and avoid feeling bloated.

I hope this sample meal plan helps you to create your own healthy routine.

From celery juice to raw food diets, we’ve seen it all. In an ever-changing world of diets, trends come and go. Among them is the controversial Snake Diet, developed by US fitness trainer Cole Robinson. It follows, who would have thought it, the diet of a snake. One big meal a day.

The goal is to make fasting a regular part of your lifestyle and to get used to a certain way of eating. According to the fitness guru’s diet plan, this starts with a detox phase, followed by a period of fasting and a maintenance phase. Read on if you want to know what’s behind the Snake Diet and if it can really help you lose weight.

What exactly is the snake diet?

The Snake Diet is designed to mimic the diet of wild animals, more specifically a snake. Accordingly, you eat one big meal a day and fast otherwise.

Snakes usually eat very large, high-fat and high-protein meals during the day and then do not eat for about 22 hours. The snake diet follows this principle.

During the fasting period, no food or calories are allowed.

Only the so-called Snake Juice (in German: Schlangensaft) is permitted during the fasting. This consists of water, sea salt, potassium chloride, sodium bicarbonate and sulfate salts. This is to replenish the electrolytes. The recipe comes from the developer of the diet Cole Robinson himself.

However, experts believe that the amount of sodium included may exceed the recommended daily allowance.

The Snake Diet promotes a proactive diet based on targeted meal times. These are quite tight, amounting to only an hour or two. According to Robinson, this diet can cure type 2 diabetes and inflammation while increasing productivity. However, these claims are not backed by research, which is one of the reasons why the diet is so controversial.

How does the snake diet work?

Before you start the actual diet, you should first fast for 48 hours. During this time, except for the Snake Juice, you are not allowed to eat or drink anything. After the first two days, you will eat low-carb, high-fat meals with lots of low-starch vegetables and moderate amounts of meat. The goal of the diet is to put your body into a state of ketosis, where your body uses fat instead of glucose as its main source of energy. This state of ketosis is often associated with the ketogenic diet (keto diet).

After your first meal, the fitness trainer recommends another fasting period of 72 hours. This time, however, in addition to snake juice, a mixture of apple cider vinegar and lemon juice is also allowed. Do you have the feeling after expiration of the 72 hours still not enough weight to have lost, recommends Robinson the chamfering time if necessary to extend.

The Snake Diet alternates between fasting and eating periods. As with any restrictive diet, you will be able to lose weight on this one. If you want to maintain your new weight, you need more than just a diet. A healthy lifestyle can help you do that.

Is the diet dangerous?

The Snake Diet was not developed by a medical doctor or a nutritionist. There are no research results to support the claims made. However, followers and fans report great weight loss success.

Nevertheless, the criticism of the diet should not be taken lightly. Alternatively, you could incorporate individual elements of the Snake Diet into your daily routine or routine that are well-tested and considered safe, such as Intermittent Fasting.

This method of fasting has been shown to help with weight loss and improve overall well-being. Some of the most popular methods include the 16:8 and 5:2 methods, as well as alternate fasting. Short-term fasting (or intermittent fasting) has been shown to increase metabolic rate by 3.6 to 14 percent, resulting in tumbling pounds.

Numerous studies have also shown that interval fasting can improve the body’s resistance to oxidative stress.

With oxidative stress, there is an imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants in the body. Over time, this can lead to diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure.

In addition, intermittent fasting has been shown to improve gut health by decreasing intestinal permeability, thereby increasing the diversity of bacteria in the gut.

This study was able to prove that the diversity of bacteria in the intestines of mice increased significantly after only 4 weeks of intermittent fasting.

The New Year’s Diet

So you’ve made the decision to finally get in shape this year. Good for you! But before you start working out, you need to set your diet in order. Here are four tips to help you get started.

1. Start by making small changes. Don’t try to overhaul your entire diet all at once. Start by making small changes, like eating more fruits and vegetables and drinking more water.
2. Don’t deprive yourself. If you’re used to eating a certain way, don’t try to change everything overnight. It’s important to find a balance between eating healthy foods and indulging in your favorite treats.
3. Don’t be too hard on yourself. If you slip up and eat something unhealthy, don’t get discouraged. Just pick yourself up and get back on track.
4. Make a plan. It’s important to have a plan when it comes to your diet. That way, you’ll know what you’re supposed to be eating and you’ll be less likely to make bad choices.

The Dangers of the New Year’s Diet

The New Year’s diet is a dangerous game. Many people resolve to diet in the new year, but end up failing. This can be dangerous because it can lead to yo-yo dieting, which can be harmful to your health.

Yo-yo dieting is a pattern of weight loss and weight gain. It can be harmful because it can lead to changes in your body composition, metabolism, and eating habits.

When you diet, your body goes into starvation mode. This means that your body starts to conserve energy, and it can become harder to lose weight. When you start to eat normally again, you may gain back the weight you lost, and then some.

Dieting can also lead to changes in your body composition. When you lose weight, you may lose muscle mass as well as fat. This can lead to a decrease in your metabolism, which can make it harder to lose weight in the future.

Dieting can also lead to changes in your eating habits. When you diet, you may start to associate foods with weight loss. This can lead to unhealthy eating habits, such as eating too few calories or eating too many unhealthy foods.

The New Year’s diet is a dangerous game. It can lead to yo-yo dieting, changes in your body composition, metabolism, and eating habits. If you are determined to diet in the new year, be sure to do it safely and healthfully.

---

The New Year’s diet is a great way to start the new year, but it’s important to be cautious of the dangers of following this diet strictly.

Morning nutrition: the right time for breakfast

Getting off to the best possible start is what counts, and this is demonstrated anew every day. If you take time for a proper breakfast, you give your body a good foundation and plenty of energy.

The ideal time for the first meal

If possible, you should tailor a breakfast ritual that suits you and your daily routine. Instead of savoring even the last second in warm bed, it’s better to get up a little earlier so that you have at least 15 minutes to eat breakfast, while also mentally preparing yourself for the day. That’s how much time your body needs before a feeling of satiety sets in.

The way you start is usually the way you continue – if you rush out of the house in a panic, wolfing down anything on the way, you’re unlikely to become calmer and more planned for the rest of the day. Take time for breakfast, after that you will be more relaxed and usually more efficient. Soon after getting up, sit down quietly, drink your coffee or tea, and eat something. Preferably still at home, but if you can’t get anything down very early, find another time slot that you always reserve for breakfast.

Is it possible to skip breakfast?

Skipping breakfast altogether is not a good idea. Hormone balance suffers, and the roller coaster ride that hunger causes blood sugar levels to experience leads to elevated cholesterol levels and high blood pressure in the long run. A study published in the magazine ‘Circulation’ even concluded that people who start eating later in the day are 27 percent more likely to die from heart attacks and other heart conditions.

And those who think they can lose weight by skipping meals will be disappointed: those who postpone or skip their first meal are often all the hungrier later and prone to unreasonable snack attacks.

What’s in the perfect breakfast?

Carbohydrates in moderation provide energy for the day. Sugar and fat bombs are not in demand, so forget the sweetened latte with the delicious croissant. Fresh fruit, whole-grain bread, low-fat cottage cheese or yogurt are better, and eggs should also be on the menu because of their high nutrient content. Beware of fruit juices: they are sugar and calorie bombs. Rather eat a piece of fruit more, which also provides you with valuable fiber.

Many people swear by drinking a glass of hot or warm water before breakfast; this tradition comes from the Indian lifestyle and nutritional science of Ayurveda. The hot water gets your digestion and metabolism going and prepares you for the meal that is about to follow. Because the intestinal activity is boosted, you will usually find yourself in the toilet in the foreseeable future – plan enough time for that, too, and enjoy starting the day light and liberated!