Adding salt

[Idunno]

I’ve never used salt on my foods until this carnivore diet. Because they say you have to take salt with carnivore 

but now I’m putting a good 2 teaspoons per day maybe less.

and the food all tastes bland without the salt 

are you sure eating all this salt is necessary?

The sea salt is alternating my normal taste buds. Everything tastes blah with out salt

if you really think about it from an ancestral perspective before grocery stores

where is a guy going to get Redmon sea salt without a grocery store or some salt mine nearby?

are you sure eating all this salt is normal?

[Scott F.]

It is normal but everyone probably needs a different amount. 

What I need probably moves up and down based on my activity level or work schedule. I don't salt everything when I eat. I tried it in water, and it does not taste good to me and makes water harder to drink. Maybe the most consistent thing I do is to eat a pinch of salt or two in the mornings. I happen to like salt on eggs so I get another dose then.

Most days I get enough and I am sure on some days I get too much. For me there is not any difference between just enough and too much. However, if I don't get enough the energy flattens a bit and I have some cramping issues at night.

My best guess would be for you to try ti dial it up and down to suit you. I am not sure there is an X amount per person.

Scott

[Orweller]

17 hours ago, Idunno said:

are you sure eating all this salt is normal?

Definitely more normal as eating all that sugar. 

[Idunno]

To have access to the quality salts we have today I am kind of skeptical 

people didn’t have a Whole Foods to pick and chose between “high quality” salts. 
something doesn’t add up for me

i don’t understand why people need salt

ive never liked adding it to my foods but now in carnivore is some requirement of sorts

[Geezy]

Early man got most of his minerals from drinking from flowing streams but today all of our water is filtered so we have to supplement.
Sodium is an essential mineral and we used to follow the animals to find the salt licks as they would travel for miles to get salt.
Before refrigeration we heavily salted our foods to preserve them. Now in modern times our processed foods are loaded with sodium.
So throughout the ages man has always obtained sodium. It’s rather instinctive for us to want it.
Our issue today as carnivores is that sodium excretion is faster on carnivore, because reducing insulin allows the kidneys to return to their normal rate of excretion, so we advise increasing salt intake a bit on carnivore. Since we are no longer eating those processed foods anymore and flushing our fluids out at a higher rate we get deficient.
A couple of recent studies have documented that the healthiest sodium intake is 4-6 g/day, which translates to 10-15 g/day of table salt, including the salt already present in our food.


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[Orweller]

11 hours ago, Idunno said:

i don’t understand why people need salt

Because without it, we die. 

[Dorkken]

People like to add salt to things because they are unaware of other seasonings. Try garlic, cilantro, pepper, oregano and basil. I rarely add salt to things I cook, and it's usually very good, because it doesn't taste like someone added a ton of salt.

[Idunno]

On 2/27/2025 at 7:58 AM, Orweller said:

Because without it, we die. 

But why don’t people (before luxury grocery stores) why don’t they all die without salt

[Idunno]

20 hours ago, Dorkken said:

People like to add salt to things because they are unaware of other seasonings. Try garlic, cilantro, pepper, oregano and basil. I rarely add salt to things I cook, and it's usually very good, because it doesn't taste like someone added a ton of salt.

I never added salt to food until the Carnivore diet said to add it

[Idunno]

What did people do before Whole Foods and the expensive sea salt products?

was everyone just dying left and right without adding tons of sea salt to everything?

[Orweller]

9 hours ago, Idunno said:

But why don’t people (before luxury grocery stores) why don’t they all die without salt

Because they used salt. There was salt before the luxury grocery store. Use salt to taste, it ain't that serious. Keep it simple. If you don't prefer salt, try it without. 

[Skeptic]

I also use salt to tase on my food, and it is in the electrolyte water I mix up daily as well.  Something I have never really found a lot of referenced info on in the last 2 years though, is the effect of salt on blood pressure.  

Just as western medicine villifies saturated fat and cholesterol (which we all here know is a total load of nonsense) the same thinktanks also publish a lot of information in regards to the evils of salt, and how it is no good for us, as it raises blood pressure, etc ...so they say.  

Anyone have any good articles to the contrary?  

[Geezy]

I also use salt to tase on my food, and it is in the electrolyte water I mix up daily as well.  Something I have never really found a lot of referenced info on in the last 2 years though, is the effect of salt on blood pressure.  

Just as western medicine villifies saturated fat and cholesterol (which we all here know is a total load of nonsense) the same thinktanks also publish a lot of information in regards to the evils of salt, and how it is no good for us, as it raises blood pressure, etc ...so they say.  

Anyone have any good articles to the contrary?  

I eat as much salt as tastes good to me and when I know I’m going to be outside in the heat all day working I’ll add salt to my water. It wasn’t very long into my carnivore lifestyle that my blood pressure got so low that my cardiologist took me off of my medication.

Excessive sodium intake can lead to fluid retention and increased blood volume, thereby raising blood pressure. But…on carnivore we don’t retain fluids but instead tend to flush fluids out because we don’t have carbs or fiber to retain them. Also as carnivores we really aren’t getting as much sodium as we might think. Because we are no longer eating a bunch of highly processed foods our sodium levels can be lower. Highly processed foods are loaded with sodium.
Now here are some TCT’s that studied the effects of sodium in our diets. Bear in mind these aren’t conducted on carnivores.

Randomized controlled trials
(i) Midgley et al (1996)[15]
In a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials covering 56 trials with 3,505 participants, it was found that salt reduction had no benefit for people with normal blood pressure and but had a small benefit for older people with high blood pressure (3.7 mm Hg for systolic and 0.9 mm Hg for diastolic).
The authors concluded that evidence does not support universal salt restriction recommendations.
(ii) Sacks et al (2001)[16]
In this study, a total of 412 participants were randomly assigned to eat either a control diet typical of intake in the United States or the DASH diet. Within the assigned diet, participants ate foods with high, intermediate, and low levels of sodium for 30 consecutive days each.
On the standard American diet:
• reducing the sodium intake from high to intermediate levels reducing the systolic blood pressure by 2.1 mm Hg
• reducing the sodium intake from intermediate level to low level causing an additional reduction of 4.6 mm Hg
On the DASH diet:
• reducing the sodium intake from high to intermediate levels reducing the systolic blood pressure by 1.3 mm Hg
• reducing the sodium intake from intermediate level to low level causing an additional reduction of 1.7 mm Hg.
The finding of this study is often quoted in support of low sodium intake advice by authorities.
(iii) Adler et al (2014)[17]
In this meta-analysis of 8 randomized controlled trials with 7,284 participants, the authors found that a reduction in salt consumption led to a small reduction in blood pressure after 6 months.
In particular, for people with normal blood pressure, there was a reduction of 2.32 mm Hg for systolic and 0.8 for diastolic. For people with high blood pressure, there was a reduction of 4.14mm Hg for systolic but no difference in diastolic blood pressure.
There was no evidence of a reduction in all-cause mortality. There was weak evidence of cardiovascular benefits but these findings were inconclusive and were driven by a single trial among retirement home residents.
(iv) Khan et al (2019)[18]
This study is a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and meta-analyses of RCTs that assessed the effects of nutritional supplements or dietary interventions on all-cause mortality or cardiovascular outcomes, such as death, myocardial infarction, stroke, and coronary heart disease.
The authors concluded that there was moderate-certainty evidence that reduced salt intake decreased the risk for all-cause mortality in people with normal blood pressure and cardiovascular mortality in people with high blood pressure. The authors also noted a limitation of the study is the suboptimal quality and certainty of evidence.
Epidemiological studies
(i) O’Donnell et al (2014)[19]
In a study involving 101,945 participants in 17 countries, sodium intake was estimated from urine samples and the composite outcome of death and major cardiovascular events were followed up after 3.7 years.
It was found that an estimated sodium intake between 3 and 6 g per day was associated with a lower risk of death and cardiovascular events than was either a higher or lower estimated level of intake.
This range of sodium intake is 2 to 4 times what the Institute of Medicine recommends.
(ii) Mente et al (2016)[20]
In a pooled analysis of studies comprising 133,118 from 49 countries, the authors examined the relationship between urinary sodium excretion (a proxy for sodium intake) and the composite outcome of death and major cardiovascular disease events over a median of 4.2 years and blood pressure.
The main findings of the study are:
• For people with high blood pressure, consuming sodium of more than 7g a day or less than 3g a day were both associated with an increased risk of death and cardiovascular disease compared to people consuming from 4 to 5 grams a day
• For people with normal blood pressure, consuming sodium of more than 7g a day was not associated with an increased risk of death and cardiovascular disease, but consuming sodium of less than 3g a day was associated with a significantly increased risk of death and cardiovascular disease.
• Furthermore, irrespective of blood pressure status, people consuming less sodium (7g a day).
In layman’s terms, according to this study:
• Whether you have or don’t have high blood pressure, consuming too little salt (less than 3 grams of sodium a day or less than 1⅓ teaspoon of salt a day) increases your risk of death and cardiovascular diseases
• If you have normal blood pressure, consuming a lot of sodium (more than 7g a day or more than 3 teaspoons of salt a day) doesn’t seem to do you any harm
• If you have high blood pressure, it’s better to limit sodium consumption to 4 to 5 grams a day or about 2 teaspoons of salt a day. This is double the current salt intake recommendation.
(iii) O’Donnell et al (2020)[21]
In a comprehensive review of evidence to date, the authors contend that current evidence suggests that most of the world’s population consumes a moderate amount of sodium (2.3g – 4.6g/day or 1–2 teaspoons/day). This level of consumption is not associated with increased cardiovascular risk and the risk of cardiovascular disease only increases when sodium intakes exceed 5 g/day.
(iv) Messerli (2021)[22]
In this large-scale epidemiological study, the authors examined the relation between sodium intake and life expectancy as well as survival in 181 countries worldwide.
Contrary to the advice from health authorities and organizations worldwide, they found a positive correlation between sodium intake and life expectancy at birth and at age of 60.
In particular, there was an increase of 2.6 years of healthy life expectancy at birth and an additional 0.3 years at the age of 60 for each additional gram of daily sodium intake.
In addition, all-cause mortality was found to be inversely correlated with sodium intake with 131 fewer deaths per each additional gram of daily sodium intake.
In a sensitivity analysis restricted to 46 countries in the highest income class, sodium intake continued to correlate positively with healthy life expectancy at birth (an increase of 3.4 years of healthy life expectancy at birth for each additional gram of daily sodium intake) and all-cause mortality (168 fewer deaths for each additional gram of daily sodium intake).
Summary of evidence
In summary, in randomized controlled trials, the reduction of sodium intake is found to modestly lower blood pressure from 1.3 to 4.6 mmHg. This is a negligible impact in the whole scheme of things, for example when high blood pressure is from 140 mmHg and above. However, there is no strong evidence indicating that lowering salt intake leads to a decrease in mortality and cardiovascular risks.
In epidemiological studies, overall findings indicate that 3 to 6g of sodium a day is positively associated with better health outcomes. This level of sodium consumption, however, is 2 to 4 times the currently recommended level. Also, note that due to the observational nature of epidemiological studies, no causality can be proven.
At best, the totality of evidence suggests that for people with high blood pressure, there is some benefit in maintaining a moderate salt consumption.
As for the general population, there is no strong evidence suggesting that they should limit their salt consumption.
In my view, it is pretty reckless to universally recommend over 6 billion people to limit salt consumption on such flimsy evidence which is mostly centered around a single trial of 412 people over a 30-day period.


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[Skeptic]

So, I wanted to thoroughly read this entire post a few times over before replying, but WOW!!!

Major thank you right here!   I just learned several things.

Between the salt in the electrolyte water I drink, and the bit I put on my food, I would estimate that I am getting right around 2 tsp a day of Himalayan pink salt or Mediterranean sea salt, depending.  Nothing I eat is processed, so I cant think of any other sodium that would be sneaking in.  The USRDA states 1/2 to 2/3 teaspoon per day of sodium for adults.  Wow.  I would sure like to see similar studies conducted on those eating a proper carnivore diet!! 

[Scott F.]

Stanford and St. Mary's are doing some of those studies around carnivore now. My neurologist talked about them when I 'surprised' her with being on the carnivore diet. I was about five months deep at the time.

She is a fan but still has some questions. I'm her 'Guinee pig' for questions. She likes the approach as far as MS and NMO/SD are concerned. The diabetes research community is gradually buying in just not totally sold. 

It might even be considered a movement in time. LOL

Scott

[Geezy]

So, I wanted to thoroughly read this entire post a few times over before replying, but WOW!!!

Major thank you right here!   I just learned several things.

Between the salt in the electrolyte water I drink, and the bit I put on my food, I would estimate that I am getting right around 2 tsp a day of Himalayan pink salt or Mediterranean sea salt, depending.  Nothing I eat is processed, so I cant think of any other sodium that would be sneaking in.  The USRDA states 1/2 to 2/3 teaspoon per day of sodium for adults.  Wow.  I would sure like to see similar studies conducted on those eating a proper carnivore diet!! 

A couple of recent studies have documented that the healthiest sodium intake is 4-6 g/day, which translates to 10-15 g/day of table salt, including the salt already present in our food.
I don’t know how that equates to teaspoons but this is just what the carnivore community advises.
Me personally I don’t pay any attention to any of it. I salt my food when I cook it and I salt it to taste when I eat. I have no idea how much I’m getting but my blood tests always show my sodium levels to be at the lower end of the chart.
Things might be different for a diabetic.


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