The Bad
I think this is the side of salt that tends to get more play. With good reason, too. We hear it in studies, and from doctors all the time: Cut back on your salt! The key phrase here is cutting back. In moderation, a little salt is OK. I think what our doctors are trying to steer us away from is what can only be called Salt Abuse.
Most experts recommend a daily limit of about a teaspoon of salt, or 2,300 mg of sodium. These same experts say that people over the age of 51, and African-Americans – who are at higher risk for high blood pressure – should limit themselves to 1,500 mg daily. The scary thing: Americans daily sodium intake averages about 3,400 mg. And it’s very difficult to monitor your intake unless you pay close attention. Because salt is in, like, EVERYTHING. Sodium occurs naturally in whole foods, but it’s used as a preservative in canned, boxed, and frozen foods. Some past studies have shown that sodium lights up the same brain pathways as hard drugs or nicotine, causing a similar addiction. Consuming more than a teaspoon of salt daily can be a risky habit.
Blood Pressure – It’s no secret that if you already have high blood pressure, it is only going to get worse if you salt those steamed vegetables to “give them a taste just north of cardboard.” Salt causes water retention, which isn’t as bad as body fat, since you can sweat most of it out with exercise. But skip the exercise, and you’re putting a tremendous strain on your heart and blood vessels and the job they’re doing to pump your blood. 
RELATED: How to get your blood pressure down to 120
Cardiovascular Tissue – Too much salt causes a decrease in function of the inner lining of blood vessels, which can cause blood clotting and do some serious damage to immune function. Heart tissue can also be affected, making those muscles pumping your blood much more weak. Sadly, this can be common in people typically not at risk for high blood pressure, or people referred to as salt-resistant. So this issue can kind of sneak up on you.
The Kidneys and the Brain – The favorite menu items of Hannibal Lecter (which he no doubt salts the shit out of) are also very important to our well being and doing that thing we call surviving. Too much sodium can throw everything out of whack real quick. Healthy kidneys need a good balance of sodium and potassium to do their job of filtering water out of your blood. If you overload the kidneys with sodium and throw off the balance, the kidneys can’t filter blood properly and the problems begin. As awesome as it would be, this can’t be solved by going on a banana-bender for more potassium.
