How to Eliminate Salt from the Body

Salt is an extremely important element for human health. The sodium mineral in salt helps to regulate blood pressure and maintain moisture in the body. However, too much salt intake can cause health problems, including high blood pressure and an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. You can lower your salt levels by staying hydrated, exercising regularly, and eating a low-salt diet. ^{[1] X Trusted Source Harvard Medical Schop Go to Source Use} caution when making any changes to your sodium intake to avoid potential risks.

Table of Contents

Keep your body hydrated

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Drink a lot of water. One of the most effective ways to remove waste and excess nutrients from the body is to stay hydrated, and the simplest way is to drink water. While each person’s daily water intake can vary, the basic guidelines below should work for most people: ^{[2] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to source}

The average male should drink about 13 cups (3 liters) of water per day.
The average woman should drink about 9 cups (2.2 liters) of water per day.

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Load liquids from other sources. While drinking water is the best way to stay hydrated, you can also get the fluids you need from other sources. In addition to drinking water, you can get extra fluids from a variety of foods. Fresh fruits, vegetables, and soups made with unsalted broth are all good sources of water. ^{[3] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source}

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Limit sports drinks. While sports drinks like Gatorade or Powerade can be very helpful after an intense workout or when you’re sick, they’re often high in sodium. Avoid sports drinks, unless you are exercising for an extended period of time (an hour or more) or when your doctor recommends them to combat illness-related dehydration. ^{[4] X Trusted Source FamilyDoctor.org Go to Source}

Do exercise

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Sweat. The body will excrete both water and salt when sweating. Therefore, intense exercise or other activities that cause the body to sweat are also effective ways to remove excess sodium from the body. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Try high-intensity exercise, such as circuit training, to get in shape and get rid of excess sodium.
Alternatively, you can try other forms of exercise that are less intense but help you sweat, such as hot yoga. Note that hot yoga can be dangerous for people with low heat tolerance, so you should consult your doctor before starting. ^{[6] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source}

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Hydrate the body during exercise. If you lose water during exercise, salt will be retained in the body, which can lead to a dangerous condition called hypernatremia. ^{[7] X Research Source} Always drink water while exercising, especially if you are hot or sweaty.

The amount of water you should drink during exercise depends on your individual needs as well as the intensity and duration of the exercise. For a light daily workout, such as a 30-minute workout in the gym, you can drink an extra 1.5-2.5 cups (400-600 ml) of water. ^{[8] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source}

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Ask your doctor about maintaining electrolyte balance. Losing too much sodium during exercise can be dangerous. Drinking too much water during exercise can cause sodium and other electrolytes to drop too low. This can lead to exercise-induced hyponatremia. ^{[9] X Source of Research} You should consult with your doctor or dietitian to make sure you don’t lose too much sodium during exercise, especially if you’re on a low-salt diet. ^{[10] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source}

With long or intense workouts, you may need to drink sports or electrolyte drinks so your salt levels don’t drop dangerously low.

Change your diet

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Talk to your doctor about how much salt you are consuming. If you’re concerned that you’re getting too much salt through your food, talk to your doctor or dietitian. They can help you determine if you need to reduce your sodium intake, and how much you should get through food.

It is likely that your doctor or dietitian will ask you to reduce your salt intake if you have certain health problems such as high blood pressure or diabetes. ^{[11] X Trusted Source Harvard Medical Schop Go to Source}

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Reduce the amount of salt in food. As recommended by doctors, most healthy adults should consume no more than 2,300 mg of salt per day. If you follow the American diet, chances are you’re consuming more salt than recommended. ^{[12] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source} You can reduce your salt intake with a few simple changes like: ^{[13] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to source}

Buy fresh foods instead of processed foods. Processed meats like canned meat, bacon or sausages are often high in salt.
Look for products labeled “low sodium.” Double-check the packaging for the sodium content of the product.
Reduce the amount of salt in recipes, if you can. Try flavoring dishes with other seasonings, such as salt-free pepper or garlic powder.

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Eat more potassium. Like sodium, potassium is an important electrolyte needed to maintain a healthy body. Most of us eat too much sodium and not enough potassium. Getting enough potassium through food can help you get rid of sodium. ^{[14] X Trusted Source Consumer Reports Go to the Source} Food sources of potassium include:

Baked potatoes with skins
Avocado
Banana
Green leafy vegetables like spinach or chard
Dairy products like milk or yogurt
Beans and lentils

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Try the DASH diet. The High Blood Pressure Prevention Diet (DASH), is a diet that focuses on reducing sodium intake and eating the right portions. Based on your needs, your doctor or dietitian may recommend a standard DASH diet or a low sodium DASH diet. With the standard diet, you can eat up to 2,300 mg of sodium per day. On a low-sodium diet, you can eat no more than 1,500 mg of sodium per day. ^{[15] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source}

Safe salt content control

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Be careful with detox programs or fast weight loss diets. Many wellness programs, such as juice or salt water detoxes, claim to cleanse, detoxify, and treat problems like bloating or water retention. However, there is little evidence for their effectiveness. These programs can also seriously mess up sodium levels in the body, sometimes to dangerous levels. ^{[16] X Research Source}

A juice detox program can cause sodium levels to drop to dangerously low levels, leading to hyponatremia. Hyponatremia can cause heart and nervous system problems. ^{[17] X Research Source}
Rapid weight loss diet programs such as salt water detox can burden the kidneys and increase salt levels in the body, leading to problems such as dehydration, bloating, edema, or high blood pressure. ^{[18] X Research Sources}

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Don’t drink too much water. Although it sounds a bit strange, it is possible to drink too much water. If you drink excessive amounts of water during exercise, or simply to purify your body, you run the risk of hyponatremia, which is a lack of salt in the blood. Hyponatremia can lead to life-threatening cerebral edema. ^{[19] X Research Source}

It can be difficult to know what it means to drink too much water, especially during intense exercise or endurance training. The best way is to listen to your body: drink when thirsty, and stop drinking when thirsty.

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Consult your doctor about major lifestyle changes. A sudden change in sodium intake or starting a new exercise regimen can have serious health consequences, especially if you have pre-existing conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes. Before making any major changes, talk to your doctor or dietitian. They can create a safety program to help you meet your health goals. ^{[20] X Trusted Source FamilyDoctor.org Go to Source}

Steps

Keep your body hydrated

Do exercise

Change your diet

Safe salt content control

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