Every person that decides to improve their health and implement a more nutritious diet knows that high-calorie and high-fat meals and snacks should be avoided. There are a wide variety of diet foods available to consumers, but there are some ingredients hidden in pre-packaged and processed diet foods that can cause your hunger to spike.
Excess salt can disrupt a healthy diet and possibly sabotage your weight-loss plan. Consuming too many salty foods can contribute to brain fog and even cause high blood pressure or stomach ulcers. Recent findings have proven that a diet heavy in salt will cause you to consume less water and feel hungrier, which goes against previous beliefs regarding diets heavy in salt.
According to the Journal of Clinical Investigation, two separate studies conducted on ten Russian cosmonauts and then on mice proves that a salty diet will not have you reaching for hydration, but rather for another salty snack.
The first report involved researchers decreasing the daily salt intake of Russian cosmonauts participating in flight simulation programs between the years 2009 and 2011. Their salt intake was decreased from 12 grams per day to 6 grams per day.
The findings? The men drank less water and felt hungrier on the high-salt diet, as their bodies were conserving more water to make up for the excessive salt. They felt hungrier because it takes increased energy to conserve water on a diet with heavy salt.
The second paper conducted on mice miraculously had the same result. When the mice were consuming salt in excess they were prone to eat more, and they also suffered from the breakdown of their muscle protein.
The findings support what we know as already true — a diet high in sodium should be avoided for good health. Steer clear of processed snacks and meals and try to consume food at its most natural state. A well-balanced diet can help you stay fit and avoid unnecessary health conditions. And don’t forget to stay hydrated!