salt in diet

Question
Hi Marissa,
I am hoping you can help me. For the last 10 years I have been struggling with my diet after a bad course of antibiotics that destroyed my digestion and made me super sensitive to food with sugar, fat and protein. So I have been on a low carb vegetable based diet with small amounts of fat and protein from peanut butter and cheeses. I use artificial sweeteners and salt to make my food taste good - I crave sweet and savoury foods. I have recently learned that salt is detrimental to my health - although I have my low blood pressure the salt I consume may be leading to osteoprosis. I love salt and it is very hard for me to stop consuming it. i have not other signs of over consumption - I had some swelling in my legs but that does not exist any more since I cut back - but I am still consuming about 1.5 to 2 tablespoons per day. can you tell me if I can prevent the bad effects of the salt by consuming calcium. and do you know what the salt physically does to your internal organs - this information is very hard to get on the internet. I know that artificial sweeteners are bad for me as well but i don't think i can give this up i do use stevia in combination to reduce the consumption of the bad sweeteners. other than my poor digestion i am healthy and ride my bike agressively for 20 km per day. i use various herbs and essential oils to combat things like gas, bloating, etc. but i stay away from sugar - even a few extra grams from a piece of fruit or a piece of chocolate gives me problems - I am drowsy for the next 24 hours and develop vaginal yeast infection and bladder infection.
so i stay away from sugar - but can you give some advice about the salt.

Answer
Hello Irina,

First, I would recommend you see a naturopath, digestion specialist, a doctor who specializes in functional medicine or a health coach to guide you on a candida cleanse if you haven't done so already. It sounds like an overgrowth of bacteria and yeast has taken its toll, but some of that may be reversible. As far as what salt does to your internal organs, I can't say for sure but too much of it can cause hypertension, high blood pressure, heart disease and other medical problems. It's great that you use herbs and essential oils. There are some other ways you can flavor your foods to replace some of the salt you've been consuming. All of these ingredients taste salty but don't have the same affect as salt on the body: use sea salt (often requires less than regular table salt), tamari, liquid aminos, fresh herbs and spices, umeboshi plum vinegar, miso. As for the artificial sweeteners, those can have a terrible effect on digestion as well. In addition to stevia, you can try coconut nectar or coconut sugar or raw honey. Best wishes to you. I hope this is helpful.  

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