Monitoring Salt Craving in Children

There is evidence to suggest that the adrenal gland and the thyroid gland are very closely connected so that if there is low adrenal function, then the thyroid can also have a problem with it. Salt cravings point to adrenal problems and may also point to thyroid issues in people that have the cravings. The salt cravings will usually be paired with a feeling of fatigue as well as weakness in the body so that the person does not feel like doing anything in their day to day life. There are ways to fix the problem, the first of which is to get the sodium levels up to their proper state again and while doing so, also help to build up the adrenal gland through additional low fat protein in the diet.

Children

There are some children that will have salt cravings. In some households, the parents may cook with a lot of salt during the first years of the child's life and then make a change for healthier eating. When this happens, the child will often crave salt because that is what he is used to having in his diet, not because his body is in need of more salt.

In other cases, the child will crave salt because there is another issue going on in his body that requires additional salt to be consumed. Addison's disease is the one mentioned above where the adrenal gland does not produce enough cortisol to maintain the proper sodium levels in the blood. When this happens, the electrolytes in the body are not able to fire properly leading to the fatigues feeling and weakness. It can also lead to low blood pressure and weight loss, so a salt craving in a child should be monitored.

In addition, salt cravings in children can point to other problems such as diabetes. When a child develops a salt craving that is strong and has never has one before, the parents are wise to take him to the doctor for tests to make sure there is not a more serious issue to be treated. In addition, if the salt cravings are strong, the child may try to consume straight salt, especially if he is a younger child and does not know any better. Consuming large amounts of salt can be extremely dangerous to the child and the parent who knows that the child has been having a salt craving should be sure to monitor his access to salt so that an accidental overdose does not occur.

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