Why do you crave salt? It could be boredom or stress – or even an underlying health condition
Key takeaways:
- Salt cravings are usually caused by boredom or dependency.
- But sometimes, salt cravings are caused by any of these five reasons:
- Underlying health conditions
- Dehydration
- Increased exercise
- Severe stress
- Mental health issues
- If you experience salt cravings, low-sodium alternatives like SaltMe®! chips are a healthier way to satisfy them.
We all know that salt tastes good. After all, we add it to food to enhance the flavor. Unfortunately, many Americans consume too much salt due to its prevalence in our food products.
But even with all that excess salt in our diets, some people suffer from serious salt cravings for a variety of reasons, including some serious health concerns. In this guide, we’ll examine salt cravings, their possible causes, and a few healthy “cures.”
What are salt cravings?
Most Americans consume far more salt than they need. The recommended daily amount is no more than 2,300 mg per day, but most of us consume much more – an average of 3,400 mg each day. Most of this excess salt is found in processed and packaged foods, fast food, and restaurant meals, all of which typically contain added sodium for preservation and/or flavoring.
With all this added salt in our diets, people get used to high-sodium foods and come to expect certain flavors when they eat. So this already unhealthy diet can lead to salt cravings simply to satisfy flavor expectations. People may crave a salty snack when they’re relaxing for the night or are just hungry. And sometimes, plain old boredom can also lead to cravings. You’re just eating a snack because you have nothing better to do.
Of course, once you open that bag of salty chips, it can be hard to stop eating them because salt is almost addictive. The solution is to focus on eating healthy snacks and foods as an alternative to consuming too much salt.
5 possible reasons for salt cravings
There are some additional reasons you could be craving salt, unrelated to flavor or boredom. Sometimes, it’s a sign of an underlying problem that you need to deal with or at least recognize. Here are five potential reasons you’re craving salt:
1. Underlying health conditions
There are several health issues that could cause salt cravings. First, adrenal insufficiency, or Addison’s disease, may cause this symptom. This is a very rare condition, but it causes low amounts of aldosterone and cortisol, so the body may start to have low sodium levels.
In addition, Bartter syndrome can also cause increased salt cravings. This condition causes sodium to be lost through the urine, leading to decreased salt levels in the body. Cystic fibrosis is another disease that could lead you to have more severe salt cravings because it leads to issues with balancing compounds like chloride.
Just because you have an increased craving for salt doesn’t mean you necessarily have any of these underlying health problems. But if your cravings go beyond what seems normal, and they don’t subside, it may be worth talking them over with your healthcare professional.
2. Dehydration
Dehydration – which can be caused by illness, strenuous exercise, and diuretic medications among other things commonly leads to salt cravings. This is because when you sweat a lot or don’t get enough fluids, your sodium levels may become too low, causing you to crave salty foods. Other symptoms that you’re dehydrated include dizziness, headaches, and rapid heartbeat.
3. Increased exercise
It’s undeniable that exercise is one of the best things you can do for your body. However, you can also seriously deplete your body of electrolytes when you exercise, especially if you’re going pretty hard. This can cause you to crave salt after working out. Make sure you stay hydrated by drinking lots of water when you exercise to avoid dehydration.
4. Severe stress
When we’re stressed out, whether from overworking, trauma, or worry, we turn to things that make us feel better, even if only temporarily. It’s easy to grab a salty snack that we then become dependent on. This can, in turn, lead to more stress as unhealthy eating habits lead to weight gain or other health issues. And stress eating becomes a vicious cycle.
5. Mental health states
In addition to severe stress, other mental health states can also cause salt cravings. People may want to consume salt when they’re overly anxious about something, when they’re exhausted, or when they’re just bored with life.
Lack of sleep can also impact our mental health and our behaviors. A study published in the journal Sleep found that when people don’t get enough rest, they’re less able to resist cravings for salty, unhealthy foods.
Regardless of the cause of your salt cravings, one thing is certain. Since most of us are already eating too much salt as it is, piling cravings on top of that is a recipe for serious health problems. Luckily, the solution to satisfying your urge for salt may be easier – and healthier – than you think.
Low-sodium alternatives
What if we told you that you can satisfy your taste buds without consuming too much sodium? Sound too good to be true? It really isn’t. It’s all about getting creative with other spices and flavors in your food, such as garlic, pepper, herbs, lemon, and lime. Also try snacking on fruits, vegetables, or grains. Most foods have some level of natural sodium in them, and sometimes, that’s enough to satisfy the salt urge.
Another option is to look for lower-sodium snack options. MicroSalt® manufactures our SaltMe®! chips with all the flavor you want in a snack but only half the sodium. How? By using a breakthrough patented technology that creates miniaturized salt particles. They dissolve immediately when they hit your tongue, so you get a full burst of salty taste with only a fraction of the sodium content.
Learn more about our low-sodium products at MicroSalt® by contacting our team today.
