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ALWAYS craving salt

blissfulMenace

blissfulMenace

Bluelight Crew
Joined
Mar 7, 2005
Messages
1,246
Location
Texas
id like to start by saying i have a rather intense workout schedule, or at least i like to think i do
i run about 20 miles a week and life weights a couple times a week on my off days
not to mention i have no car so i ride my bike at least 4 miles a day, usually more.
but im ALWAYS craving salt.. i drink about a half gallon of water a day without thinking about it, and on occasion i drink propel.. about once a day sometimes twice
today all i could think about was getting some nasty salty mcdonalds french fries..

im just wondering why this is and how much salt is healthy to consume on a daily basis.. i can literally pour salt in my hand and lick it..
 
A salt craving can be indicative of anything from craving it out of pure habit, dehydration, and several serious medical conditions. Obviously the more common causes would be habit and dehydration. Make sure you're actually drinking enough water throughout the day and before/after exercising.

If this is something that has just recently/suddenly changed I would advise you to go to a doctor and have it checked out. I'm not sure what the recommended amount of salt is per day, but I'm sure a quick google search would tell you.
 
i work out 3 times a week and drink around 2 gallons of water a day, but that could be idiosyncratic what.
 
i dunno, im pretty sure i drink enough water.. and i have always been this way, i used to sit and eat lemons and pour salt on them and eat them straight.. most people dont do that...

i dont crave sweets at all, hardly ever.. and since i went back to running alot i drink maybe a glass of chocolate milk once a week.. oh and sometimes sweet coffee drinks as i work at starbucks
 
i did a quick search and found that too much salt leads to muscle cramps, dizziness, or even an electrolyte disturbance... and i dont have any of that besides the RARE charley horse (sp?) when i wake up in an akward position in the morning.
honestly i dont recognize any problems physically with my salt intake.. i have awesome blood pressure and i drink a lot of water, i was just curious as to how much is too much.
 
A craving of salt is also a sign of potentially early diabetes. Do you have cramps in your legs? Feel dizzy/shaky often until you eat? Anything feeling out of the ordinary for you?
 
no.. ive had one cramp anywhere in the last year.. theres no history of diabetes in my family.. i suppose its worth going to check out, id be pissed if i had diabetes

never do i feel dizzy or shaky unless im sick or the rare occasion where i stand up too fast, and i dont recall that happening in a very long time.. i cant remember the last time that happened
 
That's not diabetes. If you felt dizzy/fell...that's considered low blood pressure or could simply be due to dehydration.

Are you eating a well balanced meal? Five food groups? Fish atleast once a week?
 
try eating more minerals? coral calcium or sme chelated mineral mix... just might help.

or try Korean Bamboo salt... google it, interesting stuff, packed with minerals, so it's not just NaCl. Might curb the cravings if indeed your body is translating mineral cravings (do you have a diet high in a variety of important minerals?) into NaCl cravings... def.worth a try imho.
 
I would say craving salty french fries is not a craving for salt. After all, they have less salt than that which I put to one sliece of meat.

It is the combination of texture, hydrogenated oil, starch and salt that is so appealing. Nothing else.

Also, drinking a shit load of water without upping your sodium intake will lower your plasma sodium levels dangerously. So go easy on the water, drinking much more than you lose does not yield any proven benefits, no matter what bottled water companies try to tell you.
 
Most likely it's all the water you're drinking... DO NOT drink more, drink LESS if you're craving salt all the time. So-called water intoxication can be dangerous or even deadly in extreme cases... I've had mild hyponatremia twice (from doing stimulants & drinking too much fluid) and it's pretty bad. Do the research...
 
Try drinking Gatorade after a workout, sweat is loaded with electrolytes not just water.
 
i drink propel when i work out, because i like the fact it is light and is less syrupy..
i dont think half a gallon of water a day is out of hand.. especially with all the running/riding/working out i do.. and i live in tx so the high temp causes me to sweat a significant amt.. i only drink when im thirsty.. so its not like im forcing down half a gallon of water.. thats just the average..

the fries are just one craving.. i also just eat sea salt off my finger sometimes..

center--i dont think i changed salt types.. im pretty sure i just use white nacl table salt.

ximot ill check that out man, thanks for the help
 
Mate, is not the fact that you are drinking that amount of water, is the fact that you are losing a shitload of electrolytes with all that exercise, and you are not replacing it back.

At the end of the day, you end up with less plasma sodium.
 
I'm a salt addict as well. I'd take salt over sugar any damn day. In fact I have a saltlick right now ;)
ok...I know too much sodium is bad for you. *spanks self*
 
sodium chloride isn't the only electrolyte a body needs.

if you replace all the electrolytes you use with sodium chloride, your body will lose more and more minerals... these need to be replaced. otherwise the body will get its minerals from it stores them... joints, bones. You can imagine the consequences of that in the long run... joint inflammation, osteoporosis, etc.

what a body needs is a good electrolyte balance, not just sodium chloride.

refined salt (sodium chloride with little else in it) is a mineral robber, just like refined sugar and refined flour. sadly, all three can be pretty addictive, especially in combination with fats and flavours, like El Toro says.
 
i know thats why i drink propel fitness water. it has potassium chloride and potassium something else as well..

any other good supplements for electrolytes you guys know of?

does like centrum vitamins have it? i havent ever thought to look
 
blissfulMenace said:
i dunno, im pretty sure i drink enough water.. and i have always been this way, i used to sit and eat lemons and pour salt on them and eat them straight.. most people dont do that...
Click to expand...

Did you bartend? I used to do that all the time (only I preferred limes over lemons ) when I was bartending.;)
/Off topic


Of course your body might be trying to tell you something as I said earlier, but it might just be your 'stomach' too.;)
 
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