Watch out, eating too much salt can make the body fat fast!

When you look at people who are fat, maybe what comes to your mind is that the person must be eating too much fatty food. But it turns out, body fat or obesity is not always caused by foods high in fat, but can also be due to eating too much salt, aka salty foods. How could that be? Here's the explanation.

Watch out for fat if you eat too much salt

Food without salt is certainly not delicious. Salt is actually needed by the body to maintain fluid balance and improve muscle and nerve function. However, that doesn't mean you can use as much salt as possible. If you are a fan of salty foods, be careful with the risk of hypertension, heart attack, stroke, and obesity.

In 2015, British and Chinese researchers reported that children and adults on a high-salt diet had increased body fat.

Research results show that every one gram of salt can increase the risk of obesity in children by 28 percent and in adults by 26 percent. Experts suspect this is because eating too much salt can change the way the body burns fat.

Then, why can salt make the body fat?

The body has a natural mechanism that tells you when to stop eating and when to start eating. When you eat too much salt, your body will be insensitive and will not detect signs that you have to stop eating. This then makes you eat more.

In addition, eating too much salt also makes you thirsty faster and drink a lot. As a result, the body retains more water so that automatically the body weight increases.

This is exacerbated by the ability of salt to hold water in the body. The more fluids you drink, the more fluid will accumulate due to high salt levels.

In fact, one extra gram of table salt, which is equivalent to 400 milligrams of sodium, can add up to 1 kilogram of body weight. However, it should be noted that the weight gained is not due to fat deposits, but because of water.

The good news is, this weight gain is temporary. When you eat less salty foods, the retained water in the body will come out so that you lose weight too. So, it's a good idea to avoid eating too much salt if you want your body to stay slim.

According to Lisa Moscovitz, R.D., a nutritionist and founder of the NY Nutrition Group, salt does not work alone in making weight gain, as reported by Women's Health. In fact, salty foods are usually also high in fat and sugar, for example in chips, sausages, and corned beef.

When you eat salty food, the fat and sugar content in your body will automatically increase so that your weight will go up faster.

In a day, how much salt can be consumed?

If you are trying to lose weight, you should avoid consuming salty foods and packaged foods that are high in salt. Instead of adding a lot of salt to make the food more savory, use other seasonings like garlic or black pepper which give it a more natural salty taste. The more flavor you add, the less salt you will need.

Even so, that doesn't mean you shouldn't eat salt at all. According to the Ministry of Health, the maximum limit of eating salt in one day is 1 teaspoon or the equivalent of 5 grams (2000 milligrams of sodium) for adults. Meanwhile, for younger ages or children, the need for salt per day is certainly less than for adults.

Don't forget to always read the nutritional information labels on the packaging that can help you control salt levels. To find out how much salt is in packaged foods, you can look at the sodium content in these products. Choose foods that have low or no sodium levels.

Instead, you can also choose natural foods that are low in sodium, such as fruits, vegetables and nuts which are certainly healthier for you.