SALT is actually GOOD FOR YOU.

[@Dna098]

Hi Registered Dietitian here, I feel this video has the potential to lead to health misinformation so to clear some stuff up; the NHS has never claimed salt is 'bad' for anyone, obviously salts (there are many different types of salt, here were referring to NaCl) are integral to maintaining fluid and electrolyte balance within our bodies. The message towards the general population by the NHS and many other health advisory boards is that as a population we need to reduce our overall salt intake, given that conditions related to hypertension (mainly caused by high sodium intake) are becoming increasingly prevalent in the UK (multifactorial cause). The American perception of British food tasting bad is an interesting one to unpack ... firstly, what do you define British food to be? The UK diet is hugely diverse and includes many different cuisines from around the world - the second most popular dish is tikka masala, created by South Asian cooks in Glasgow! Our tolerance level for saltiness, much like spiciness, is constantly fluctuating depending on how salty the food we are consuming is. So its likely that your American tastebuds are used to much saltier foods, which we are not (basically its all relative) and I dont think most Brits would agree that all good in Britain tastes bad). A lot of the studies to contradict the current evdience-based guidelines sodium intake are of poor reliability, (e.g. conducted with a small sample size, using animals rather than humans, having multiple confounding factors, funded by groups with conflicitng interests etc...) which is why you should get your advice from trusted healthcare professionals rather than reading articles online about said unreliable studies. And yes, for a very small percentage of the population with certain conditions e.g. low blood pressure, HOS or SIADH, increasing sodium intake is beneficial and recommended. Lastly, it doesn't really benefit anyone to discredit the NHS or UK health boards as it causes people to lose trust in educated professionals and turn to social media for their health advice, of which very little is accurate (as little as 3% according to a recent study)! :)

[@alveolate]

bottom line: this whole "british food tastes bad" thing goes wayyyy back before this NHS salt program of 20 years anyway xD but yea, each study she quoted i was wondering about replicability, sample size, controlled variables etc... i think it's never a good idea to gishgallop with medical studies, especially when you're not a medical professional (actually, even when you're a medical professional). and considering all the multifactorial stuff... maybe specific demographics of brits did get some benefits from the overall reduced salt intake too. where's the big grand study of 200,000 brits for that? selection bias is real too.

[@donw4692]

Just an English girl eating my delicious well seasoned food whilst watching this video like 👀👄😂

[@izzyizmyname]

Also sorry to be nit picking of the video, but hypertension is very much a thing that can kill you. Hypertensive emergency is when your blood pressure gets so high you get organ damage and can make you die. I am very pro-salt for myself because of chronic migraine, but health is very individual and should be managed with a professional as stated above

[@kellinomnom]

Similar program here. I have EDS and they've proven, and this is my experience as well, proper salt dosage every day reduces the severity and frequency of POTS episodes. taking salt like medicine CHANGED MY LIFE

[@alveolate]

yes, which is why if you have a condition you should consult with your doctor first before doing major dietary adjustments! the NHS thing is a national program... should they not encourage kids or post-menopausal women to drink more milk for calcium because some of them are lactose intolerant?

[@dianakonwin8770]

I am one of those people who need to have a very low level of sodium. I’ve learned to cut out salt and replace it with delicious herbs. I still use salt here and there, but staying away from it has helped me to learn how much better most foods taste better! So yes, we are all different and our bodies require different foods and such. For me, less salt and more herbs is the way to go!

[@TheNeonRabbit]

My blood pressure was through the roof I cut way back on salt and now it's much better.

[@stevie]

I’m happy that it worked for you! The point of my video is that everyone’s body is different!

[@gypsydonovan]

It also could be the types of salty foods you cut. For example, if you cut potatoes chips it could just as easily be the reduction of greasy fried food rather than the salt. Either way, I'm glad you found what helps your body.

[@scilines]

My mind was blown when my bloodwork showed that I needed more sodium. My integrative med doctor showed me that I need more sodium to help manage my chronic illness.

[@moordt]

OMG. The food in the US is so salty, my stomach cries. It's so nasty. I always laugh when Americans complain about the taste of food elsewhere.

[@keepsmiling15]

From seeing British people eat at restaurants and at home i would say we often just add the salt once its on the plate. Therefore the government may not have been successful as they thought in their plan...

[@stevie]

They actually test sodium consumption by testing urine, so it is more accurate than you would think!

[@keepsmiling15]

@stevie think I'll still lean towards the registered dietitians advice below

[@mypathunfolding]

Guess I should move to Britain since I have to eat low sodium due to kidney stones... Edit to add: After 20+ years eating low sodium, I can't stand the taste of regular or high sodium meals any more, so I think I'd feel right at home with food with less taste than Americans are used to.

[@ShikisaiMaki]

I just started taking sodium chloride capsules 2 weeks ago after 25 years of moderate to severe ME/CFS and discovering I have POTS a few months ago, and the improvement has been MAJOR!!!! I need minimum 6-8g per day!

[@gypsydonovan]

That's an interesting slug. I'd like to buy him a beer. Someone commented that they had blood pressure improvement after cutting salt. I responded: "It also could be the types of salty foods you cut. For example, if you cut potatoes chips it could just as easily be the reduction of greasy fried food rather than the salt. Either way, I'm glad you found what helps your body." I grew up with eggs, salt, coffee, sugar, sugar substitutes, chocolate..... So many things being wonder drugs one minute & practically poison the next, then healthy again. In college I learned (from 2 doctors, 3 nutritionists & 1 dietician) that it's all just estimating & educated guess work. There's no concrete evidence that the traditional food pyramid I grew up with is any healthier than someone eating a diet of 80% rice, 5% vegetables & 15% fish. People have a lot of variation around the world and traditional diets work well. Today, for most populations, we're inundated with unnatural foods, from boxed meals to fast food. There's so much profit in feeding people garbage that it can't be stopped. Individuals have to decide for themselves what to eat and hopefully they will pay attention to what response they get from the body. What gives you energy, what helps you sleep? What's foods are going to power your body? Unfortunately we- in the states- are pretty indoctrinated to not think, not question, just consume. Just turn on Saturday morning cartoons & watch the adds. And, kids are seeing them 24/7 from all directions, rarely with an adults reminding them that "blue" is not a flavor. I think there are some great programs (like school & community vegetable gardens) but they are under utilized. The government has given plenty of reason to be a little hesitant with our trust. I know I'm not a big bread fan, and I hate toast. Until I visited the uk. A friend practically forced me to try it & then I ate an entire basket. I had heard of different standards but that was the first time I tasted it. I'm the UK, the government pays medical expenses so they don't want people developing preventable diseases like obesity or diabetes. The US government doesn't pay medical expenses. In fact, the insurance companies making billions are often big political donors with lots of lobbyists to ensure the government doesn't get too strict on not killing off its people. Food is the most basic resource. It's such a beautiful, diverse and natural thing & we're destroying it, in different ways around the world. There is enough to feed everyone if logistics were improved. We just have to divide it & ship if from places of abundance to places of scarcity. Unfortunately that goes back to governments & their power lust, and corporations & their greed. For a species capable of so much beauty and love and art and laughter and compassion and joy and empathy... We really suck. We're cruel and jealous and bitter and greedy and violent. For every good there is a bad. But we've yet to learn balance.

[@granddpa]

you make my day your such a ray of light love both of you this old man from New Hampshire USA keep up this videos please

[@pointlessusername23]

My dad is British and I lived there as a kid too and he was obsessive about limiting how much salt we ate, and after we moved to America he would make such a big deal about how much he hated food with too much salt and how terrible it is for people. Well cut to my mom collapsing while exercising in the heat one day and the ER doctors said the main reason was her having low sodium and literally prescribed her little packets of regular table salt for her to eat when she was feeling lightheaded. And these days I'm the same and can often feel when my body is in desperate need of electrolytes to function properly, but even still my dad absolutely refuses to believe that this could be true or that salt could be anything but evil. I appreciate there are a number of comments here defending the UK government's initiative for various reasons, but I'm on your side that they 100% could have taken a more measured approach and that in general salt consumption is far from the most pressing health concern affecting the UK public which might warrant a campaign of that magnitude.

[@BarbarianGod]

I'll stay away from fast cars, but the rest of your pitch seems DUBIOUS Sid the Slug!

[@kprimer3662]

Isn’t salt good for people who have POTS?

[@samsongordon6742]

Yes, people with POTS need increased salt

[@MossyBear]

Super fascinating, thank you for the study information and I sure hope that people eat whatever salt they need instead of whatever the hell the government says

[@brandybird3954]

Don’t live in the UK but in Texas and Mexican candy has so much salt, it’s the one thing that really helped me stop fainting. 😅

[@firetofly]

Dear Stevie, I appreciate your ability to challenge the status quo. Hmmm...I wonder if they added anything else into our British food when they reduced salt?? Sugar? Additives? It's always good to question what we're told- even by educated professionals- who've only been educated up to society's current evolution and discoveries.

[@virgilmcclendon5072]

I still love you, lady. Always glad to see you.

[@sianthesheep]

That's a 'tell me you have POTS without telling me you have POTS' video title!

[@terryenby2304]

Salt isn’t like outlawed or anything though? It’s very easy to obtain if you need or want it? Cheap and readily available from shops and restaurants? Failing to see how this is a bad thing? Also given the trends in other factors (diet, exercise, stationary lifestyles, etc.) if hypertension related illness has stayed static for 20 years that sounds effective? Reducing one risk factor isn’t going to negate everything else. Folks who respond well to salt (particularly those with POTS or hyponatremia) are free to add salt to their body in whatever ways they see fit? And that’s good!

[@NymphaeaDreams]

My blood pressure runs low and the main advice docs gave me was increase salt intake. Certainly SOME people need less salt but reducing it for all? Of course that would cause problems.

[@aurora3655]

hmmm....i think what ur saying is tru, but, i think it's like anything in terms of health, too much of anything, or too little, typically, is bad. i guess the reason why we eat iodized salt is is to avoid thyroid disorders, especially when ur inland away from the sea. in canada, they were vigilant about eating dairy, especially milk. there'd be all these adverts to drink milk, 'brought to u by the dairy farmers of canada." it was literally just a ploy to get u to support the dairy industry of canada. truth is, animals don't drink the milk of other animals.

[@geoffreybartlett9293]

Iodine in salt is vital for thyroid health as well

[@stevie]

Iodized salt is not popular everywhere tho!

[@EcceJack]

​@@stevie ....indeed, in the UK, it's almost impossible to find iodised salt! 😄 (Saying this as someone who grew up in a place that has iodine in salt EVERYWHERE, and now lives in the UK)

[@jennifers5560]

Was misinformation about better health the reason they wanted to reduce salt intake or were there any reasons they wanted people to consume less salt?

[@chillie000]

0:14 is that her wife?

[@firefly24601]

No, her wife's name is Josie.

[@chillie000]

@ ok, thanks

[@nycjanedoe]

If you are curious about salt as medicine, I highly recommend a deep dive into what Ayurveda has to say on the subject, including salt as one of six tastes, and salt types, their differing qualities, and which natures need which type of salt. In a nut shell, any time a person or entity makes global claims about the goodness or badness of a food, spice, or herb for all people - they don't know wtf they're talking about. Differing physiologies have different dietary needs.

[@kathrynkissinger9758]

Salt is bad for you