A Salty Question.

Can any of our resident experts please shed some light on the very thorny question of salt usage??? I am 64 and have used salt VERY freely all of my life. Friends throw up their hands and shake their heads in despair as to the amount of salt that I use. The only side effects that I find, is that my sweat tastes salty......but 'aint it supposed to taste that way. ????
Strangely enough, three of my non-salt-using friends, who used to preach to me about my "wicked ways" have all died, whilst I, "The Evil One", am still going very strong.....in fact I am about to leave home now for my 4th. 10km plod this week, which, interspersed with 10kms. bike rides every second day seems to be the antidote to salt over-dozing.
:-)))) Am I just an "Old Salt" or what???

Maybe it's a matter of perception - what seems a lot to others is not a lot to your body. You are healthy and fit and have no problems - so why worry?
Could also be that you eat a sensible diet (apart from the salt), that removes salt from your system.
Keep on running and show them all.

William, about one person in five with high blood pressure will experience a drop in their blood pressure on a low-sodium diet, which has been extrapolated to the common belief that salt will give you high blood pressure and is bad for you.

For most of us, our kidneys are well able to deal with far more salt than we take in; as a runner, you will also lose more salt in sweat than a sedentary person would (I get salt crystals on my eyebrows if I don't sluice my face well after running).

If you're 64 and your blood pressure is normal (whaddyamean, you haven't had it checked since that life insurance medical 25 years ago?) you can continue to use as much salt as it takes to make your food palatable. Most of the salt in our diet tends to be hidden in processed foods, naturally salty foods like cheese and bacon, and unexpected places (breakfast cereals and Mars bars - and anyone else noticed how salty chocolate fudge cake is?) rather than sprinkled out of a grinder anyway.

Far healthier to enjoy your food the way you like it than to waste your life worrying about it.