For decades, salt has been portrayed as the bad guy in the nutrition world. But is it just misunderstood? And more importantly is it just misused? In past civilisations, salt was a prized commodity. What did they know about salt that we have forgotten, and why did it fall from grace? Well they certainly didn’t eat fast processed food and they kept their bodies moving daily by walking, carrying, and manual labour. The body needs salt to survive, why else would the Alpine ibex climb up precariously steep slopes just to lick salt from the rocks? So salt is not the bad guy, our modern day misuse of it is. Processed food, sauces and savoury snacks are full of too much salt (as well as sugar, a real villain), not for its health benefits but to make the food taste better and definitely should be avoided as excessive salt raises blood pressure and increases the risk of a stroke or heart attack. Especially if you are stationary most of the time instead of walking or exercising.

Salt is a super star if used in moderation and in the right circumstances.

Hot countries, high humidity and heatwaves – anywhere you perspire profusely when going about your daily business. Whilst relaxing on the beach or sightseeing, you become thirsty so reach out for that alcoholic beverage, soft drink or just water. You’re satisfying your thirst but what about replenishing those minerals (which includes salt) lost due to perspiring? Without them you can suffer from heat exhaustion and dizziness.

Marathons – new runners to marathons may not realise salt is their friend. Water on its own is not enough, especially in warm and humid conditions and if you tend to sweat heavily. Just drinking water could dilute the amount of salt you have left in your body therefore becoming dehydrated, prone to cramps, disorientated, weak and in extreme cases it can lead to hyponatremia (where salt level becomes dangerously low requiring immediate medical attention). 

Working Out – This may be one of your New Year’s Resolutions. Taking electrolytes does depend on how hard and how long you work out, plus how much you sweat. 

Electrolyte drinks are a great and easy way to replenish lost minerals, although not all electrolyte drinks are the same. Go for the ones with less or no sugars and no artificial ingredients.

Lemon Electrolyte Sachets by SALT! Is their first electrolyte drink formulated by professional personal trainers for athletes. However it can also be used for people on a fast, on a ketogenic diet or even to help reduce jetlag and hangovers. £19.50 for 15 sachets.  Each sachet contains 750mg Sodium: 60mg Magnesium: 50mg Calcium and 300mg Potassium.

Why these ingredients:

Sodium: When you sweat, sodium is lost at the greatest level of all the electrolytes, replacing sodium allows your kidneys to maintain their hydrostatic balance. If the kidneys do not have enough sodium, they simply cannot pull the water molecules over the kidney barrier and into the bloodstream. If water continues to be consumed, this creates a build-up of liquid that cannot be processed and in extreme cases this can result in hyponatremia. Effectively the body drowns in water it cannot process. 

Potassium: Consuming sufficient potassium during training or an event maintains the PH balance of kidneys meaning they are more effective at processing lactic acid; a waste product formed when the body breaks down glucose (sugars) and forms ATP (cellular energy). This prevents Lactic acidosis (that feeling when your muscles start to cramp). Potassium also has a role in preventing the blood from thickening or clotting, due to insufficient fluids. It also enables your body to shuttle more nutrients to the muscles and organs. 

Magnesium: As a cofactor in more than 300 enzymatic reactions, magnesium is crucial for energy production, muscle contraction, and protein synthesis. Additionally, it contributes to the regulation of electrolyte balance, immune function, and bone health.
Magnesium supplementation has been proven to enhance sports performance by reducing lactate accumulation (lactic acid) during intense exercise.  If lactic acid builds up, it will cause muscles to contract slower, and require more energy to do so thus making you fatigue faster.  Be warned: magnesium can also have a powerful effect on the bowels. This can make issues like runners’ trots (the need to poop mid-run!) much worse. For that reason they have limited the amount of magnesium in Salt!  This allows athletes to use Salt! For preloading, during the event and for replenishment afterwards.  

Images provided by SALT!

Background image by Canva.com