Can a Salt-Free Diet Eliminate Swelling?! Does Not Consuming Salt Mean You Won't Get Swollen?
In a previous article (Improving Swelling Through Food - Part 1 Basics: Potassium for Effective Reduction of Excess Salt Intake), I discussed how excessive salt intake is a "cause of swelling."
So, if you don't consume any salt at all, will you not get swollen...?
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What is a Salt-Free Diet?
Living a life without consuming any salt at all is unrealistic in normal daily life, but it seems there is something called a salt-free diet out there. A salt-free diet seems to be a "temporary diet method of not consuming salt," and after gathering some information, it appears to be done roughly in the following manner.
✅ Since eating out and convenience store meals contain salt, cook for yourself
✅ Do it within 3 days ✅ Do not eat
processed foods high in salt (cheese, pickled plums, bacon/sausage, bread, salted kelp, etc.) ✅
Do not use seasonings containing salt (soy sauce, mayonnaise, sauce, ketchup, miso, ponzu, etc.)
The following purposes were observed.
✅ Improvement of swelling ✅ Resetting taste buds ✅ Suppression of appetite
It might seem attractive in some way, but... what do you think?
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Salt is also a necessary nutrient
Salt (sodium) is certainly one of the "causes of swelling." However, it is also a
necessary nutrient.
Salt (sodium) plays the following important roles in the body.
Essential for maintaining the mineral balance inside and outside cells. Controls the amount of extracellular fluid and blood circulation while retaining water.
The reason why it is said to "replenish salt" along with "replenishing water" to prevent heatstroke is because it is a necessary nutrient for the human body.
By the way, it seems that if you are eating a normal diet, you will not become deficient in salt (sodium), but
Sweating profusely, having severe diarrhea, or going on an extreme diet
If you become deficient due to factors such as these,
it may cause loss of appetite, fatigue, and cramps.
Therefore, before asking "if I don't consume any salt, will I not get swollen?", you need to consume salt to maintain your body's health.
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What is the point of temporarily cutting out salt to reduce swelling?
Personally, I believe the important things for dealing with swelling are:
① Prioritize improving the factors that have the greatest impact ② Reduce
what you can of the causes (it doesn't have to be zero) ③ Find
something you can keep up (be prepared for a long battle!!)
I think this way.
If "excessive salt intake" is related to the cause of your swelling, it is certainly highly likely that "not consuming salt" will significantly improve it.
However, that improvement is nothing more than a temporary phenomenon.
Even where salt-free diets are introduced, many recommend doing it for ＜within 3 days＞, but if you resume a normal diet after that, it will return to how it was.
In the first place, swelling is often caused by multiple factors rather than just one, so even if you cut out salt, if you don't remove the other causes, swelling can still occur.
Thinking about it that way, I am against the average person doing a "salt-free diet" for the purpose of "relieving swelling."
For example, ・A model who wants to slim down as much as possible before a job ・An actor who needs to change their body shape in a short period for a role These might be effective methods in such cases, but I am certain that one must be careful not to cause poor physical condition.
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What I expect from a salt-free diet
...And while I am of the opinion that I am against a "salt-free diet" for the purpose of relieving swelling, there is one thing I do expect from it.
That is "resetting your sense of taste".
It is true that "excessive salt intake" is a cause of swelling.
I don't think I eat out or have instant foods very often, but since I am aware that I come from a family in Ibaraki that likes strong flavors, I try to use low-sodium seasonings and make use of dashi,foods rich in potassium are also on my mind when I eat.
That said, even though I try to be careful, I was raised in a "strong-flavor family," so I don't have confidence in how much I am actually reducing salt.
If doing a "salt-free diet" could change my long-ingrained sense of taste, I am a little interested.
However, there is a risk of heatstroke during the season when you sweat, so winter might be a good time to try it if I do. If I do take on the challenge, I would like to report the results here.
(...But even as I write this, I'm thinking, is a completely salt-free diet really the way to go? 😅)
That concludes: Can a Salt-Free Diet Relieve Swelling?! Does Not Consuming Salt Mean You Won't Get Swollen?
Thank you for reading until the end.
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(Note) This article discusses research on physiological swelling and its relief, but swelling can sometimes be caused by underlying medical conditions that require treatment.
If you do not usually experience swelling and it appears suddenly without any apparent cause,
if the swelling does not improve after a few days,
or if the swelling is significantly different between your left and right hands or legs,
it may be a good idea to consult a medical institution.
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(Note) Regarding the term "massage"
In this text, the term is not limited to its original meaning of "treatment performed by a nationally certified massage and shiatsu practitioner," but is used in the broader sense commonly used in Japanese, which includes non-professionals.
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Mobile Massage LaLa - Natsuko Hitomi
https://www.salon-lala.jp/