Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Does Anyone Else React To Salt/sodium?

gluten-is-kryptonite

Recommended Posts

gluten-is-kryptonite Apprentice
gluten-is-kryptonite
Posted

When I have too much salt (which isn't that much) as in over 300mg I get a foggy head, sleepy, no energy, bad mood, can't focus. I have no idea why this is happening? Do any other celiacs experience this? I am wondering if it's possible to have a sodium allergy? Or maybe somehow celiac affects the processing of salt. Really no idea and looking for some insight here.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Pegleg84 Collaborator
Pegleg84
Posted

Hey

I also have trouble with too much salt. It affects my sinuses, therefore causing pressure in my head, brain fog, dizziness, my ear feels like it's full of fluid. No fun.

A couple years ago I was sure I was having trouble with my inner ear, went through a million tests, but all came back normal. So I looked at my diet. Salt and dairy can affect sinus pressure, so I cut back on salt and cut out dairy and have been doing much much better. If I get into anything too salty I definitely get the dizzies.

I don't know if it's connected to Celiac, and don't think it's an allergy. I think some of us are just sensitive to too much sodium. To be safe, talk to your doctor and get your blood pressure and all that heart stuff checked out too. Salt can affect that as well.

Hopefully someone else can chime in with better advice.

In the meantime, cut back on salt as much as possible. (Don't cut it out entirely. That can cause problems too). I don't eat anything too salty (even over 200mg is pushing it sometimes), don't add extra salt to cooking, etc.

good luck!

shadowicewolf Proficient
shadowicewolf
Posted

Its probably iodine if you're using the general everyday salt. I've seen other posters on here with iodine issues, they might chime in on this.

However, you cannot completely cut it out because the human body requires it (to maintian blood is one of its uses i believe).

Juliebove Rising Star
Juliebove
Posted

AFAIK I have no salt issues but I have been eating Real Salt for years. I do keep some cheap salt for use in cleaning or if I need to gargle with hot salt water.

My friend is very salt/sodium sensetive and her feet and ankles will swell if she eats bacon.

dilettantesteph Collaborator
dilettantesteph
Posted

One thing that you can try to figure this out is different kinds of salt. If you react differently to different kinds, it might be some other component. Pure salt is NaCl, which your body needs to function, but there are other things in most salt that you buy. There can be things added to prevent caking, iodine as mentioned above, and other minerals can be present in mined salt. Sea salt could have traces of whatever was in the sea.

In my case, I thought I reacted to various salts, and then I found one that didn't seem to give me that reaction.

gluten-is-kryptonite Apprentice
gluten-is-kryptonite
Posted
  • Author

Hi everyone

Thanks for the replies. Part of how I discovered this is from eating chips. Yes my guilty pelasure is eating chips! and a lot of them. I only was eating ones that I know are gluten free like Kettle brand. I am not sure which kind of salt those use. I should really look into this. Sports drinks cause the same effect as well. How would I go about figuring out which salt is in there when the ingredient just says sea salt?

shadowicewolf Proficient
shadowicewolf
Posted

Better idea, make your own chips. I've heard this item works well to make them:

Open Original Shared Link

That way you can control what types of salt you use while still having your chips :)

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


foam Apprentice
foam
Posted

For me some brands of chip are ok some not. I'm not sure I should be blaming the salt or the different oil each company may use. There's only three ingredients in chips! :) surely it can't be that hard to figure out but it is. Some give me gut pain some don't.

1desperateladysaved Proficient
1desperateladysaved
Posted

I found I needed to read the labels on salt carefully. I am okay with sea salt and no caking agents. One company used corn to get their anti-caking agent and my body didn't tolerate that.

Beet chips (Or potato, or sweet potato.) I have made leafy vegetable chips like this also.

1/4 cup oil

4 servings of beet or veggie slices potato

1 pinch salt

Mix. Place in oven at 275. Turn them over every 15 minutes. Mine take around 1/2 hour to 45 minutes.

They taste like chips But they are not stale!

.

janpell Apprentice
janpell
Posted

Funny because some chips set me off too? Then it gets me thinking it's potatoes but I can make my own and be okay. Hmmm, wonder what else is added to the chips? Oh, and the Kettle brand is my worst offender.

Am totally trying those beet chips as I have a bag of beets sitting on my counter as I type.

  • 1 year later...
saborraven Newbie
saborraven
Posted

I know this is an old post, but I really hope the folks who had contributed before will see my response -

 

About a year ago, I was having all the same issues listed here - severe reactions every time I had any amount of salt, no matter how little (100mg would set me off). Swelling, headaches, puffiness, etc.It got to a point that it felt like my blood and muscles were BURNING under my skin!! And I was ALWAYS thirsty on top of that. No amount of water could satisfy it (not to be confused with dry mouth - that was not the problem; this was true thirst; I drank over 100oz water each day and was still thirsty).

 

My doctor couldn't find anything wrong with me and suggested I may have fibromyalgia (the current diagnosis for everything that is NOT fibromyalgia). Instead, as usual, I took matters into my own hands and started researching every possible cause of this phenomenon. What I found was a single article amongst all the confusion (forgive me, I can no longer find said article) discussing how magnesium is one of the key minerals necessary for enabling the body to process salt. There was something also about the rapidity of oxidation of the salt (unfortunately, I just can't remember at this point). The author also said that blood tests would not find mineral deficiencies - only hair tests. 

 

I began taking a Magnesium supplement the next day, 200mg every night before bed. After 3 weeks, there was a noticeable difference in the sensitivity to salt. After 5 weeks, I was no longer thirsty all the time. After 8 weeks, it was as though I never had the problem in the first place. Today, I continue taking magnesium on a nightly basis, and have added a second supplement of Calcium/Vitamin D combo (Magnesium is purposely separate from this combo because I truly don't think I need to take the calcium as often as the Mg).

 

My theory is that by being gluten free, our diets may be lacking in certain nutrients and we don't even know it. I am not saying you can't get all the nutrients you need from a gluten free diet; but for me, I eat very limited amounts of carbohydrates as a rule and I'm certain this contributed to the issue for me.

 

If you are gluten free/intolerant and finding yourself having sodium sensitivity, try this. It won't hurt you, whether it helps or not. Beware that too much Magnesium leads to diarrhea though, so a 200mg tablet is your best bet!! 

 

I hope it helps.

S

 

 

Finally-45 Contributor
Finally-45
Posted

I have a very similar reaction to chips.  I had to cut iodized salt, nightshades, and corn/corn oil (which is also in iodized salt) which all tend to be a risk in chips.  Seaweed is high in iodine.

  • 1 year later...
rpayne88 Newbie
rpayne88
Posted

Reviving this post once again...

I seem to get diaherria when I eat more than 700mg of Na a day (a lot compared to other posts, but less than a third of the FDA's recommended intake.)

 

  • 1 year later...
carrieteel Newbie
carrieteel
Posted

I know this is an old post but I was happy to see it here!!  There have been numerous times lately that I swell up (like 3 to 4 lbs heavier) the morning after excess salt (chips, salted nuts, pickles, etc...). This happens even when I know I haven't been exposed to gluten plus I don't have the emotional side and GI issues that come with gluten.  I deflate typically within a day or two and have just recently figured out that seems sodium related.  I am now wondering if the sensitivity to salt is related to a decrease in magnesium.  I quit taking my calcium/magnesium supplement not too long ago (not for any reason... just ran out/got lazy)

Ennis-TX Grand Master
Ennis-TX
Posted
10 hours ago, carrieteel said:

I know this is an old post but I was happy to see it here!!  There have been numerous times lately that I swell up (like 3 to 4 lbs heavier) the morning after excess salt (chips, salted nuts, pickles, etc...). This happens even when I know I haven't been exposed to gluten plus I don't have the emotional side and GI issues that come with gluten.  I deflate typically within a day or two and have just recently figured out that seems sodium related.  I am now wondering if the sensitivity to salt is related to a decrease in magnesium.  I quit taking my calcium/magnesium supplement not too long ago (not for any reason... just ran out/got lazy)

Magnesium and Calcium intake down combination with high sodium would lead to a form of edema where your body retains water in the joints and muscles. Try drinking more green tea, vitamin C supplements, bioflavoids, and adding a bit of lemon juice (I use the true lemon powder) to foods and beverages. Open Original Shared Link
 

 

OH for low sodium seasoning look up Big Axe Spices "Open Original Shared Link"on amazon HUGE flavor no sodium. Or if you need more selection Spicely Organics. I did find a salt free habanero hot sauce I use in cooking for a few customers of mine that is salt free >.< Might help sweat it off lol Open Original Shared Link

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      129,960
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    PMcCauley
    Newest Member
    PMcCauley
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.3k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Wheatwacked
      Newly diagnosed, struggling

      By Wheatwacked · Posted

      Hello @CeliacNew, If you are Vegan to help you feel better, reconsider returning to omnivore.  Actually, since you are already on a very restrictive diet, transitioning to gluten free might be easier for you.  Read the ingredient labels, Particularly vitamin D and Choline require supplements for vegan diet because our primary source is sun, eggs and beef.  B12 also.
    • Wheatwacked
      Multiple symptoms and mixed provider responses

      By Wheatwacked · Posted

      Once you've completed testing and still don't have improvement, start a trial gluten free diet.  Looking for imprvement that may indicate Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity, which is 10 times more prevalent than Celiac Disease. Deficiencies in vitamins B6, B12, D, and C can manifest as skin rashes.  Virtual guaranty you are deficient in vitamin D.
    • cameo674
      Help vetting HLA-DQ typing provider

      By cameo674 · Posted

      So those rs numbers tell researchers where the dbSNP is located in a Genome so that other reasearchers or an AI system can look in that specific spot for that Snip of information.  You can look those rs # s by pasting the numbers after rs into the lookup on this page https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/snp/ right under the Blue header bar at the top of the webpage.  Since you are not a researcher, I do not know how this will help you though.
    • cameo674
      Finally got in to doctor to get my referral and I lucked out and got into Gastro the same day - question about different transglutaminase results

      By cameo674 · Posted

      So I posted here once before, and everyone advocated that I get into a GI doc.  I finally got into my functional health appointment on 6/16 to get my blood results evaluated and get the Gastro referral. I was told that I would be fortunate to see a gastro doctor by December, because of the number of people waiting to get in, but they did believe that I needed to see a GI doc among others.  Well, the stars aligned. I got home. I looked at MyChart and it showed an appointment available for later that same day. I never clicked so fast on an appointment time. The gastro doc ran some additional blood work based off the December values that had confirmed my daughter's suspicion that I have undiagnosed stomach issues.  Gastro has also scheduled me to get an upper endoscopy as well as a colonoscopy since it has been 8 years since my last one. She said it would rule out other concerns if I did not show Celiac per the biopsies.  Those biopsies will not occur until August 29th and like everyone here stated, Gastro wants me to keep gluten in my diet exactly as everyone suggested. To be honest, I was barely eating any gluten since I figured I would have plenty of time to do so before testing.  Doc is also looking for the cause of the low level heartburn that I have had for 30 years.  I have mentioned the heartburn to PCPs in the past and they always said take a tums or other OTC drug.  The upper endoscopy is for ruling out eosinphilic esophagitis, h. pylori, and to biopsy the duodenal bulb and second portion to confirm or exclude celiac. The colonoscopy will have random biopsies to rule out microscopic colitis. I didn't really catch her reasoning for the bloodwork.  Doc looked at the December numbers and said they were definitely concerning for Celiac.  She also said, “Hmm that’s odd; usually it’s the reverse”, but I did not catch which result made her say that. She seems very through.  She also asked why I had never bothered to see a GI before.  To be honest, I told her I just assumed that the heartburn and loose stool were a part of aging.  I have been gassy since I was born and thought constantly passing gas was normal?  Everyone I know with Celiac have horrible symptoms that cannot be attributed to other things.  They are in a lot of stomach pain.  I do not go through that.  I attribute my issues to the lactose intolerance that comes with aging, but have slowly been eliminating foods from my diet due to the heartburn or due my assumption that they did not agree with a medication that I was prescribed. I have already eliminated milk products especially high fat ones like ice cream; fats like peanut butter; acids like citrus and tomatoes; chocolate in all forms; and breads more because it is so hard to get in 100 grams of protein if I eat any foods that are not a protein.  I would not have even done the testing if my daughter had not brought up the fact that she thought I might have an undiagnosed condition since she has issues with bloating and another sibling has periodic undiagnosed stomach pain that GI docs throw pills at instead of helping.  Who knew that Bristol scale 5 and 6 were not considered normal especially multiple times a day? I watched my MIL go through basically the same bowel changes starting at 50 so to be honest, I really did think it was normal before this week's appointment.   December 2024's blood tests ran through Quest Labs were:  Deamidated Gliadin (IgA) 53.8 U/mL Above range >15.0 U/mL; Deamidated Gliadin (IgG) >250.0 U/mL Above Range >15.0 U/mL; Tissue Transglutaminase (IgA) 44.0 U/mL Above range >15.0 U/mL; Tissue Transglutaminase (IgG) <1.0 In range <15.0; Immunoglobulin A (IgA) 274 mg/dL In range 47-310 mg/dL 6/16/25 bloodwork:  Until today, I did not really know what all the four tubes of blood were for and since I did not understand the results, I got into the clinical notes to see what was ordered, but it did not exactly explain why for everything. Immunoglobulins IGG, IGA, IGM all came back in range:  IGG 1,010 mg/dL In range 600-1,714; IgA 261 mg/dL In range 66-433 mg/dL; IGM 189 mg/dL In range 45-281.  How do these numbers help with diagnosis? Google says she checked these to see if I have an ongoing infection? I do have Hashimoto's and she did say once you have one autoimmune disease others seem to follow. Celiac Associated HLD-DQ Typing: DQA1* Value: 05; DQA1*DQA11 Value: 05; DQB1* Value: 02; DQB1-DQB11 Value: 02; Celiac Gene Pairs Present Value: Yes; Celiac HLA Interpretation Value: These genes are permissive for celiac disease.  However, these genes can also be present in the normal population. Testing performed by SSOP.  So google failed me.  I think these results basically say I have genes, but everybody has these genes so this test was just to confirm that there is a vague possibility?  Maybe this test result explains why I do not have the horrible symptoms most individuals with celiac have?  I told the GI my assumption is that I am just gluten intolerant since I do not have the pain? So maybe this test explains why I have antibodies? Comprehensive Metabolic Panel: Everything was in the middle of the normal range.  Google says this just says I am metabolically healthy. Tissue Transglutaminase ABS test results – Done by the Mayo Clinic’s Labs –  T-Transglutaminase IGA AB --Value: 3.1 U/mL – Normal Value is <4.0 (negative) U/mL; Tissue Transglutaminase, IgG -- Value: 15.3 U/mL High -- Normal Value is <6.0 (Negative) U/mL – Interpretation Positive (>9.0) – These are the only labs the GI did that have been labeled Abnormal.  I am confused at how/why these came back different than the December labs? Because these numbers seem to be the opposite of what the were in December and I know I have eaten less gluten.  They were definitely measured differently and had different ranges. This must be why she said they are usually opposite? Molecular Stool Parasite Panel said I was Negative for Giardia Lamblia by PCR; Entamoeba Histolytica by PCR and Cryptosporidium Parvum/Hominis by PCR.  So at least I do not need to do a parasite cleanse like everyone on TikTok seems to be doing. So I guess, I am just really asking why the Tissue Transglutaminase numbers are different.  Was it because they were truly different tests? Is it because I have not consumed the crazy amount of gluten one is suppose to eat prior to testing? To be honest, I thought that was only for the biopsy testing. I generally only eat twice a day, and the thought of eating the equivalent of 6 slices of bread is daunting. Even in my youth, I probably only consumed the equivalent of maybe 3 slices a day. Like I said before, now I usually focus on trying to eat 60 gram of protein.  I am suppose to consume 100 grams, but have failed to succeed. I will focus on eating gluten starting in July now that I know my procedure date.
    • Scott Adams
      Worried about being isolated

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      I agree with @trents and wiping down the spot you eat your lunch, and eating the food your brought from home should be safe for even sensitive celiacs. Gluten can jump on your food, so it would likely better better for you to continue eating where you prefer.
×
×
  • Create New...