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Does Anyone Else React To Salt/sodium?

gluten-is-kryptonite

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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.

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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 :)

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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

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