I'll have some food with my salt please!

I'm not sure if their is some deficiency in me or what the heck it is but I am addicted to salt.  Growing up I watched my family coat their food in it and recently (withing the last few years) I have found myself using more and more salt on my food (and I don't mean just a little).  I'm not sure why it is, and I know it is bad... and I feel like I am starting to see the effects of it now as I am getting a little bit older (and gaining weight faster).  I had a blood test done and everything came back perfect- so my cholesterol and all that is not sky high...  I guess I am writing to see if anyone else has the same problem and if you have any thoughts on how to counteract it? Or a healthier option?  I'd love to hear your ideas!

Are you following any treatment 'cause some pills can make you lose taste in food.

Or maybe you recently increased your workout?

 Or maybe your tastebuds got used to salt. Try eating for 3-4 days food that is really low on salt and maybe, after that, you'll feel it's taste  again.

Hi!

I used to be exactly like you. Less than a year ago I would practically drizzle all foods with salt, even if they were plenty salted to begin with, to the point that it horrified my family and friends. My food tasted 90% like salt and 10% like, well, itself. About then I could only stomach exceptionally sweet or exceptionally salty stuff - nothing outside and nothing in between them.

You could say I had even developed some sort of tolerance over time - the more I used, the more I needed. It was really like a drug. And like all drugs, the best method to 'quit' was cold turkey. When I started improving my diet and eating healthily, I just stopped using salt altogether. At first it was horrible, everything tasted bland, and I won`t lie to you - I was miserable.

But I was patient and determined to make it work, so not long after, I found that I adjusted. Can`t say for sure, but I think I could somewhat taste food without thinking I was eating pure cardboard within a day or two, and my taste buds gradually came back to their senses over the span of a couple weeks or so. And what was the most wonderful - I could feel such a wide array of tastes! Subtle flavours I never knew existed made their appearance. The experience was an eye opener and food had never been more enjoyable to me.

I hope you can give up salt too, it really makes a world of a difference, and you end up not missing it at all! Best of luck to you!

ETA: Maybe it would be easier at first if you used replaced it with strong spices on your food - powdered chilli comes to mind.

with exercise you sweat out sodium, which is why power bars have high sodium content to help you stay hydrated.

maybe its just a natural way of your body getting the sodium it needs?

I'm with those who say you got used to it, and are now stuck on it.  What that means?  Time to de-tox.  I found that limiting my salt intake worked well when I used fresher ingredients, which have a more upfront taste to begin with.  I've gotten really accustomed now to being without as much salt (most days, I don't even make it to 100% my DV...plenty of days I don't even make it to 50%) and find that all the food I eat is MUCH more enjoyable without it.

That said, salt cravings could also be a sign of some diseases, like adrenal disorders, so if the cravings continue longer than a week after you've limited your salt intake by fiat, you should see a doctor.

after age 40 your taste buds start to perminately die off, if your that old that may be another reason why your putting more on your food