In ancient Greece, salt was regarded as a precious thing because of its rarity. It symbolized wealth, power and status. In modern bodybuilding competitions, salt is an important symbol to measure the quality of athletes' pre-competition training, because salt plays a major role in cell osmotic pressure and water balance. Excessive salt in the body will cause water storage in the muscles, which directly affects the skin surface. Observe muscle fiber definition, so bodybuilders should eat less salt before competition.
However, salt is an important nutrient for the human body and an indispensable nutrient for the human body. Research has found that the total salt content in the adult body is about 1 g/kg body weight, of which 50% salt plays a decisive role in cell osmotic pressure, water balance and acid-base balance. Salt is also called sodium chloride, and sodium ions are components of pancreatic juice, bile, sweat and tears. They are closely related to muscle contraction and nerve function, and also play a special role in the absorption of sugars. Chloride ions are used to produce hydrochloric acid in the stomach, which contributes to the normal absorption of vitamin B12 and iron, participates in the activation of amylase, and inhibits the growth of bacteria that enter the stomach with food.
Therefore, the proportion of salt in the body is not only related to the clarity of muscle lines, but also to the basic characteristics of human life. At the 2006 National Bodybuilding Championships, athletes suffered from cramps on the stage many times, indicating that athletes had problems with their salt intake.
Modern medicine has confirmed that too much or too little salt is harmful to the human body. Excessive salt intake for a long time can easily induce high blood pressure, heart disease, and also cause edema. The northern residents of Japan once ate an average of more than 20 grams of salt per person per day, and the incidence of hypertension was as high as 40%; the indigenous people in some parts of Africa ate 10 grams of salt per day, and the incidence of hypertension was 8.6%; the Eskimos ate low salt per day. At 4 grams, no hypertensive patients were found in the population. Therefore, developed countries in Europe and the United States launched the "Anti-Salt Movement" in the 1950s, advocating that people eat less salt. Under normal circumstances, the human body will not be short of salt, but if the human body loses too much salt under special circumstances and cannot replenish it, it will become weak and easily fatigued. In severe cases, muscle cramps, nausea, headaches, and even dehydration may occur. And life-threatening. Therefore, people cannot live without salt.
So how much salt should each of us eat per day? The World Health Organization recommends that the average person should consume 6 to 8 grams of salt per day. The Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents recommend that the daily salt intake per person should be less than 6 grams. For patients with mild hypertension, the American Committee on Nutrition and Human Requirements recommends that the amount should be controlled at about 4 grams. This standard is also suitable for patients with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in my country.
The main source of chlorine and sodium is table salt. The body’s demand for chlorineThe required amount is about half that of sodium. Under normal circumstances, adults have 1.1 to 3.3 grams of table salt (sodium chloride) every day to meet the body's needs. Bodybuilders sweat a lot during exercise, especially in summer, and lose more salt, so they can replenish salt as appropriate.
How can bodybuilders keep the proportion of salt to the lowest level on the day of competition to maintain the clarity of muscle fibers? Generally, people’s approach is to drink a certain amount of distilled water a few days before the competition to excrete the salt in the body, and then recharge in time after the competition. Replenish.
How to calculate daily salt intake? Here is a rough estimation method: buy 50 grams of table salt, write down the date of purchase, and then write down the date when the salt is eaten, then you will know how much salt you have eaten Days, divide the amount of salt eaten by the number of days, and then divide by the number of people eating at home, you can get the rough salt intake per capita.
In addition, soy sauce is another source of salt in the diet. Therefore, when calculating the amount of salt, the salt intake through soy sauce should also be added. The calculation method is the same as above. The salt content in soy sauce is about 18%. You just need to multiply the amount of soy sauce by 18% and divide it by the number of people eating to get the average salt intake through soy sauce. Add this amount to the amount of salt, and you get the average daily amount of salt per person in your household.