Salt causes dependence, like this!

Salted foods have a similar effect on the brain as drug. No wonder it's hard to stop consuming them!

Salted hazelnuts or other snacks will run out immediately when you open the package. The same doesn’t happen with unsalty ones. Scientific studies have shown that salt can be similar to drugs in the short term effect, although it has a milder impact. Good news: a few weeks of salt reduction can turn off a health-damaging stimulus. 

Up to 3 grams of recommended salt per day is most often exceeded by most consumers. Is it just a bad habit for the children not even accepting lighter-flavored foods? Physicians investigating this phenomenon have discovered the true background of being fixed to the salty taste. Knowing this, it’s understandable why the food industry utilizes salt dependence for commercial gain. Brain reactions starts working after the first few bites, and bags and boxes becoming empty in minutes, force to buy some new ones. 

In a major area of our brain, the hypothalamic neurons react sensibly to drugs getting in the body, such as opium and cocaine. At first, they causes pleasant feeling, but if the supplementation stops, serious withdrawal symptoms develop. Dr. Craig Smith, an American researcher, has been investigated the similarity of the phenomenon with salt consumption. In the experiments led by him, the salt stimulates the same brain cells as dangerous drugs. Therefore, if a person who is accustomed to intensified salting suddenly withdraws the salt, he / she has a discomfort and a strong desire to get more of  it. Stimulating of the brain's neurons starts when the salted food is not even passed from the stomach to the blood stream. Feeling of this taste immediately initiates the process, in which a reaction similar to that of opiates is created. The production of dopamine and other chemicals that affect the sense of well-being are intensifying. The chance of acclimatization is very high if we regularly follow a high saline diet.

Like all living creatures, human would also be able to get the organic salt quantity with the consumption of plants. The most abundant sources are English celery, leafy vegetables such as spinach, sorrel, salad. But beetroot, tomato and green herbs fill our mineral storage, too. Do not just reduce the amount of salt added to the food, but pay attention to the hidden salt content! A lot of salt gets in unnoticed in the body by cheeses, instant soups, and semi-prepared foods. Let’s prepare our food at home, from unprocessed raw materials. The desire for salt can be reduced by roasted, ground sesame seeds, brewer's yeast flakes, powdered algae, found in bio-stores and larger grocery stores. Dependence is reduced after two to three weeks of salt reduction. If you then taste high-salt foods again, you will not like it at all. Our senses return to the natural, healthier way.