Salt consumption has increased by 50% over the last 40 years in the US, with the average American consuming 3,400 milligrams of salt a day, which is nearly double the amount of salt that's recommended.
But given that high salt intake is associated with high blood pressure, kidney disease, stroke, and heart disease, what actually happens if you quit salt?
To tackle this question, we're first gonna start with what happens when you decrease your salt, and then we'll move into what will happen if you completely cut salt out of your diet, because, spoiler alert, the results are very different.
First up, a low salt diet, which could range from around 1,500 milligrams to around 2,300 milligrams per day.
After one week, you might not physically feel the difference, but your body has already lowered its blood pressure.
Your kidney is responsible for this by regulating what's inside your blood vessels.
When you're well hydrated and drinking fluids, it tells your body to excrete any extra water, and if you're dehydrated, it sends a signal to not only increase thirst, but to cause reabsorption of your fluids in the kidney, making your body hold onto more water.
This is all in an effort to keep the perfect balance of water and salt between your blood and cells.
But consuming lots of salt can sometimes get in the way of this process.
Since your body can't produce its own, we consume salt through the diet, where it's eventually absorbed into your blood.
