Nick HowarthFounder, BBHC · Founder - BBHC Health Coaching

Is salt as bad as the doctors say? #podcast #functionalhealth

31 Jul 2025 · 1 min

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1:01

In this podcast excerpt, the host challenges the common medical narrative that salt (sodium) is inherently harmful to cardiovascular health. He suggests that the real issue may be a potassium deficiency rather than excess sodium, especially in Western diets rich in processed foods. He highlights that many processed foods contain high levels of sodium and often include monosodium glutamate (MSG), which is not typically counted in daily sodium totals. MSG not only masks the taste of salt, allowing manufacturers to add more salt, but it also contributes three to four times the sodium of regular salt. The speaker concludes that while excessive salt can be dangerous, it is safe when consumed in an appropriate sodium‑to‑potassium ratio.

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A lot of the medicos will tell you that sodium or salt is very bad for your health. It's bad for your heart, bad for your arteries, bad for blood pressure. But is that really the case, or is it the case that it is actually a potassium deficiency? In the Western diet, specifically with all the processed foods, it's full of sodium, and there's also a lot of MSG or monosodium glutamate, which is not factored into the sodium intake that a person has in a day. Monosodium glutamate hides the taste of salt, so they can load salt in, plus it contains 3 to 4 times the amount of sodium that normal salt does. So that's the deal with salt. So yes, It can be dangerous, but it can't be dangerous if it is taken in the correct ratio to potassium.