Ever tried eating your food without salt? Sure, you have. Perhaps, it was one of those days when your cook, or wife, or mom forgot to add a little bit of that white substance in your food. What happened then? You possibly called out aloud to be rescued from the tastelessness, and the salt was presented to you immediately. Such is the importance of salt. In short, salt is taste.

Most of us look at is as an indispensable part of food and something that sits in an elegant little bottle on every dinner table in the world. Well, it certainly is that, but it has a lot more to it. It is not just a tastemaker but is a chemical compound essential for proper functioning of our bodies.

However, though we need salt in adequate amount, the excess of it is bad. The daily requirement of sodium for an adult male is as little as 250 mg, while a male in any of the western countries consumes as much as 3,300 mg of it per day. Therefore, salt, which is undoubtedly a life sustaining chemical, is made into a life threatening one by its excessive intake.

High intake of salt results in high blood pressure, which also means that a good way to fight high blood pressure is to reduce one's salt intake. To put it simply and without using medical jargon, excessive salt hardens the arteries and also causes excessive blood clotting. Besides, excessive salt intake also encourages the body to make additional hydrochloric acid, which, in turn, leads to the erosion of stomach lining and may give rise to stomach ulcers.

Sodium is important for the function of our bodies. It not only helps us to maintain PH balance in our bodies but also assists the functioning of our nervous system to quite a considerable extent. It also helps food absorption in our intestines.

Sodium also gives the muscles the ability to contract, which means that without it we would be unable to move. Sodium, therefore, is not just something that makes our food tastier but makes us stay alive and work well. However, too much of it can also take one's life. Therefore, keep the salt content in your food as less as possible and live a life without high blood pressure.