Too much salt in the body could cause water retention, which would in turn cause conditions like bloating and puffiness. The kidneys would usually take some time to filter out all that extra sodium that you consume along with the salty foods you eat regularly. As such, the excess sodium would remain in your system and lead to the above-mentioned conditions in addition to causing other issues like weight gain and hypertension. So how do you go about cleansing your body after eating too much salt?
Step 1: Reduce your regular salt intake. All your body needs is a teaspoon of salt (about 2300 mg) on a daily basis. If you have hypertension, you would need to reduce it to just 1500 mg a day. If you are feeling bloated or puffy after eating salty foods, chances are you may have exceeded the daily limit of sodium intake, meaning you would have to cut down on your salt intake to less than 1000 mg for the next couple of days until you feel better. While too much salt could be harmful for your body, low levels of salt would do you no harm. So don’t worry.
Step 2: Avoid drinking tap water when trying to flush out excess sodium from your system. Tap water may contain small traces of sodium that can add to your salty woes. Stay away from sports and soft drinks as well as they would contain extra electrolytes and salt. Your best bet then? Switch to bottled drinking water for the next couple of days until you feel better.
Step 3: Canned foods would contain small traces of sodium in them. So wash them before cooking to remove this excess sodium (canned beans would have 40% lesser sodium after being washed). Stay away from canned, packaged or processed foods that are high on the sodium quotient, including dilute broths and lunchmeats.
Step 4: After following a low sodium diet for a couple of days, check your progress. If you feel less bloated and puffy, and even feel as if you have lost weight, then chances are your body has rid itself off the excess sodium that was causing these conditions. As such, you can slowly start increasing your salt intake to eventually reach the 2300 mg daily limit.
