In a message dated 2/9/02 4:00:51 PM, S C <[log in to unmask] writes:

<< To repeat the point I made before... I think that anyone eating a paleo
diet--that is, a diet rich in red meat--does not have to worry at all about
getting adequate sodium.  In fact, if one is eating a paleo diet, added salt
can only hurt.  Our paleolithic ancestors most probably did not add salt, we
don't need the extra salt, and there is much evidence that too much sodium
causes hypertension and leaches calcium from the body.
 >>

We all have very individual  body chemistries, often quite different from one
another. To make blanket statements about the needs of "anyone eating a Paleo
diet. . ." can under certain conditions be not only wrong, but downright
dangerous. I would venture to say that there probably isn't anyone on this
list who has arrived here after a lifetime of eating a TRUE Paleo diet. We
all probably started out eat a SAD, or vegetarian, or whatever, and we have
most likely discovered many health benefits to switching to Paleo eating.

Nevertheless, individual differences must be taken into account. Some of us
have permanent organ damage due to a combination of lifestyle and heredity,
and those issues must be addressed, Paleo eating notwithstanding. Our Paleo
ancestors did not take insulin, or thyroid hormone, or estrogen, or blood
pressure medications, but some of us have to, even with our new, healthier
lifestyle. The adrenal glands can sustain damage just as any other organ can,
and in some cases, this damage will lead to blood tests showing that the
adrenals are retaining too much potassium and not enough sodium. Indeed, it
may not be natural, or Paleo, but some people actually need to consume
additional salt, as others have pointed out.

Yes, it is true that SOME people are salt sensitive and must eat very low
sodium diets to control their blood pressure. But it is also true that some
people must eat added salt to keep their blood pressure UP. Making sweeping
statements about the nutritional needs of everyone can never be correct.

Of course our Paleo ancestors didn't have a salt shaker on their stone
tables, but I will point out again as I have before, that we have salt
receptors on our tongues that I do not believe were "put there" for no
reason. That excesses of sodium are detrimental does not totally negate the
need for some sodium in the diet, and there is no proof that it was never
sought out or consumed in some way beyond what occurs naturally in meats.

Maddy Mason
Hudson Valley, NY