Too Much Salt?

Question:

A lot of freeze-dried foods contain an extremely large amount of sodium. Not to name any brands, but the average serving contains 1,500 mg of sodium! That times 3 meals is nuts. You need more sodium when you’re sweaty and backpacking, but how much is safe?

Submitted by – Jason, Fort Wayne, IN

Answer:

We don’t need much salt, but we do need some: The USDA recommends no more than a teaspoon (2,400 mg) of sodium per day, maybe a bit more when you’re sweating heavily. Folks with high blood pressure should eat no more salt than necessary, but healthy hikers seem to be able to process a large amount of salt without any known harmful effects. If you’re hydrated and heart-healthy, a few days of salty freeze-dried food should cause no harm.