How Much Salt Should I Consume Each Day? June 20, 2011.

The American Heart Association recommendation is that salt intake should not exceed 1500 mg of sodium daily.

Table salt is NaCl, sodium chloride.

Sodium, potassium and chloride are electrolytes. An electrolyte is an ion that is required by the body to regulate the electric charge and flow of water between the cells and the bloodstream.

Sodium is the body’s main extracellular cation. A cation is a positively charged ion. Sodium helps regulate the body’s volume of fluids, particularly in the blood.

Too much sodium may result in hypertension, problems with fluid balance and edema (swelling of the tissue).

Working out in hot, humid conditions increases your sweat rate. It is not uncommon to see sweat losses around 1-2.5 liters per hour. As your sweat rate goes up, so does your loss of sodium. A heavy sweater could lose 2,500-5,000 milligrams of sodium per hour in a hot environment. One teaspoon of salt contains 2,400 milligrams of sodium. You must replace fluids and electrolytes lost to sweat to avoid dehydration and heat cramps.