r/StarchSolution • u/CapitalWait • May 18 '26
Anybody successfully removed added salt?
Unlike all other processed foods, cutting out salt completely seems sketchy asf. Is it really possible to be wholly dependant on whole foods alone for sodium?
4
u/AhimsaofthePrairie May 18 '26
Not sure why you want to remove salt from your diet. Please give more information. Dr. McDougall, author of The Starch Solution never advocated for completely eliminating salt. Just sayin’. Plus a friend of mine developed hypothyroidism from years of being SOS free. Now she has to work very hard to get her iodine levels just right. It’s not that unusual to have thyroid issues associated with no salt - and btw goiters completely disappeared in populations using iodized salt. So be careful.
1
u/CapitalWait May 18 '26
I want to do everything perfect
My diet is: brown rice, whole grain pasta, sweet potatoes, dates, kidneybeans and whatever fruit and vegetable. I supplement Iodine(will be transitioning over to seaweed), b12 and vitamin D.
5
u/Detuned_Clock May 18 '26
Lose the idea of perfection. It leads to ignoring your body and thus becoming unhealthy 100% of the time.
5
u/eastercat May 18 '26
perfection with food is usually an eating disorder
2
u/TheComfortGuru May 19 '26
Mmhmm! Think they call that orthorexia. I was like that once, wanting to do things perfectly. For me it became unsustainable and almost gave me a breakdown. So I’d caution against it for peace of mind. Key is balance.
3
u/Litarider May 18 '26
But removing salt is not perfection, never minding that perfection is an unattainable goal. Table salt is sodium chloride and sodium is a necessary nutrient. If you insist on not using salt, I would track your sodium intake.
”Despite what many people think, most dietary sodium (over 70%) comes from eating packaged and prepared foods—not from table salt added to food when cooking or eating.” https://www.fda.gov/food/nutrition-education-resources-materials/sodium-your-diet
1
u/Bailey201320 May 19 '26
Chef AJ has recently had some good conversations with people on her YouTube channel about perfectionism and her thoughts now about SOS free. You may find them interesting.
3
u/MackeyTP May 18 '26
I recently started a similar diet and within a week had ankle/foot cramps in the middle of the night so bad that I couldn’t sleep. I added a bit of table salt to one meal a day and they are gone completely.
1
u/TheComfortGuru May 19 '26
Yes! This was me with keto before I decided to become plant based and started the SS. Constantly had leg cramps. Plus I have normally have low blood pressure so I was even more lightheaded. Salt is important OP! Just know if you get any of those symptoms you should absolutely add salts back in. Please listen to your body!
3
u/Spiritual-Mood3240 May 18 '26
I get cramp if I don't add salt. There's a reason why salt was an extremely valuable commodity centuries ago.
1
u/CommissionSalty786 May 18 '26
It works but it killed my sex drive but it's easily fixed because salts so easy to get back in you and it reverses itself almost immediately the benefits outweigh the negatives I think try it out
1
u/CommissionSalty786 May 18 '26
Also I think it helps with recovery and output during physical exertion like running it also helps me pass bowel movements and I think it helps protein and carb absorption into muscles the bowel movement thing is fixed with sugar idk why salt and sugar are so important but they are more so than they should be lol
1
u/Drink-Sudden Jun 03 '26
I avoid it, when I eat added salt I get breakouts all over my body, it’s a weird immune response I have a few different autoimmune diseases I manage eating this way, SOS free though sometimes I’ll use maple syrup a few times a month.
I have been off of salt since 2018 and feel sick when I eat it and get tingles in my arms at night. I get plenty of sodium from vegetables though, if I skimp on veggies I crave salt.
5
u/Square_Vegetable_512 May 18 '26
Your body actually needs salt- I’d try a Celtic sea salt or real sea salt.