Salt Cravings?

[galatea]

Before I was diagnosed and didn’t know about having the extra salt and water, and now whenever I forget to add enough salt to meals I get really intense salt cravings. Anyone else get this?

It’s like the dry mouth symptom which makes you drink lots of water, like my body knows what I need. I've only seen salt cravings listed as an Addison’s disease symptom, but I wonder if any of you also get it?

[Sleepbree]

Yes, I get this quite intensely. I want olives and pickles and pretzels!

[Katybug]

I have crav d salt my whole life (my mom too) even before I had obvious symptoms of pots. As a kid I could have cared less about candy or cakes but it wasn't safe to leave me alone with a bag of potato chips or Doritos. They would be gone. I also loved dill pickles, pretzels, french fries....anything that is heavily salted. My mom and I both have always had low bp so we always chalked it up that.

[srb]

I also experience frequent and intense salt cravings. I assume this is because my body needs it? Fritos and other such things are my are my friends!

[Becia]

lol, now I'm craving fritos and pickles, thanks ya'll. Makes the apple and caramel dip I had pale in comparison.

As for craving salt, I'm still having difficulty with this. Lately i haven't been eating for enjoyment, I'm eating for living, which unfortunetly calls for high sodium foods and salty snacks. I did shock people at lunch when I got my water and lemon, and I added salt to it. My friend Dave said "Its like lemonade without the sugar..." Nope, its more like the margarita I can't have without the alcohol, lol.

[galatea]

Same here! Since I was little I never particularly wanted sweet things, just salty things like cheese.

Now I'm used to eating with so much salt, if any one tries my food they think it's practically inedible.

[Christy_D]

Both of my kids much prefer salty foods (chips,etc.) to candy or cake. Candy has always been available to them and they snub it, I never understood it until the POTS diagnosis.

[Katybug]

Mmmm.....cheese....I forgot about cheese.

[blueskies]

I used to consume a lot of salt pre-diagnosis of pots (I also drank a heap of fluids). Hubby would lecture me at mealtimes about how bad all the salt was for me. No coincidence that I had low blood pressure readings back then. When I was diagnosed with pots my specialist told me to eat more salt and I remember thinking that it probably wasn't possible. A few years later my bp readings swung normal to high and pots specialist told me to stop eating excess salt -- but I already had stopped. My body had essentially been telling me what to do. However, I've still needed to consume a LOT of fluids each day. I'm pretty much constantly sipping water, water and milk together, or sometimes, decaf coffee. Fluid consumption has not changed. I do worry that I'm washing out the potassium my body needs, though.

blue

[targs66]

Just finished off a delish cup of miso broth I agree that sometimes our bodies "tell" us what we need. I've been told to drink salt water and I like the taste, but have found that other people think that's revolting.

I don't think I go 'waaay overboard on the salt, but sometimes worry that it's not great (even with my very low BP) to consume a lot of salt. Seems to be a lot of mixed messages about it these days.

[Becia]

Yeah, I agree with mixed messages.

And I love miso soup. Reminds me, I need to order some dashi to make some. It's been several months since I've had it, and I've been craving it lately.