Salt

[PotatoCakes]

Has anyone tried a low-salt diet?
If I remember correctly (please tell me if I have this backwards), people with dry eye have a higher saline content in their tears. Would a low-salt diet impact that?
I realize I'm stretching but it's occurred to me a few times. I really like salt, a lot, and I consume a fair amount of it. The idea of giving it up pains me but perhaps it's worth a try to see if it would impact my lack of tears.

[spmcc]

If I remember correctly (please tell me if I have this backwards), people with dry eye have a higher saline content in their tears.

I can't really answer your main question - I follow the "party line" that a reduced-salt diet is better for you.

I'd like to comment on the salinity of tears - I too was very curious about this. For instance, I use saline and Muro drops. They work for me. Then I read about our tears being "too salty" and that Theratears drops lowers the salt concentration in tears (see http://www.theratears.com/how.php).

So, you could try Theratears to see if they help you. But, for me, I'm going to stick with adding salt to my eyes and following a reduced-salt diet!

[Hopeful2]

If you are drinking tons of water, it is a good idea (from what I have heard from the naturopath) to add salt to the diet, in sea salt or Himalayan salt form. Unlike regular table salt, these salts contain natural trace minerals that are vital to health in general.

One might also wish to consider blood pH levels. Salt tends to raise blood pH, making it more acidic. Does this mean our tears are more acidic? I don't know. . . but many people have commented that they notice that their eyes sting more after having a cup of coffee (even decaf.), coffee is considered an acid forming beverage, so the same might be said for salt.

I am going to try following a more alkaline forming diet. Most people are too acidic as a result of our north american diet of: cheese, tomatoes, sugar, pickled foods, oranges, white flour. . . coffee and alcohol.

Bottom line, if you like salt, try consuming it in sea salt form (unprocessed).

[PotatoCakes]

I primarily use sea salt so that part is easy. Interesting about alkaline though. i'll have to read up on that more.

[spmcc]

In part to be contrary, I'm going to throw out there that you should be using table salt which contains iodine. If you follow a naturopathic route, then you may have heard that the iodine in table salt will help your thyroid produce hormones.

[Hopeful2]

Point well made. . . iodine is necessary for a healthy thyroid gland. The reason iodine is added to table salt is because in through processing, iodine and other trace elements are stripped from the salt. . . sort of like enriched white flour. Himalyan salt contains 500 mcg of iodine in just one gram (that is over 400 mcg of iodine than in table salt. For those who are reluctant to ingest salt, there are many healthier ways to ingest iodine. Sea vegetables have plenty of iodine, as do many common foods such as: cranberries, yogurt, potatoes, strawberries and dairy products.
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?t...trient&dbid=69

[Grace2]

less sugar

[alisonW]

I've eaten low/no salt for at least ten years now and it makes no difference to my eyes at all. Eye problems developed while eating this way.