Listed at the top of the foods that you should limit your consumption of are common table salt and sugar. Your body actually needs only about 0.5 grams of salt and only 0.2 grams of sodium each day. The average consumption of salt in America is anywhere between 6 grams and 18 grams per person per day, which is obviously way too much above the normal requirement.

The chemical name of common salt is sodium chloride. Both the sodium and the chloride components of salt are essential to the body, but they are easily available in enough quantities in most natural foods, which is why it is not necessary to add salt in cooking or at the table.

What happens if you consume too much salt in your diet is that your blood pressure will rise above a normal level. High blood pressure may lead to heart disease or stroke, either of them being among the topmost killer diseases in America. Salt also has the property of retaining water in the body, because of which weight increases. Several disorders such as idiopathic edema (commonly known as swollen ankles), premenstrual syndrome, carpal tunnel syndrome, among others, can be aggravated due to excess salt intake.

Therefore, you should either avoid the intake of salt altogether or limit using salt as much as possible. It is better to avoid most processed foods and soft drinks, as they usually contain high levels of salt. Initially, you may want to choose foods that are low in salt content. Gradually, you can try reducing the intake, with the aim of reaching a stage when you can completely avoid salty foods altogether.

Similarly, when it comes to the intake of table sugar, you should try and reduce it to the extent possible. If you eat too much sugar, your appetite increases. You then start overeating regularly and the result is obvious, overweight. Excess sugar in the body is stored as fat. Sugar, like salt, is the cause for water retention in the body. It is a cause for insomnia, panic or anxiety attacks, diabetes mellitus and several other ailments. Studies have shown that stroke victims with high blood sugar levels carry a higher risk for their lives than those with normal blood sugar.

There are two molecules, glucose and fructose, bonded together in table sugar, which is sucrose. This complex sugar has a high glycemic index, which means that it increases the blood sugar levels considerably, because of which there are undesirable health consequences.

If you cannot do without sweetened foods and beverages, prefer natural sugars to table sugar for the purpose. The herbal extract, Stevia, is a natural sugar without calories. Barley malt, unrefined evaporated cane juice, fruit juice, honey, rice syrup etc. are all natural sugars, not as harmful as refined sugars.

Most people will be able to improve their health and reduce their weight just by avoiding or at least limiting their intake of common salt and table sugar.