If you have a real hankering for the taste of salt, it may stem from your mother’s morning sickness

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August 12, 1998

Some people love the taste of salt. It’s the first condiment they reach for. They also devour chips, popcorn, pretzels and the other snack foods rich in salt

It turns out that people’s preference for salt may have been imprinted while they were still in their mother’s womb, according to University of Washington psychologists. Researchers Ilene Bernstein and Sue Crystal have found a link between people’s salt preference and the level of morning sickness experienced by their mothers when they were pregnant.
Studying 16-week-old infants, the UW researchers found that babies whose mothers suffered moderate to severe nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy showed a greater preference for salt-water solutions than did babies whose mothers experienced mild or no morning sickness.

In earlier work, Bernstein and Crystal showed a similar pattern of salt preference among young adults. They found that the adult children of mothers who reported moderate or severe morning sickness had higher self-reported salt use, salt intake in the laboratory and preference for salty snack food than the offspring of women who had mild or no symptoms.

“It is astonishing that something that happened prenatally and is so common can have such a strong impact on infant preference and can have enduring consequences,” said Bernstein, a professor of psychology who studies taste function and preference.

Heavy salt intake is related to and considered a risk factor for hypertension, and many people on low-salt diets have trouble staying on their diets because they find the food to be unpalatable.

The infant study, published in the current issue of the journal “Appetite,” was conducted as part of Crystal’s doctoral dissertation. She is now a post-doctoral fellow at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia.

Nearly two-thirds of pregnant women suffer the symptoms of morning sickness and Bernstein said it is the dehydration associated with vomiting that seems to be the key in shaping a fondness for salt.

“Fluid depletion in the mother triggers the hormonal system in the blood and kidneys to restore the normal fluid level,” explained Bernstein. “We don’t know if these hormones cross the placental barrier and affect the baby or if dehydration causes the baby to release its own hormones to restore the fluid balance. These hormones can have powerful effects on the brain.

“Normally, morning sickness is not treated, but people are treated for dehydration by replacing fluids and salt. We don’t know what other systems morning sickness might be affecting.”

Crystal and Bernstein conducted two tests with 16-week-old infants who had no experience with food aside from formula or mother’s milk.

In the first, small, measured amounts of three solutions — distilled water, 0.6 percent salt water and 1.2 percent salt water — were squirted into the babies’ mouths. The babies’ facial expressions, ranging from grimaces to licking happily, were later coded by observers who didn’t know what solutions the infants were drinking. In the second test, the infants were given bottles filled with 20 milliliters of the same three water solutions for one minute or until they rejected a bottle. The amount of water consumed was then calculated.

In both tests, infants whose mothers suffered from moderate to severe morning sickness exhibited a stronger preference for the 1.2 percent salt solution than did the babies whose moms had little or no morning sickness. Bernstein described this solution as having a taste similar to the water people use in gargling. It isn’t as salty as tomato juice or chicken soup, but would taste saltier than mother’s milk or human saliva.

For the study, mild morning sickness consisted of vomiting once or twice during a pregnancy. Moderate to severe vomiting ranged from once every other day for at least one week to two and three times a day for three weeks.

“Admittedly, the connection between salt preference and morning sickness is unusual,” said Bernstein. “But I think it gives us a window on how taste preferences are shaped. ”
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For more information, contact Bernstein at (206) 543-4527 or [email protected] or Crystal at (215) 898-3770 or [email protected].

Home Remedies for Nausea | Reader’s Digest Canada

From Reader’s Digest: Best Remedies

Feeling queasy? Whether it’s motion sickness, the side effect of a medication or the dreaded flu, these kitchen cabinet cures may provide relief.

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Crackers

Crackers are among the tried-and-true home remedies for nausea. Eat a couple of plain, salted crackers or a rice cake (particularly if your stomach is empty) to relieve an upset stomach. Although the science is out on why crackers are so effective, it could be the fact that they’re bland, or that salt helps suppress nausea. Plus, they raise your blood sugar slightly—itself a solution.

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Ginger

The next time you’re feeling nauseous, chew a piece of ginger candy. When it comes to motion sickness, numerous clinical studies find ginger even more effective in curing nausea than Dramamine. It appears to work by blocking receptors in the gut for 5-HT, a form of serotonin, which is responsible for smooth muscle contractions.

Did you know that ginger is also a an effective home remedy for indigestion?

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Apply wrist pressure

Wear wrist-pressure bands like Sea-Band on each wrist. If you don’t have them when you need them, press the thumb of one hand against the inside of the wrist just below the crease of the wrist between the tendons there and hold firmly for 10 seconds. Release, then repeat on the other side. Continue until the nausea abates. The wristbands put pressure on the acupuncture point P6. A study of 301 patients found acupressure wristbands worked as well as prescription medication in relieving nausea after surgery. Even if you’re receiving acupuncture for your nausea, you might want to try these bands for relief between visits. The bands are also a better option for pregnant women than acupuncture.

Here are 30 more old-time home remedies that actually work.

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Essential oils (or maybe just deep breathing!)

If you’re still nauseous, put several drops of peppermint, grapefruit or spearmint essential oil on a tissue, hold it close to your nose and breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth until your nausea abates. The scent of the natural oils is believed to relieve nausea and it’s likely the deep breathing helps too. One study had post-surgical patients sniff peppermint oil, rubbing alcohol or salt water to treat nausea. All improved, leading researchers to speculate that the act of deep breathing might have been what helped.

Here’s what can happen if you start meditating every day.

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Switch seats

If you’re prone to motion sickness, sit in the front seat of a moving vehicle. If you’re on a boat, stand or sit (don’t lie down) and focus on the horizon, which allows your eyes to suppress signals from your inner ear that could lead to nausea.

Here’s what really causes motion sickness (and how to prevent it).

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Herbal tea

Follow this recipe to make a tea that’s one of the most powerful home remedies for nausea: mix 1 teaspoon (5 milligrams) chamomile, ½ teaspoon peppermint (2.5 milligrams), 1 teaspoon (5 milligrams) catnip, 1 teaspoon basil (5 milligrams), 2 crushed fennel seeds, and ½ teaspoon (2.5 milligrams) marjoram. If you don’t have catnip or marjoram, substitute one of the others in the same amount. Steep in 6 to 8 ounces (200 millilitres) of boiling water for 10 minutes. Strain and drink. This mixture contains carminative herbs that aid digestion and antispasmodic herbs that decrease muscle spasms.

Find out the surprising health benefits of green tea.

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Vitamin B6

If you’re experiencing nausea on account of morning sickness, vitamin B6 may help break down hormones believed to play a role in causing it. Consider a taking a B6 supplement, and for best results, combine with ginger. As always, discuss supplementation with your doctor in advance to avoid any potential interaction with previously-prescribed medication.

Now that you know these home remedies for nausea, find out eight science-backed ways to boost your immune system.

Originally Published in Best Remedies

Salt on the tongue for nausea

Useful tips

February 25, 2021, 18:50

Salt has long been used to get rid of nausea. You need to put a few grains on the tongue and dissolve them.

There are many recipes using salt that bring undoubted benefits to a person. So:

* There is an excellent folk remedy: in case of poisoning, drinking vodka with salt is incredibly effective. If vodka is unacceptable to you, drink a few glasses of very salty water, and then try to “give” everything back.

* If for some reason the pressure drops, quickly drink a glass of fairly salty water. People suffering from low blood pressure can eat a gram or two of salt after eating. Vital tone rises immediately!

* If you have hypokinesia of the biliary tract – poor flow of bile – try eating a pinch of salt before meals.

* If you urgently need to raise the general tone of the body, be energetic, but for some reason you don’t have the strength, you can give yourself a kind of shake-up. Place a pinch of salt under the tongue and slowly suck it – behind the cheek or under the tongue – and swallow it in one gulp. It is clear that this recommendation is only suitable for those who do not have chronic diseases in which the use of salt is contraindicated.

* If you use sea salt, which contains almost the entire periodic table, then provide the body with vital iodine, calcium, magnesium.

* In case of inflammation of the lungs, severe cough, a salt dressing is applied to the back in the area of ​​the inflammation focus.

* In case of adenoma, mastopathy, a cotton towel folded in four layers soaked in a salt solution is applied to the problem area and kept overnight (8-10 hours). The course of treatment is 2 weeks (method of Dr. A. D. Gorbacheva).

* At the first sign of a runny nose and sinusitis, pour saline solution into a small teapot, inserting the spout into one nostril and tilting your head forward and to one side, pour the solution so that it pours out through the other nostril. If not the first time, then the third one will definitely work! The nose should not be blocked during this procedure. Such washing can be done for the prevention of sinusitis. In this way, the maxillary sinuses are cleared. It is better to do this procedure daily, and in the evening. After all, during the day in the maxillary sinuses, a lot of harmful microbes must have gathered that get there while traveling in transport, from the street, etc. This procedure is especially necessary for people suffering from rhinitis or sinusitis. But if a runny nose has already begun, it’s good to do deep warming. Heat the salt to a high temperature in a frying pan, pour it into a cotton bag or sock and put it on the nose and sinuses area.

* Salt is excellent for pimples and boils. Make a slurry of salt and apply it on the pimple. You can also apply a salt swab: fix it with a band-aid, hold for about an hour, then rinse with water and repeat the procedure after a few hours.

* Salt is good for varicose veins. Apply salt gruel to gauze folded in several layers, apply it to the problem vein and bandage it with an elastic bandage. If you do this regularly, at least for a week, morning and evening, the effect will be amazing: your veins will gradually return to normal.

* Using this technique, you can cure the fungus on the skin. The effect will be better if crushed garlic is added to the salt gruel. It is probably hard to believe that even a fungus that is difficult to treat with the most expensive chemical agents will get away from simple salt and garlic – you just need patience.

* About the benefits of salt massage. Do you want your body to be soft and tender, without pimples and bumps? Before you take a bath or shower, rub yourself with dry rock salt, remember it in your hands so that your palms turn pink, trample your feet on crumbling salt. If you do this constantly, the result will appear immediately. In addition to purely cosmetic, you will also get an excellent therapeutic effect: salt ions, penetrating into the skin, will have a stimulating effect on the entire body. Salt massage is especially useful when you have sluggish circulation, low blood pressure, chronic digestive disorders, diabetes, frequent colds, decreased reaction to heat or cold, reduced resistance and general weakness of the body. You can rub the body with wet salt, but in this case there are contraindications: skin damage, rash, skin diathesis, open wounds, eczema. And do not do such a massage too often.

* Unusually strengthens hair and prevents hair loss massage of the scalp with coarse rock salt. But you need to do it regularly, once a day (preferably at night).

* And finally, salt baths. They change the course of many metabolic processes in a positive direction. According to the degree of concentration, baths are divided into weak (from 10 to 20 g/l), medium (from 20 to 40 g/l) and strong (from 40 to 80 g/l). When treating radiculitis, they usually take a bath in which 1.5–2 kg of salt is dissolved. Salt baths are widely used in hypertension. In this case, the water temperature should not be higher than 35-38 ° C, the duration of the procedure should be from 10 to 20 minutes, and the frequency should be in 1-2 days. The course is 12-15 baths.

Only we ourselves are to blame for the fact that salt becomes an enemy when we break that golden mean, which is so important in nature. We oversalt food over and over again. In this case, the kidneys suffer, the risk of hypertension increases. Sometimes we rush to the other extreme: we start not to add salt to everything. Here another trouble lies in wait for us: a salt-free diet leads to severe metabolic disorders, in particular, electrolyte balance. In general, everything should be done in moderation.

Source: https://altapress.ru/zdorovie/story/sol-ne-tolko-vredna-no-i-polezna-1038

Photo: from the site 1psoriaz.ru

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Nausea, insomnia and 7 more signs that too much salt has accumulated in the body we don’t know how much salt we eat for one day. But its excess is dangerous for the body, doctors say. We figure out where to look for hidden salt and how to understand that it has become too much on your menu.

August 12, 2022

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Salty, fatty, sweet – such food is tasty, but extremely unhealthy, especially if you do not control the amount eaten. It is generally accepted that most often we become dependent on sugar, they say, it is extremely difficult to refuse chocolates and cakes.

But do not forget about the dangers of salty food: it is very easy to get hooked on such foods as chips, snacks, various snacks, cheese, olives. Here you are watching the series, once again put your hand into a pack of chips, and there it is already empty. Salty is eaten quickly and there is a high probability that you will definitely want supplements.

The norm is different for everyone

– Adults are advised to consume no more than 6 g of salt per day – this is about 1 teaspoon. Of course, if there are no restrictions and prohibitions. Children have much less needs, says the nutritionist.

Thus, the younger the child, the less salt should be in his diet:

• Children under 1 year old – no more than 1 g of salt per day

• Children from 1 to 3 years old – no more than 2 g

• Children 4 to 6 years old – no more than 3 g

• Children 7 to 10 years old – no more than 5 g

• Children 11 years and older – no more than 6 g

sauces and seasonings. If a child is breastfed, he receives the necessary amount of minerals, including sodium, from breast milk, says Natalya Kruglova.

Read also

Why do we love salty food so much: 8 reasons

I want something salty, it’s impossible to think of anything else but a jar of pickles? Such cravings for salt can be triggered by various factors, for example:

Food habits established in childhood

Taste preferences are formed in childhood — if it was customary in the family to constantly add salt to food, then in the future it will be necessary to make a lot of efforts to get rid of this habit.

Mineral deficiency

The body may suffer from sodium, chloride and potassium deficiencies. To determine if there is a deficiency, you can take an analysis for these trace elements. But for starters, it is better to contact a therapist – the doctor will help you figure out what you need to pay attention to first.

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Dehydration and loss of electrolytes

In this case, there is a violation of the water and electrolyte balance. It can occur with increased sweating – during the heat or after sports, when electrolyte sodium comes out with the liquid. This leads to the fact that a person wants more salt to replenish sodium stores. This is why sports drinks containing electrolytes are so popular.

Stress

For some people, stress drowns out hunger signals, while for others, on the contrary, it increases them. At the same time, some are drawn to sweets, others to flour, and still others to salty. Everything is individual here.

Lack of sleep

Lack of sleep can also lead to increased appetite and cravings for high-salt fast food. Often we do not notice how we start to overeat, because the body needs to somehow make up for the energy deficit.

Pregnancy

Everything is simple and obvious: the reason for cravings for salt is nothing but hormonal changes in the body.

High blood pressure

People suffering from arterial hypertension have decreased sensitivity of taste buds to salt, so such patients may constantly crave salt, says Natalia Kruglova.

Adrenal dysfunction

In this case, cravings for salt are one of the symptoms of Addison’s disease. It is a rare endocrine disorder characterized by inadequate production of the hormones cortisol and aldosterone. There is definitely no way to do without a doctor.

Read also

How to understand that there is too much salt in the body

Determining the excess of salt in the body is not so difficult, the nutritionist is sure. It is enough just to carefully observe the changes that are happening to you.

An abundance of salt can be indicated by:

1. Sodium attracts water, so with increased salt intake, weight gain and fluid retention in the body – swelling face, arms, legs, ankles.

2. Strong thirst .

3. Frequent urination.

4. Increased blood pressure – retention of sodium and water in the body leads to an increase in circulating blood volume and additional pressure on the walls of blood vessels.