Spice It Up To Satisfy Your Salt Cravings

Silence Your Salty Tooth

Salt is an important staple in our kitchen pantries and on our dining room tables. It enhances the flavor of our cooking and is even vital to our health! When consumed in proper amounts, salt can reduce risk of cardiovascular disease as well as maintain the electrolyte balance necessary for our organs to function. 

The problem is that sodium intake has risen to unhealthy levels all around the world. This puts us at greater risk for stroke, coronary heart disease, hypertension, and other chronic diseases. Our palates are already accustomed to the saltier food, so it's hard for many people to reduce their sodium intake. However, scientists believe they have found a way for us to keep our hearts healthy and our taste buds satisfied.

Add Some Spice To Your Life

The secret is in the spices. A Chinese study recently published in the journal Hypertension found evidence to suggest that spicy food helps trick your body into craving salt less. Among the 606 participants, the study found that those who preferred spicy foods both consumed less salt and exhibited lower blood pressure levels than those who didn't like spicy foods.

How can that be? To answer that question, researchers studied the participants' brain activity and found that salt and spices affected the same areas of the brain. Furthermore, spices increased brain activity in the areas activated by salt. The researchers argue that this increase in activity makes you more sensitive to salt; therefore, you crave less of it.

If these findings are accurate, they can pave the way to ending our society's salt addiction. Swapping out some of the salt we consume with chili pepper is an easy change, and all of us can get on board!

Want to turn up the heat? Try these fiery one-pot recipes to satisfy your spiciest cravings!