All my life I eat a lot of salt. Is this a requirement of the body or just a habit?

Terribly bad habit. As a child, I ate salt with children's little spoons, after which I waited for my poor mouth to heal. Seasonings were also used. The love of salt has not gone away now, but in such quantities I just don't want to eat it. Salting a little of the dish is good, but just a little, and everything will be great.

It should be remembered that an excess of salt in the body can lead to hypernatremia - a pathological condition of the body with an increase in the concentration of sodium in the blood and the loss of free fluid in the blood cells.

And also the level of production of pepsin decreases - a digestive enzyme produced by the stomach, which promotes the absorption of nutrients and the destruction of harmful microbes in the stomach.

The other disadvantages of excess salt require a huge list, including :

1) the surface of the vessels becomes loose, which leads to the formation of atherosclerotic plaques on their walls;

2) the body is forced to excrete excess sodium with urine, and calcium is also excreted with it, which can lead to fragility of bones;

3) additional stress on the kidneys, which can lead to kidney stones;

4) the production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach increases, which is a risk of exacerbation of diseases gastrointestinal tract;

5) excess salt leads to latent edema and disruption of the heart.

Summary. This is a habit that must be broken. Work hard on yourself, replace it with other seasonings (spices), so that later you do not pay with your health.