Quote Originally Posted by shootingstar View Post
I mean world-wide there were many farmers working many hrs. under hot sun/heat, surely their diets did not contain alot more salt than what we have today in our meals (if we blissfully ignore the sodium hidden in our food).
Actually they may very well have been consuming more salt than you'd expect given the lack of what we'd consider "processed" foods back then.. but salt is a preservative, and in the days before electricity thus refrigeration were widely available, most animal meats were cured with salt so they wouldn't go bad.

I would think though, that if your diet is not already excessively high in sodium, craving salt or salty foods is probably a good indicator that your body needs more.

What I've found interesting personally.. is that if I'm not salt deficient, some energy drinks and all electrolyte mixes taste VERY salty... almost to the point of being undrinkable. If I really need the salt though, it's like I can't even taste it, they all seem almost sickly sweet (even the ones with no carbs/sweeteners, like nuun). I usually notice the dizziness/vertigo and nausea that go along with it before I notice the taste thing though... but it has snuck up on me on occasion.