I haven't read through the whole thread yet, but just thought I'd add a comment about types of salt, I think it's important.

I seem to be SO sensitive to salt and whether or not it's right for me. Even sea salts can vary, if I use a type that doesn't agree with me I get bloated, sometimes weird muscle or joint pains and "pin-pricks" on my skin, I'm sure it's the salt, this has happened a number of times.

And if I don't use salt or use it too sparingly I sure can feel the effect.

I seem to do best with Maldon salt or similar types, avoid the less expensive sea salt or rock salt. It's the one thing I don't economize on, even though it seems like "salt is salt"! (Reminds me of the scene in "Mother" when Albert Brooks is shopping with Debbie Reynolds and he's trying to convince her to buy better brands.) But of course some people will be OK with any salt, just a suggestion to experiment if you're not feeling well with what you're using.

Iodine allergy perhaps?

Maldon salt from England does not have iodine added, which may be why it doesn't bother you, pazia. I get ioderma (skin eruptions) if iodine is added to salt as potassium iodide. I have to read labels to choose potassium chloride (when I want to get extra potassium from 'fake' salt) and get my iodine from seafood, eggs, fresh meat. It is hard to find salt iodized with sodium iodide any more because people are worried about taking in too much sodium. I learned this the hard way when my brand of faux salt changed its potassium source from KCl to KI. My chest, back and upper arms broke out in horrendous pustules and it took me a year to figure out what was causing it, since I never had this problem before.

Side effects are rare when potassium iodide is used in small amounts for a short term. The most common side effects are abdominal pain, diarrhoea, nausea or vomiting. Other, less common side effects include hives, swelling of arms, face, legs, lips, tongue, throat and lymph glands, vasculitis (the pin prick & muscle pains you feel).

That's amazing information, thanks for posting this! I had no idea what was involved but those are the symptoms. I'm even careful about using salt shakers in restaurants because of these effects.

I do sometimes toast kelp seaweed (larger pieces, not flakes) for iodine and other mineral supplements. That doesn't seem to bother me at all, because it's in a different form?

Seafood and sea vegetables don't bother me either, so I suspect that most of the iodine is bound with sodium or in more complex modules, because there is 25-200 times more sodium than potassium in sea water. The use of pure potassium iodide in table salt seems to have resulted because of the sodium-highBP scare.

I need to do some more research on this, it seems like an important factor that I wasn't aware of; again, thanks so much for bringing to my attention!

About a dozen years ago I took some potassium supplements (can't recall why, recommended by a diet book about supplements?). I had a terrible reaction, heart palpitations and other symptoms, that at first I didn't connect with potassium until someone I knew in healthcare field brought it to my attention.

I remember my poor diabetic grandfather using the "salt substitute" that was inflicted on him when he developed heart problems, he hated it so much and always complained about how much he missed his salt. I think his body was trying to tell him something.

Does lack of sodium can effect in emotional aspect?

Since sodium is one of the three vital minerals (+ magnesium & calcium) that is used in the over 300 chemical processes the body needs... I'd be surprised if not.

I think also wheat withdrawals can definitely have an effect on some folks. Give it a good solid week to get over the blues from giving up grains.

So does anyone know the ideal amount of sodium a woman should be having daily? I don't remember if I saw this in the Atkins book.

I assume broth and table salt are the same in effectiveness? I'd prefer to start with just table salt and see how I do with that.

Is there a certain kind of salt that's better? Like sea salt vs. kosher salt or whatever?

5g of sodium was recommended (see initial posts) especially early on in the diet. Doesn't matter if it is sea, table, soy sauce, broth, or anything else. Just sodium.

You might not need that much all along, but start there and see if it fixes your symptoms.

I take a 1.5-2 Tbs in the morning (Celtic salt). It helps me a lot; I no longer feel weak and disoriented. I'm not sure if I need more than that because I don't have that much salt in the rest of my day.

Anyways, One thing I dont understand is, on a natural diet, why do we require so much salt?

I understand that eating low carb and keto is a lot more like the primitive diet earlier in our evolution. Did we evolve to need more salt since then (in the short period of time since we've been on a high carb diet)?
The only other answer I can think of is that homosapiens were hunting their kills, but also mining for salt in their spare time.

Tablespoons? That seems very excessive. I'd only expect someone who sweats a lot, or has some sort of health issue where they excrete loads of sodium, to have to use that much.

Humans have always sought out salt. There's a few examples of it mentioned in this thread, I think.

oops sorry teaspoons, not table

Have you ever seen animals in a field (cattle, horses, others) gather around a block of salt?

We all need it. The diuretic effect of LC causes us to need to replace it every day.