SALT

According to Lauren Cordain, the author of The Paleo Diet, Paleolithic people did not consume salt. It was just not available.

I have been trying to use salt very sparingly in my cooking, Just a dash here and there as it does seem to enhance flavor. As the weeks go by I am trying to slowly eliminate salt form my diet and enjoy food for its natural taste. What I have noticed is that if I eat out, or eat any processed food such as chicken sausage that I eat occasionally (all paleo ingredients) I find these foods overwhelmingly salty. Sometimes unbearably salty.

There is new research that salt may have another deleterious side effect on our bodies. Besides playing a role in raising blood pressure, salt may also make our blood vessels stiffer. Blood vessel stiffness is linked to a higher risk of heart disease.

The Study:
Researchers put 29 overweight people with normal blood pressure on a diet with typical US sodium intake (3,450 milligrams a day) or a lower salt intake (1,115 milligrams a day). After 2 weeks on the lower salt diet, arteries were less stiff than after 2 weeks on the higher sodium diet. In addition , the lower salt group lowered their blood pressure.
source: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 89: 485, 2009

So now there is yet another reason to lower your sodium intake, and another reason why eating the way our paleolithic ancestors ate is a good idea.