The Hadza Know More About Salt Than Your Doctor
What the Hadza Can Teach Us About Hydration, Electrolytes, and Ignoring Mainstream Diet Nonsense
Four years ago, I went hunting with the Hadza in Tanzania.
We spent hours tracking animals under the intense African sun.
What struck me wasn’t just how capable they were - it was how little they needed.
They barely drank water.
They didn’t seem to sweat.
They don’t add salt to their food.
And yet they were energized, clear-headed, and physically strong.
This wasn’t an exception. It was their baseline.
And it revealed something modern humans have forgotten:
Salt is essential.
And the body is designed to protect it.
Salt Isn’t the Problem, Processed Food Is
Salt has been wrongly blamed for chronic disease and high blood pressure. But that fear comes from flawed associations.
Yes, processed foods contain salt. But the real issue is the refined carbs, seed oils, and additives that come with it. Salt just happens to be part of the package.
In the context of a whole food diet, salt is not harmful - it’s vital.
Your body uses sodium to:
Send nerve signals
Contract muscles
Maintain blood pressure
Balance hormones
Regulate fluid inside and outside your cells
If you're eating real food, salt is your ally, not your enemy.
The Hidden Risk: Diluting Salt
One of the biggest hydration mistakes today is drinking too much water without replacing electrolytes.
This dilutes sodium levels in your blood, disrupting the balance your body fights to maintain.
What looks like dehydration is often something else:
Fatigue
Headaches
Cramps
Brain fog
These are not signs you need more water. They’re signs you need more salt - or to stop flushing out the salt you already have.
How the Hadza Maintain Electrolyte Balance Without Salt Shakers
The Hadza don’t have access to added salt in their environment. But they still get enough from their food.
They eat nose to tail, consuming:
Organs
Blood
Bone marrow
Brain
Connective tissue
These parts contain sodium, potassium, and other essential minerals. And because their intake is low, their bodies work hard to conserve what they get.
They don’t waste it.
They don’t sweat excessively.
They don’t overhydrate.
They regulate temperature and fluid balance efficiently.
Even if more water were available, their bodies wouldn’t crave it. Too much water would dilute the very minerals they’re working to protect.
This is metabolic intelligence shaped by environmental pressure.
The Mistake of Modern Hydration
Modern humans are constantly told to drink more water. Hydration is marketed as a cure-all.
But overhydration without electrolytes can leave people feeling worse. The result is dilution, not hydration.
This is why so many people feel better when they:
Add salt to meals
Use electrolyte packets during exercise
Listen to thirst instead of forcing water all day
Hydration is not about volume. It’s about balance.
The Hadza’s Smarter Metabolic Strategy
Hadza physiology is built for efficiency, not excess.
They oxidize fat for internal water production.
They move strategically rather than with explosive bursts.
They conserve salt because they know they can’t afford to lose it.
They also don’t face the metabolic and hormonal stressors that modern people deal with every day:
Artificial light
Poor sleep
Blue light late at night
Environmental toxins
High-intensity training
Constant emails, alarms, and deadlines
Their lives are biologically aligned. Ours aren’t.
What This Means for You
You are not the Hadza.
You live in a world that’s fast, hot, loud, bright, and stimulating. Even if you’re eating well, training hard, and avoiding processed foods, you’re sweating more, losing more, and often pushing harder than they ever needed to. You also certainly haven’t lived for countless generations in the African savannah adapting your body as they have.
You don’t need to imitate the Hadza.
But you can learn from them.
Here’s how to apply it:
Use salt to taste, especially when eating whole foods
Don’t overdrink water just because you think you’re supposed to
If you sweat a lot or train intensely, use a clean electrolyte mix
Eat mineral-rich foods, especially from animal sources
Hydrate with intention, not out of habit
Needing more salt in the modern world is not failure. It’s contextual wisdom.
Final Thought
The Hadza don’t fear salt. They protect it.
Their bodies are designed to conserve what matters. They don’t waste water, and they don’t dilute the little salt they have.
If you eat real food, you don’t need to fear salt either.
You need to respect it.
Honor your body’s design. Hydrate wisely. Preserve the minerals your biology fights to hold onto.
Be Sapien.
Eat real food.
Use salt with confidence.
- Brian