What happens to previously seasoned foods when dietary salt is dramatically cut back?

They can suddenly taste overwhelmingly salty.

When an individual dramatically reduces their dietary salt intake, the immediate experience regarding previously eaten foods is a stark increase in perceived saltiness. This phenomenon is not due to a failure of the taste buds themselves, but rather a recalibration occurring in the brain regarding what flavor profile is considered the standard or baseline level of saltiness. If a person has been consuming high levels of sodium, often from highly processed items or restaurant meals, their palate has adapted to that elevated level. Once exposure to high sodium is reduced, the brain must adjust its expectation, causing foods that were once perfectly seasoned to now register as excessively, or overwhelmingly, salty until the adaptation process shifts the new normal lower.