Salt:: Good and Bad

Salt: You can’t live without it, but too much of it can literally kill you.

Salt Throughout History

Salt (sodium) is so important to our diet that throughout history it has been treated as being one of the most valuable elements known to man. Evidence indicates that Neolithic people of the Precucuteni Culture were boiling salt-laden spring water in Romania to extract the salt as far back as 6050 BC. In ancient times, salt was so valuable that it was included among funereal offerings found in ancient Egyptian tombs dating from the third millennium BC. The word salary originates from the Latin salarium which referred to the money paid to the Roman army soldier's…the Romans actually paid their armies in salt! In fact, the common expression “He’s not worth his salt”, comes from this time and referred to someone who hadn’t done a good job. Salad literally means "salted," and comes from the ancient Roman practice of salting leafy vegetables. So salt has always been with us, in one form or another…and always will be.

So, Why Is Salt So Important and How Much Do We Really Need?

Your blood actually contains 0.9% salt, which maintains the delicate balance of sodium throughout your body. Every system in your body needs salt to make it work. This is especially important for your nervous system, where the sodium ion itself is used for electrical signaling, but every body structure absolutely requires it. When we perspire, we lose salt in the form of sweat. We are constantly depleting and replenishing the salt levels in our bodies…now you know why you used to eat salt pills before football practice!

The National Academy of Sciences advises that we consume at least 500 mg. of sodium a day to maintain good health. How much a person actually needs varies quite a bit, depending on their genetics and daily routine but Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 suggests that people should consume less than 2,300 milligrams per day. The very serious problem is that average adult intake is two and a half times this figure! The report goes on to say that people over 51 years of age, who have hypertension, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease (regardless of age) should limit intake to 1,500 milligrams per day. To give you an idea of how much salt we’re talking about, a teaspoon of salt contains 2,300 milligrams of sodium…a TEASPOON! This is also the reason why you’ll notice that I very rarely cook with salt. If you add ¼ or ½ a teaspoon of salt to your food while cooking, and another ¼ to ½ a teaspoon to your food while eating, you’ve practically consumed your daily ration in one sitting! So I eliminate the use of salt while cooking and only occasionally add salt to my food while eating. Although salt is a huge flavor enhancer, there are other ways to impart flavor to your food…stay tuned!

Excessive Salt and Disease 

For thousands of years salt has been known as a panacea. Alchemists called it 'the fifth element'— besides water, earth, air and fire — because its qualities were comparable
only to ether, the actual fifth element. Sodium is one of the primary electrolytes in the body. All four cationic electrolytes (sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium) are available in unrefined salt, as are other vital minerals needed for optimal bodily function.
Too much or too little salt in the diet can lead to muscle cramps, dizziness, or electrolyte disturbance, which can cause neurological problems, or even death. Drinking too much water, with insufficient salt intake, puts a person at risk of water intoxication or hyponatremia. Excess salt consumption has been proven to be linked to a number of negative health conditions, including:

• Stroke and cardiovascular disease, according to the WHO, 2009.
• Hypertension (high blood pressure) According to the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, in the past 15 years the evidence of an association between dietary salt intakes and blood pressure has increased. The data has been consistent in various study populations and across the age range in adults. A large scale study from 2007 has shown that people with high-normal blood pressure who significantly reduced the amount of salt in their diet decreased their chances of developing cardiovascular disease by 25% over the following 10 to 15 years. Their risk of dying from cardiovascular disease decreased by 20%.
• Left ventricular hypertrophy (cardiac enlargement): According to the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, evidence suggests that high salt intake causes left ventricular hypertrophy, a strong risk factor for cardiovascular disease, independently of blood pressure effects. There is accumulating evidence that high salt intake predicts left ventricular hypertrophy and that excessive salt (sodium) intake, combined with an inadequate intake of water, can cause hypernatremia, or severe dehydration. It can also exacerbate renal disease or kidney failure.
• Edema (fluid retention) According to studies in Australia, a decrease in salt intake has been suggested to treat edema.
• Gastric cancer (stomach cancer) Duodenal ulcers and gastric ulcers According to the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition.
• Death: Ingestion of large amounts of salt in a short time can be fatal, according to The Oxford University Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory. Deaths have also resulted from accidental confusion of salt with sugar in child food.

The Cochrane Collaboration found that "a modest and long term reduction in population salt intake [...] would result in a lower population blood pressure, and a reduction in strokes, heart attacks and heart failure. Furthermore, our study is consistent with the fact that the lower the salt intake, the lower the blood pressure.

Good Salt: Natural Sea Salt

Salt comes from the sea. It may have been laid down centuries ago in salt deposits, or it may have been dehydrated from pure seawater. Most people buy iodized salt from the grocery store and don't think a thing about it. They don’t realize that good salt can help give them good health, while refined salt can create some health risks. Fortunately, we are witnessing a trend back to natural, holistic methods for living and caring for our body, including a shift to utilizing natural salts in this process. People everywhere are reconsidering the healing effects of natural crystal salt. We can find it in skin care lotions and for use as bath salts, and it is even used in inhalation or cleansing treatments for illnesses of the respiratory system and for a variety of other indications. Natural health practitioners are convinced that Himalayan crystal sea salt can improve your health in the correct quantities.

Bad salt:  Sodium Chloride (Table Salt)

With the advent of industrial development, natural salt was “chemically cleaned” and reduced to the combination of sodium and chloride. Essential minerals and trace elements were removed as impurities. However, sodium chloride is an unnatural, isolated, unwholesome substance having nothing in common with salt. Similar to white, refined sugar, salt, once regarded as white gold, was converted into white poison. However, there is a higher reason for salt having been endowed with all the natural elements found in our bodies.
Grocery store salt is different from salt from natural sources. It has been heated up to 1200° F and refined to remove most of the natural elements, while natural salt has up to 84 natural minerals in it. Grocery store salt is mostly chemical sodium chloride. Sodium chloride is an aggressive substance, which biochemically is perpetually seeking an equalizing counterpart so that the body’s pH can always remain neutral. Sodium chloride needs its natural counterpart in order for it to produce its effect. The natural counterparts, such as potassium, calcium, magnesium and other minerals demonstrate, from a biophysical standpoint, specific frequency patterns. These patterns ensure the geometric structures in our body. When these structures are missing, we are without energy and feel tired. Salt should not be used just to add flavor to our food, but for its life giving properties!
Also, stay away from salt substitutes! Salt substitutes have a taste similar to table salt and contain mostly potassium chloride, which will increase potassium intake. Excess potassium intake can cause hyperkalemia or elevated potassium levels which can cause potentially fatal abnormal heart rhythms. Also, various diseases and medications may decrease the body's excretion of potassium, thereby increasing the risk of hyperkalemia.

The Consequences of Consuming Excess Table Salt 

For every .035 ounces of sodium chloride that cannot be eliminated, the body uses 23 times (23x) the amount of its own cell water to neutralize the salt. If the sodium chloride is still too high, re-crystallization of the table salt occurs as the body uses available non-degradable animal proteins (as those found in milk), which also have no value and cannot be broken down and eliminated. The body uses these proteins to produce uric acid in order to get rid of the excess salt.
As the body cannot dispose of uric acid, it binds itself with the sodium chloride to form new crystals that are deposited directly in the bones and joints. This is the cause of different kinds of rheumatism such as arthritis, gout, and kidney and gall bladder stones.
This re-crystallization is the body’s band-aid solution for the cells and organs in order to protect the body from irreparable damage of irresponsible food intake. But in the long run, it poisons the system because those substances cannot be disposed of. Popular diets say you should reduce or even eliminate dietary salt for good health, especially for cardiovascular disease. Perhaps refined table salt, which can act like a poison in your body, can be more of a risk. But the research is undeniable: reducing or eliminating dietary salt is basically wrong. Your body absolutely requires salt, but it has to be the right kind and in the right amounts.
If you've never tried good salt, you are going to be amazed at how good it tastes and how affordable it is. You may also be surprised at how quickly your health improves from using good, natural, organic sea salt.

Foods to Avoid

First of all, the general population of the United States is the most over fed and undernourished people in the world today. Let’s face it, when it comes right down to it, we eat to live, or at least that’s how it should be. The problem we see everyday is that there are more and more people that are living to eat…and all the wrong things. We have burgers wrapped in cheese sandwiches, wedged between bacon and….what? Are we really that insane? If we were all eating good food and eating to live, the fast food chains would be broke. Instead they are multi-Billion dollar companies. Much of the problem with fast food is the sodium content (not to mention the fat…but that’s another topic).
The bottom line is this: 77%, of the excess sodium isn’t spooned into your food—it comes from processed foods. Now that you have the numbers you must be diligent when buying the food that you consume. Stay completely away from fast foods and read every label, avoiding any food with an elevated sodium content…think portions! Foods that contain a high amount of sodium include (but are not limited to):

• Fast foods and take-away foods (pizzas, burgers, sandwiches, etc.) are loaded with salt, avoid them.
• Refined and processed foods are packed with salt / sodium as well. Steer clear of fried foods, chips, pretzels, absolutely any canned products, etc.
• Processed meats like bacon, sausages, ham, corned meats, salami, smoked salmon etc., are packed with sodium.
• Instant food packages and ready to eat meals should also be avoided.
• Sauces like soy sauce, chili sauce, prepared tomato sauces (it’s much better to make your own anyway!) and soups have surprisingly high amounts of salt.
• Spreads like mayonnaise, margarine and salted butter are high in sodium – use olive oil or margarine that has a liquid oil as the first listed ingredient, but still read the label!
• Breakfast cereals, general packaged breads (mass produced), and biscuits should not be eaten in excessive quantities. In fact, a bowl of cornflakes generates sodium equivalent to a small packet of chips.
• Packaged cheese, seafood and olives contain large amounts of salt. Read the label and limit yourself on these items…better yet, but fresh and cut down on the sodium!

So remember, salt is good for you...but only in moderation!