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.
