Is this
true or false?
Reasons to Eat MORE
Salt
Salt has gotten a really bad reputation in the past, and now
there seems to be a lot of confusion about if salt is healthy or not.
It is important to note that the type of salt makes a big
difference in whether it is healthy or not. Many of the studies about sodium
intake were done with incomplete salts.
Just as…
Feed lot grain-fed beef is not the same as completely grass
fed beef, and
Conventional produce is not the same as organic produce, and
Farm raised fish is not the same as wild caught fish, and
Hydrogenated trans fat is not the same as medium chain fatty
acids found in coconut oil
Man-made table salt is not the same as mineral-rich natural
salt. Real salt has many important roles in the body and avoiding it can be
problematic. As I said before:
Table Salt = BAD!
Table salt, which is 97% Sodium Chloride (NaCl) is
chemically produced, bleached and devoid of most other nutrients. It also
contains Aluminum in many cases, which has been linked to Alzheimers disease
and other problems in the body.
This type of salt is not naturally occurring and in fact,
when salt-water fish are placed in salt water made with table salt… they die.
This type of salt is also devoid of the many trace minerals
that the body needs… so it is a wise decision to avoid it.
If you have any of this type of table salt around your
house, I’d recommend that you stop using it immediately. Don’t throw it out
though… you can use it in natural cleaning and stain treatment. (Just don’t eat
it!)
Real Salt = Good!
The cure for anything is salt water- tears sweat or the
seaTo the degree that table salt is bad, real salt is healthy, necessary and
good.
While the research linking regular table salt to disease and
health disorders is correct, we’ve thrown out the baby with the (salt) water.
Consider this: the body contains high concentrations of many
minerals and nutrients, and while it needs water, it also must have the proper
concentration of these nutrients in bones, blood and organs to function
properly.
A person can’t be given an IV of plain water- it must
contain a careful balance of minerals, including salt!”
Why Should You Eat
More Salt?
Here are five reasons
I personally make sure I consume enough healthy salt each day:
For Insulin
Sensitivity: The “link” between salt intake and cardiovascular problems is
getting a lot of scrutiny lately. At the same time, research is showing a link
between low salt consumption and insulin resistance (and moderate/high salt
intake and insulin sensitivity). With the rising rates of blood sugar related
problems, this is an important factor to consider. (source, source)
Hydration: I
drink Sole (a specially hydrated salt water) every morning for the energy
boost, reduction in allergy symptoms and the hydration. Salt (and the other
trace minerals present in natural salts) are essential for proper hydration.
For Longevity:
Low salt intake is actually linked to shorter life expectancy. Chris Kresser
explains: “The average American consumes about 3700 milligrams of sodium a day.
This value has remained constant for the last fifty years, despite the rise in
rates of high blood pressure and heart disease. (2) As a comparison, the
Japanese, with one of the highest life expectancies in the world, consume an
average of 4650 milligrams of sodium per day, and have a lower risk of
cardiovascular disease than most other developed countries. (3, 4)”
For Hormones: From Mark’s Daily Apple: “First, salt has
been shown to speed up cortisol clearance from the blood. The faster you clear
cortisol, the quicker you recover from a stressor. If cortisol lingers, you
“stay stressed.”Second, there’s evidence that stress increases salt appetite.
In lab mice, activation of the sympathetic nervous system by a stressor causes
them to prefer salt water to plain water. Similar findings have been observed
in rats subjected to stress. In humans, acute bouts of stress don’t seem to
increase salt appetite, but chronic stress does increase intake of salty,
processed junk food.” (source)
Digestion: On a
personal note, I’ve noticed a big improvement in my own digestion since adding
Sole (hydrated salt water) each morning, and recent news is supporting this
idea. From this article: “Salt plays a primary role in the processes of
digestion and absorption. Salt activates an enzyme in the mouth called salivary
amylase. At this point, the salt allows your taste buds to taste the food. Salt
also plays a role in digestion by helping to break down food. Salt also creates
hydrochloric acid. Hydrochloric acid is a very important digestive secretion,
which lines the stomach walls.”
What Type of Salt? The type of salt consumed is really
important when talking about the health benefits. There is a tremendous
difference between Himalayan salt which contains 93 additional trace minerals
and regular table salt which is created in a lab and contains two.
I have a variety of
healthy salts at our house and I use them in cooking, skin care and to make
Sole. We use:
Himalayan Pink Salt–
I use this to make Sole (here’s how to make it) and in cooking. It has a much
milder flavor than conventional salt and after using this for a few months,
conventional table salt has a bitter taste to me. It comes from ancient salt
stores in the Himalayan mountains and we even have lamps made out of this type
of salt in our house.
Redmond Real Salt–
Also from ancient salt beds. Redmond salt has the mildest flavor of all the
salt’s I’ve tried and I often use it in cooking dishes where I only want to
lightly enhance the flavor but don’t really want the salt taste to come
through.
Man-made table salt is not the same as mineral-rich natural
salt. If you have any of this type of table salt around your house, I ‘d recommend
that you stop using it immediately. At the same time, research is showing a
link between low salt consumption and insulin resistance (and moderate/high
salt intake and insulin sensitivity). It has a much milder flavor than
conventional salt and after using this for a few months, conventional table salt
has a bitter taste to me. It comes from ancient salt stores in the Himalayan mountains
and we even have lamps made out of this type of salt in our house.
Rights reserved to original authors.
