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Which Salt is Best? Why Salt is Essential in Your Diet

December 16, 2024
A Recipe for Every Body | Biggest Culprits | Digestive Health | Healthy Digestion | Listening | Movement | Myths | Optimizing Health | Simplify
I was recently SHOCKED on a trip to a small grocery store for SALT. I asked for SALT, and was given LOW SODIUM SALT. There was no other salt available. Now I see low-sodium salt is the RAGE! But is it better than salt? Low-sodium salt is like table salt, but some of its sodium is replaced with potassium chloride. This compound gives a similar salty taste.
The medical industry is engaged in a huge debate as to whether salt is good for health. Many people are told that they need to reduce their sodium intake or risk high blood pressure. In fact, sodium has long been the villain when it comes to hypertension and heart disease and stroke. Most people are convinced that salt causes high blood pressure. But some doctors now say this is not true, and salt has been wrongly demonized. Question everything, folks. Now many  doctors say there are other factors that play regarding heart disease, and a significantly greater effect is determined by hydration level, your sodium-to-potassium ratio, and a high- sugar, processed food intake which leaves foreign particles in the blood vessels.
What’s the best Salt?
So just for the record, my rule of thumb is to use GENUINE UNPROCESSED SEA SALT, or HIMALAYAN SALT, or CELTIC SALT in moderate amounts, to hydrate my body with plenty of pure water, and to avoid fast foods. Then I’ll skip the chemical salt, imitation salt, and the fear associated with the low-salt craze. thank you!

Salt is essential in the body.
Research linking salt consumption to heart disease and stroke is tenuous at best. Likewise, many individuals with high blood pressure see no significant decrease in blood pressure following a reduction in salt intake. In truth, salt is good for you (provided you’re consuming the right kind, and not some chemical version). Salt is a required component for many of our bodily functions. Most Americans eating the standard American diet are getting plenty of salt.

Many people are confused about salt.
SODIUM is a mineral found in salt. SALT is a naturally-occurring compound of sodium and chloride. SALT is different from SODIUM. Then there is table salt, which is created from natural salt but then is refined through a process of heating it to 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit, which destroys most of its beneficial compounds. Oh dear! To use the words sodium and salt interchangeably is not accurate. But, when we confuse table salt with natural salt, we get into real problems, as with any refined foods.

Many doctors say that sodium (and therefore salt) is bad for you. They sustain it causes high blood pressure, perhaps because of the myth that when you eat salt, you feel thirsty and drink more water. Your body holds onto the extra water in order to dilute the saltiness in your blood, and maintain your electrolyte balance. This results in increased blood volume, which the theory suggests leads to high blood pressure. But the theory doesn’t hold up. The theory states, a low-sodium diet reduces blood pressure. Sorry, this is not true.

I just wanted PLAIN SALT. What happened to pure SEA SALT in the grocery? I’m not a doctor, so I’m relying on Dr. Christianne Northrup and Dr. Mercola, my favorite medical heroes. What are the  drawbacks of the low Sodium Diet craze?
Modern medicine knows that pure SALT (sodium chloride) levels in the body are essential. SALT levels follow WATER levels. These two elements always follow each other to maintain balance. So if my hydration levels are good enough, and I’m not eating fast food, my body electrolytes and chemical balance should be good. Every person’s body chemistry is unique. I’m just not willing to make an assumption that I need Potassium chloride supplement to prevent heart attack,

In short, if you want to eat a low-sodium diet, just use less salt. 

Mercola STORY AT-A-GLANCE

July 30, 2023

  • Salt has been wrongly demonized as a major contributor to high blood pressure. Factors that play a significantly greater role include your sodium-to-potassium ratio, and a high- sugar, processed food diet
  • Symptoms of sodium deficiency may include muscle fatigue, spasms, cramps and heart palpitations. Such symptoms may disappear by adding more salt to your diet. But NOBODY these days has sodium deficiency.
  • In the 1600s, the average person was consuming far more salt, up to 100 grams of salt per day from salted cod, herring and meats. Today, most people get 10 grams of salt per day or less, yet we have far higher rates of hypertension
  • Low-sodium diets may lower blood pressure. However, this reduction in blood pressure may not necessarily translate into a reduction in cardiovascular events. In fact, the reduction in blood pressure may actually be harmful by potentially increasing heart rate, as well as raising the risk of falls and fractures
  • Low-sodium diets can also worsen your total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein ratio and induce insulin resistance increasing both triglycerides and insulin
  • Subpopulations that may need to monitor their salt intake are listed, as are conditions that increase your need for salt by increasing sodium loss. The benefits of salt loading before exercise are also discussed.

Resources
https://www.drnorthrup.com/why-you-need-salt-in-your-diet/

https://media.mercola.com/ImageServer/Public/2023/July/PDF/low-sodium-effects-on-health-pdf.pdf

5 Reasons for Salt being good for health

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