
Salt is not so bad…
Salt. Everything would taste like a cardboard without it. But it may seem worse when we add it to our food. Scientists and doctors proclaim that salt has negative influence on the blood circulation, that it retains water in the body and causes obesity. So what is actually true and what is just a myth?
Salt has been demonized over the years. It is said that it causes obesity, higher blood pressure and it has negative influence on the blood circulation. But there are different kinds of salt so we really need to take a closer look at different kinds of salt so that we can choose the best one.
Let’s start with the salt which we most often use, that sodium chloride, NaCl. We get this salt by blowing up salt rocks. The next step is drying these rocks at high temperature. There are also some additives put in this salt, such as iodine, fluorine and an anti-caking agent. This salt is not the best choice because it doesn’t have enough minerals to meet our needs.
Kinds of salt do differ
Fortunately, there are different kinds of salt to choose from. Good salt should come from natural resources and should be dried in the sun. This way, it is possible to keep all the minerals that we need to proper functioning of our body. First and foremost, these are minerals that are good for our brain. Healthy salt helps us stabilize the pulse, regulates the sugar level in the blood, produces hydrochloric acid in the stomach and controls muscle tension. When we have a meal with highly mineralized salt, we can absorb 70 to 90% of very important minerals like magnesium, potassium or iodine. We don’t get these minerals from traditional, table salt.
Himalayan salt
Pink Himalayan salt is one of the purest and healthiest ones. It is dried ocean salt, extracted at the foot of the Himalayas at the depth of 400 – 600 metres. Contrary to ordinary table salt, the Himalayan salt has unbelievably great influence on our health. It contains over the 80 microelements and macroelements, including magnesium, iron, zinc and calcium. Additionally, salt strengthens and detoxifies body because it helps us get rid of toxins. It also prevents osteoporosis and stabilize blood pressure.
Sea salt
High-quality sea salt is dried without chemical substances. Sea salt has extremely high content of natural iodine because it has a marine microorganisms, which are really important for people with endocrine problems. Sea salt has over 90 minerals and it has a very specific, clear flavour. For this reason, it should be used even less often than the table salt. It’s good if the sea salt has a greyish colour and if it is a bit moist. If you see white sea salt in a grocery, remember it must have been chemically cleaned.
How much salt should we eat?
The recommendations vary depending on age, gender, posture, physical activity and health. It is generally said that we shouldn’t eat more than 6 grams daily (0,25 g in 100 g of products). Athletes need more salt because they lose a lot of minerals (including sodium and potassium) during trainings. However, it is good to remember that food like carrots, seafood, spinach or algae also have potassium so if you eat them, it is rather unlikely you will suffer from the lack of potassium.
About author
Daria Antonatus – a cultural expert by profession. She is a vegetarian and an active promotor of healthy food. She is constantly looking for natural ways to fight food allergies but nothing is as effective as a proper diet. She works as a journalist for Hypoalergenic People magazine.