IN the last years, we have witnessed a scare in the medical community from salt intake, confusing the public about this much-needed mineral. There is truth to some of the findings on salt, but that is because most studies are done on refined table salt, which is made of sodium chloride plus anti-caking agents, potassium iodide, and sugar to maintain consistency. A fact that is also neglected is that much of our modern diet (processed, preserved, pre-packed, and fast foods) contains high amounts of refined table salt. Processed salt, like refined flour, sugar, and rice, differs from the whole unrefined marine or rock salt, which is rich in minerals.
Natural whole salt, or sodium, is necessary to many brain and body functions and nerve electrical impulses. Because of this importance, nature provides it in necessary amounts in most plant-and-animal-based foods especially meats, seafood, eggs, seaweed, leafy greens, root vegetables, and pulses in order to protect us from salt deficiency.
While sodium consumption energizes the body and brain, low levels cause blood pressure to plummet and the body to become weak. Just like sugar for hyperglycemic individuals, salty foods should be taken to restore adequate sodium and energy levels as well as normalize low blood pressure.
Sodium is important during the summer months in order to prevent dehydration and water and mineral loss through perspiration. Because athletes lose minerals and water through sweating, they are required to raise potassium and salt intake through eating vegetables and fresh and dry fruits and drinking plenty of water.
Whole salt stimulates the stomach’s hydrochloric acid that breaks up food for absorption. It also activates the digestion and enhances bowel movement. Sodium is a detoxifier against low-quality food and bad food combinations.
Salt retains water in the body to cool it down during the heat of summer and fever. With a sodium-deficient diet, symptoms like vomiting, intestinal gas, low energy and sexual desire, dehydration, dry skin, coughing, asthma, mucus-buildup, and muscle atrophy can arise.
Salt acts as a cleanser by activating kidney functions and helping the body retain fluids.
To prevent skin eruptions and soften skin, occasional rubbing with coarse salt is recommended to cleanse the skin and purify the blood. Salt acts as disinfectant and wound healer when used as gargles and washes. Warm salt sit-baths also shrinks inflamed hemorrhoids.
Salt and water depend on each other to perform certain functions. They loosen up tight muscles, break up mucus, nourish glands, and help the lymph nodes to detoxify.
Salt can become a double-edged sword when misused. Table salt overuse leads to heart, blood, and bone disorders. It weakens the heart and the blood by impeding nutrient assimilation. Excess salt intake leads to calcium leaching from the bones, resulting in osteoporosis. Calcium deficiency results in dysfunctions in nerves, muscles, heart, vascular system, and bones.
Salt over consumption can cause arterial pressure to rise. To reverse the condition, potassium should replace salt. Processed, preserved, and pre-prepared foods, pickles, and high-protein (red meat, legumes) foods should be eliminated from the diet.
High salt intake can harm the liver as well. A way to detoxify the liver is adding seaweed and herbal infusions (chamomile, mint, lemon) to the diet, which cleanse the liver from fatty and unhealthy foods.
Sodium/potassium imbalance or lengthy sedentary positions can result in edema, fluid retention in the areas between the cells in the soft tissues of the extremities or the entire body. Overly salty foods can also lead to excessive thirst, stomach ulcers, and cancers.
Misuse of salt can also lead to developing a sweet tooth, a body reaction to sodium excesses. Both extremes feed each other negatively.
Modern diets are particularly abundant with denatured salt, containing chemicals and additives. Processed, pre-prepared, canned, and fast foods contain high amounts of refined salt to enhance flavor and preservation. Pickles, cheese, miso, processed sauces and meats, soy sauce, salted nuts, and sausages contain too much sodium. Salt is heavily used in pickling and preserving foods especially in drying and smoking meat and fish.
On the other hand, eating unprocessed and unrefined whole foods (vegetables, fruits, their juices, grains, legumes, nuts, honey, figs, yams) can curb salt, alcohol, and sugar cravings through providing the necessary nutrients. And remember, while moderate water intake and herbal infusions of mint, chamomile, or ginger create a balance in the body and flush out excess salt, alcohol, and coffee, soda and diet drinks can throw the body off-balance.
Here is a natural way to create a balance in the body. According to Avery’s The Real Vitamin and Mineral Book: “if you use sodium in a 1 to 1 ratio with potassium .... as in a balanced diet ... the body will be less likely to retain fluids.”
Whole marine salts in moderation, provided they are unrefined and additive-free, are more nutrient-rich than you can imagine. They prevent mineral imbalances and water retention.
I recently read an interesting article in Natural Solution Magazine by Lisa Turner about the variety of whole nutrient-rich natural salts usually used in gourmet cooking. She described the delicate or pungent savory flavor of each type, its origin, and its use in cooking, as well as its sulfur and mineral contents. Here they are.
Fleur de sel from France, Brittany, is highly-prized. It is hand-picked from the surface of the salt-rich marshes of Guerande. Its mineral formation resembles a flower. Its fine fragrance adds a delicate flavor to summer salads.
Fumee de sel, also from Guerande, is smoked in oak barrels. Its smoky flavor enhances the taste of cooked veggies and salads.
Sel gris (grey salt) is taken from the floors of Guerande marshes. It takes its grey hue from the surrounding clay, which adds a rich flavor to the salt.
Cyprus black salt from the Black Sea acquires its color through infusion with charcoal. It has a cleansing property. The flaky salt enhances the flavor of grilled dishes.
Indian black salt, kala namak, has a pronounced acrid flavor due to its sulfur compounds. It enhances the taste of vegetables. Hawaiian red alaea sea salt gets its reddish tinge from the red clay of volcanoes, enriching the coarse salt with iron oxide. Clay also makes it rich in trace minerals. The pungent fragrance makes it good as a finishing salt and enhances the taste of meat and fish. Alaea is not only good for seasoning, but also for preserving food. Hawaiian sea salt comes in a natural black hue, too.
Peruvian pink salt is handpicked from the springs of the Andes. The pungent aroma marries well with cooked dishes, breads, and salads.
Unfortunately, because of refinements, misuse, or overuse, salt has become taboo in the medical circle, perhaps even more than sugar, regardless of its detoxifying, alkalizing, moistening, purifying, and energizing effects on the body. In its natural form, when combined with nutrient-dense (potassium, magnesium, calcium) vegetables (leafy greens), fruits, and whole grains, and without the interference of the food industry, salt remains a vital nutrient for human health and an important part of a balanced diet.
NB: Individuals with medical conditions or on medication should consult their physicians when they decide to introduce anything new in their diet even if it is natural!
