Salt & Health

Salt obtained from solar evaporation of sea water is entirely different from modern refined salt, and it contains a variety of minerals that play a role in keeping the body's electrolytes in a healthy balance.

AMA's campaign against salt fails to recognize health benefits of sea salt and trace minerals

by Jon Barron

You may have heard the recent news that the AMA has publicly come out against excessive sodium consumption and salt in particular. Suddenly, the alternative health community is engaged in a whirlwind of debate on the topic. But wait, if salt is a major risk factor in heart and renal diseases, why is anyone upset?

Quite simply, the issue is that not all sources of sodium and salt are the same. As far as the body is concerned, there is no connection between the chemically-cleansed sodium chloride table salt you buy in the supermarket, which is added to virtually every processed food you buy, and the mineral rich organic sea salt available in health food stores. One can kill you; the other heals you. In fact, it's essential for life.

One point everyone can agree on is that the body needs sodium to function. It is the main component of the body's extra-cellular fluids, and it helps carry nutrients into the cells. Sodium also helps regulate other body functions, such as blood pressure and fluid volume, and works on the lining of blood vessels to keep the pressure balance normal.

Everyone can also agree that just like anything else, salt or sodium should not be consumed in excess. (But then again, that's true of water and oxygen as well.) Which brings us back to why the AMA came out with a warning: Americans are consuming ever higher amounts of sodium, up to 6,000 milligrams a day, instead of the recommended 500 to 2,000 milligrams per day. These high amounts, in a form that is unfriendly to the human body and with no ancillary mineral benefits, are what lead to serious health problems. However, this is not necessarily the heart of the debate. The issue is that the AMA is against all forms of salt, which could threaten to obscure salt's importance and to confuse thoughtful consumers.

To further explain, standard table salt is highly refined, chemically cleansed, and unfriendly to the human body. Unrefined sea salt, on the other hand, is a naturally occurring complex of sodium chloride, which includes major minerals such as calcium and magnesium and a complete complement of essential trace minerals. This is the form of salt the body is designed to utilize – having been the salt of choice since humans first walked the earth. Refined table salt, on the other hand, is a modern invention, artificially designed to look white and pour easily. The human body doesn't like it.

Here we get to the heart of the debate: trace minerals.

The issue of getting enough trace minerals in our diet should not be taken lightly. Traditionally, eating fresh grains, fruits, and vegetables grown in nutrient-rich soil, drinking mineral rich water, and including naturally occurring forms of raw salt in the diet have provided the full spectrum of ionically-charged trace minerals necessary for life. Unfortunately, naturally occurring, nutrient-rich soil is almost non-existent on commercial farms and bottled water is mostly devoid of trace minerals. Key trace minerals now missing from the modern diet include copper, tin, silver, gold, and lithium. The entire burden has shifted to naturally occurring salt and/or trace mineral supplements. Recently, trace minerals in the news include selenium for preventing cancer, boron for preventing osteoporosis, and chromium for regulating blood sugar levels. Of course, finding the right source of trace minerals is tricky, but that is another topic.

In the end, as the scientific community debates on whether sodium chloride causes high blood pressure or if sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) is a better alternative, others will remind consumers that going back to nature is the key. Although we can't rely on our fruits and vegetables any more for minerals, we still have a natural alternative: unrefined sea salt. Of course, at least everyone can all agree on one thing: a healthy diet is a diet in moderation.

article courtesy of Natural News.com

The Health Benefits of Using Gourmet Sea Salts

by L. Moses

For years scientists have proclaimed the negative aspects of salt; however they generally fail to leave out one very important thing. We need salt in our diets. Just as the majority of nutrients are taken out of foods when they're processed and put into a box, the same thing happens when salt is processed. The trace minerals, the essence of salt and what makes it a necessary part of our diets, is removed and presented to us in the form of table salt.

Sea salt, much like that banana or apple you find untouched in the grocer's produce section, has been left in its natural state. While table salt is sodium chloride, two chemicals that are in fact dangerous to the human body, sea salt still has the pure elements of potassium, magnesium and calcium.

There have been numerous studies which have concluded that the absence of salt from your diet can be harmful causing kidney diseases and even heart attacks. In 1995 an eight year study conducted in New York City on patients with high blood pressure found that those who were put on low-salt diets had more than four times as many heart attacks as those with normal sodium intake.

Here's what we know for sure:

Salt is essential for regulating blood pressure. They key is to find the correct proportions and to make sure your salt intake is pure. Gourmet sea salts are one of the purest forms of salt you can find.

Salt is necessary to maintain balanced blood sugar levels. Many scientists are beginning to research the effect of salt on diabetes. Table salt doesn't do the trick. It doesn't help to regulate our blood sugar levels because it is missing 99% of the nutrients pure sea salt contains.

Salt is necessary for proper metabolism. It is essential in the complete process from helping your body to absorb nutrients to helping cleanse your cells of waste.

Our bodies require salt for optimal functioning. When we have enough salt, not table salt which is lacking the vital nutrients but true gourmet sea salt in our diets, we can function as nature intended. Our health improves all the way down to the cellular level. Our blood sugar balances, our metabolism operates optimally, both of these are necessary for weight loss, and our general health can improve. Replacing table salt with gourmet sea salt will go a long way toward improving overall health.

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