Salt Is Bad, Salt Is Good

The headline is rather confusing, isn't it? Salt is both good and bad. How could that be?

Actually, there are two forms of salt being referenced here. The natural sun dried salt, like the sea salt and the Himalayan rock salt; and the processed iodized salt which is the ubiquitous table salt that abounds in our supermarket shelves and restaurant shakers. [Search Amazon.com for himalayan salt]


Natural Salt

Salt is a vital mineral that is needed by every cell in the body to keep proper sodium-potassium balance ratios, bone density, and proper circulation. Salt is also necessary to stabilize blood sugar levels, keep the body hydrated and fill it with powerful electrolytes.

Natural salt also contains all the trace minerals which are vital for the immune system, and the thyroid and adrenal glands, to function properly. Another important role of salt is to boost the release of digestive enzymes and juices that enable us to extract and assimilate the vitamins and other nutrients from the food we eat.

Wow! I had no idea that salt was that beneficial for our health. So, how come doctors keep warning their patients to avoid salt in their diet?

Table Salt

The other form of salt is the common iodized salt, aka, table salt. It is created by heating natural salt, or crude oil flake leftovers, at 1200 degrees Fahrenheit. Yes, that was not a mistake! Another way of producing table salt is by using crude oil extract.

As a result of the high temperature heating, the natural salt loses almost all of its eighty important elements [among them, iodine], necessary for the proper functioning of the body. That's why metallic iodides are being added to compensate for the loss of iodine, thus giving birth to iodized salt.

A long list of synthetic chemicals are added to table salt such as sodium solo-co-aluminate, iodide, sodium bicarbonate, flouride, anti-caking agents, potassium iodide, and aluminum derivatives. Some even have processed white sugar, and the toxic MSG [mono-sodium glutamate], added to it.

Natural salt is not usually white. But table salt gets its white color from chemical bleaching.

Now, does it still surprise you why you are being told to stay away from salt?

Table salt is linked to a rapid rise in blood pressure and to fluid retention. It can worsen, or even partially cause chronic imbalances such as diabetes, obesity, and gout.

Be also aware that table salt is found not only in your shaker. It is used in astronomical amounts in almost every processed and packaged goods as a preservative. Over time, it could result in a wide range of health issues like major liver, kidney, and thyroid problems; the development of goiter, hypertension, heart disease, muscle cramps, strained elimination systems, edema, stroke, PMS, anxiety, and depression.

And did you know that table salt can be addictive? The more the body becomes used to high levels of it, the more it craves it.

I remember what the spin doctors were saying years back to push the use of iodized table salt. "Use iodized salt because natural salt impairs the child's intellectual development." Whew, I fell for that marketing trickery too like most people did.

Salt is a very common ingredient in foods we eat, whether it's cooked or processed. However, the right form of salt, the natural sea salt, should be used. The synthetic table salt should be avoided at all cost in order to stay away from the host of health problems associated with it.