Is Salt Really That Bad for Me?
Salt is and always has been essential for optimal health. The human body is made up of 72% salt water and 28% minerals. We need both to survive. What is the first thing you are hooked up to when admitted to the hospital? Saline solution, which is another name for salt water!
After so many years of salt having a bad rap, the health industry is finally coming around to its importance for life. A 2006 study says that sodium intake of less than 2300 mg, the daily recommended allowance, was associated with a 37% increase in cardiovascular disease mortality and a 28% increase of all-cause mortality. Basically people who consume too little salt are more likely to die than others with a regular salt intake.
The question we have always been taught to focus on “should I be eating salt?” is not what we should be focusing on, the real question is, “what kind of salt should I be eating?” All salt originates from the sea at one time or another whether from an ancient, now underground sea bed or harvested from our current oceans via evaporation pools.
So what should we look for in the salt we use? Many salts on the shelves now have been refined, had their trace minerals removed and chemicals added. Most salts that are altered and damaged this way are labeled as “sea salt” and are as white as snow so be sure to check all labels when salt shopping. A good quality salt that will benefit your health contains 60 + trace minerals and is a colorful pink/ grey. More than 60 minerals is a big deal! Redmond Real Salt is mined from an ancient see bed in Utah, USA and contains all the good stuff our bodies need from salt to have optimal health. If you have been into our office, which you more than likely have if you are receiving this newsletter, you have probably noticed the stone sitting on the front desk. You guessed it, its salt mined from the sea bed in Utah.
Here is a list of substances that if present on your salt label mean that particular salt is refined and processed, usually eliminating all those essential properties of the salt that our bodies need!
- Sodium Bicarbonate
- Sodium Iodide
- Silicon Dioxide
- Yellow Prussiate of Soda (YPS)
- Sodium Ferro Cyanide (E535)
- Sodium Silicoaluminate
- Magnesium Carbonate
- Magnesium Oxide
- Calcium Silicate
- Potassium Iodide
- Tricalcium Phosphate
- Dextrose (sugar)
- Potassium Chloride
- Potassium Bitartrate
- Potassium Glutamate
- Adipic Acid
- Fumaric Acid
- Polyethylene Glycol 400
- Disolium Inosinate
- Polysilicate
