Salt: The Good and Bad

Studies indicate that an excessive amount of salt can strain your heart and blood pressure. It can also increase your risk of brittle bones and arthritis. However, many experts believe that salt can also be used for healing and longevity.

Unlike common table salt, sodium chloride, rock salt is packed full of nutrition. Unrefined rock salt contains more than 84 different minerals needed to balance functions including muscle movement. Without these minerals, life would not exist.

“These mineral salts are identical to the elements of which our bodies have been built and were originally found in the primal ocean from where life originated,” says Dr Barbara Hendel, researcher and co-author of Water & Salt, The Essence of Life. “We have salty tears and salty perspiration. The chemical and mineral composition of our blood and body fluids are similar to sea water. From the beginning of life, as unborn babies, we are encased in a sack of salty fluid.”

Many scientists believe that it’s not just the amount of salt but the type of salt people are consuming that is harming their health. Salt has always been a part of the human diet through nuts, fruits and vegetables. Due to modern farming methods and environmental factors, salts are contaminated or modified, depleting their natural minerals.

Table salt

• Some table salts contain aluminum hydroxide, a toxic metal linked to higher rates of Alzheimer’s disease.
• Common table salt is usually iodized. Naturally occurring iodine is essential, but added iodine is considered a toxic metal which can harm the thyroid.

Sea salt

• Many oceans are polluted with heavy metals like lead, arsenic, mercury and more.
• Oil disasters and tankers continuously pollute our oceans. Today sea salt is not as healthy as it was in the past.

Himalayan Salt

• Electrolytes such as sodium, calcium and potassium help restore your bodies’ fluids and have to be replaced whenever you sweat.
• Electrolytes are what your cells, especially nerve, heart and muscle cells, use to maintain voltages across cell membranes.
• Himalayan salt contains electrolytes!

To benefit, use mineral-rich salt more often than common table salt. Also, limit your intake to 6g daily. Cut down on processed foods as much as possible, and eat more fruits and vegetables that have high potassium and magnesium. Eating more fruits and vegetables are always better options for maximizing mineral intake.