Why You Need More Salt!
Salt is often touted at something we all need to reduce in our diets. High salt consumption is blamed for a whole host of diseases like hypertension and heart disease. But new research shows that this isn’t the case! Salt is really a healthy food for our diets and is essential for our bodies! Along with other trace minerals like magnesium, salt contains sodium and chloride which are necessary for our body.
Natural salt is not something new to our diets. Salt is mentioned in the bible nearly 50 times! In traditional cultures salt was used to preserve food and could even be used as currency. Salt is still as important now as it was then.
How Salt Works in our Body
Salt is a main component of blood plasma, amniotic fluid, lymphatic fluid and extra cellular fluid. It carries nutrients in and out of our cells. Salt is needed for firing the neurons in our brains and helps with creative thinking. It also helps maintain proper blood pressure and supports your adrenal glands (most adults are experiencing adrenal fatigue).
Salt is also important to help us digest our food. It helps in the production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach. It also activates amylase which helps break down starches.
New evidence shows that salt may not even cause heart disease. There was actually data showing that a low salt diet increased your likelihood of dying. The study showed the least likely to die were people having high salt in their diets. Interesting!
Salt is needed for proper adrenal function
Adrenal Fatigue is so common these days. Feeling sluggish, not able to get out of bed in the mornings, dealing with insomnia, craving salt? You may have adrenal fatigue. One way to combat adrenal fatigue is to feed your adrenal glands with sea salt! Your body naturally wants to heal itself with a salty craving – so feed it wisely.
You shouldn’t have to restrict salt when it comes form good, quality sources. My naturopath recommended that we increase our salt to a 1/2 teaspoon at each meal. She recommended this salt: Finely Ground Pure Himalayan Salt
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Dr. Mercola shares that you need to maintain proper salt to potassium ratio because the imbalance can lead to hypertension, cataracts, stomach ulcers, kidney stones, memory decline, osteoporosis, and rheumatoid arthritis. Potassium is also needed for proper blood pressure and a deficit could lead to hypertension as well. You also need potassium for electrolyte balance.
To help keep this salt to potassium ratio in balance, you can include these foods that contain high amounts of potassium in your diet: sweet potatoes, beans, tomatoes, yogurt, prunes, fish, winter squash and bananas.
Choose your salt wisely
Not all salt is created equal. Traditional table salt isn’t healthy due to its refined nature and is as unhealthy as processed sugar. Processed table salt contains man made chemicals and lacks the important minerals that natural sea salt and pink Himalayan salt provide.
Most Americans receive most of their salt through prepackaged, processed foods. Your salt intake should NOT be coming from these processed foods. When you
cook and make your own meals read more
this one serving chocolate chip cookie is going to be a satisfying treat because it is low sugar, but high in good fats.
