SALT - the Good and the Bad

There are so many misconceptions surrounding salt and sodium intake. If you are suffering from ailments like High Blood Pressure or Water Retention maybe you have cut back on salt to try to remedy this. But this might actually be working against you. You might need to be consuming more salt, not less. But hold on, before you sprinkle that salty goodness on heavy, it’s important to know that we can’t use just any salt. There are lots of different types of salts. Bad salt can make your ailments worse, but the good stuff, can possibly help to alleviate them.

It's also important to note that more salt may not be the answer specifically for you, or maybe there is a particular salt that would be better than another, for example Sea Salt vs. Himalayan Salt, they have different benefits, and one may suit your needs, while the other may not. Ask your doc to check your sodium levels before going heavy with the salt, some salts have different amounts of sodium and you may possibly need to avoid those.

Common Misconceptions About Salt and Sodium

The standard belief seems to be that we are to cut back on our salt intake if we have troubles like High Blood Pressure, Diabetes, Water Retention, Pre-eclampsia, Gout, Kidney Problems, Heart Problems, or Diabetes. And if we are attempting to lose weight the first change in our diet may be to cut back on our salt intake. But there may be more information that we need to take into account first.

You may ask, “But what about all the research scientists have done that link sodium intake to all these problems?” That research is indeed quite true, however, the tests that are employed to collect this information appear to all be based on common table salt. This is incredibly bad for the human body. And even if you attempt to go on a low-sodium diet be warned, not only will you be missing out on all the minerals your body needs, but the process to achieve a low-sodium food not only removes all of the good minerals and true taste but it replaces it with tasty chemicals and msg. 

                                                  So why is table salt bad?

Table Salt

Table salt is chemically processed and bleached, the minerals are removed because of this process so all the nutrients are gone. There is no benefit left in the salt, sure it tastes good, but there are no minerals, no nutrients left. This is the same salt that sits on tables in restaurants, the salt that is quite possibly in your cupboard at home, the one almost every company uses to season and preserve their baked goods, meats, sodas, juices, and so much more. It’s incredibly difficult to escape. It is table salt that can potentially cause all of those problems listed above, and more. The truly sad thing is that many Doctors will encourage us to simply back off the salt, because that’s what the research shows, but what we really need to be doing is consuming more of the “right” kind of salts, the ones that do contain those beneficial minerals.

Salt, the right kind of salt is important for us to consume, and some of us should be consuming more than others, some less than others, and some different types than other, depending on our personal needs.

Salts

So, let's look into which salts might be helpful. Consuming good types of salt can possibly lower High Blood Pressure, alleviate Muscle Cramping, give you Energy, and rather than causing Water Retention some salts will help to flush it out more quickly along with toxins.

Salt can also potentially help to diminish things like Gout, Cellulite, Heart Problems, Kidney Problems (like Kidney Stones), Joint Issues, Thyroid Disease, Adrenal Issues, Sleep Problems, Skin Problems, bad Oral Hygiene, and Allergies. The consumption of salt can also help to balance ph levels.

If you struggle with any of these you may want to try consuming lots of good salt. "How can salt fix all of that?", was my question, I mean, it’s salt. How can one thing fix so many different ailments? The answer, because salt isn’t just one thing. Good salts are ones that have not undergone chemical processing so they retain all of those minerals, and a lot of them. Minerals like magnesium, potassium, and iron, to name just a few. The western diet is sadly deficient in minerals because the soil, where our food is grown, has been depleted of minerals, so even our vegetables and fruits no longer hold as many minerals as the human body needs to function at it's best.

Here are some good salts we might want to consume:

Himalayan Salt – that beautiful pink stuff. It contains 84 minerals. And it tastes SO good. 

Mediterranean Sea Salt – tastes much like table salt,

but more flavorful, contains 82 minerals.

Celtic Sea Salt - very flavorful, contains 82 minerals.

Hawaiian Black Lava Salt – also called Black Lava Salt, Black Salt, and Black Sea Salt. It is a sea salt, but it also contains activated charcoal. This stuff is so absorbent and grabs toxins the moment they touch and then flushes them out of your system quickly. I also haven’t gotten to taste this one yet either, but I’m hoping to soon. I understand it is good for flavoring fish dishes because of the smoky, sweet, and salty flavor.

Different Ways to Use Salt

Definitely ingesting it is great, but we don’t have to stop there. We can also receive the benefits of good salt in other ways.

Himalayan Salt Lamp 

I was skeptical about these at first, but since they are so pretty I decided it would be alright if that was the sole good thing. But I was pleasantly surprised. 

They clean the air, removing positive ions and replacing them with negative ones. They can help to improve mood, sleep, and even some say, alleviate allergies and stress.

You can buy a Himalayan Salt Lamp here.

Salt Baths – you can use Sea Salt or Himalayan, or both. Add salt to the water and have a nice relaxing soak to absorb the minerals.

Nausea Cure – keeping a little container of Himalayan Salt rocks nearby has been helpful in my fight against constant nausea. Nausea can often be a sign that your body is missing certain minerals. Just make sure you suck on it, don’t chew it, think of it as hard candy and enjoy it while it lasts.

Neti Pot – create a saline solution, mixing sea salt with warm water and using a neti pot for cold or allergy relief.

Salt Inhaler

These have been proven to help with allergies. They can also help with mood and general wellness. You know how it feels when you visit the beach? Me neither, sadness. I don't really remember, I haven't been since I was little, but we can still receive some similar benefits by using a salt inhaler. It's no walk on the beach, but it's great to have an alternative when you can't have the best choice. 

(Be certain to get a ceramic one with no paint on the inside, and never get one made from plastic).

This is where I bought my Salt Inhaler.

Salt Scrubs – using an exfoliating scrub with salt will improve circulation; lymphatic function and so help with things like heart issues, varicose veins, and strengthen the immune system.

Oral Hygiene – trade out your mouth wash for a salt gargle. Just dissolve a teaspoon of salt in cup of warm water and swish and gargle.

I make my own toothpaste too, and one of the ingredients: Sea Salt.

A simple recipe is: ½ cup Coconut Oil, 1 tsp. Bentonite Clay, and 1 tsp. Sea Salt. Mix them together and store in an airtight container in the bathroom, I keep mine in a glass jar. You only need about a ¼ tsp. of the mixture for each use.

Dryer Sheet Alternatives – sew together two pieces of wool, or cotton, squares or circles and before you finish stitching them up, fill them with some Himalayan Salt. Throw them in the dryer instead of dryer sheets (most contain lots of toxic chemicals). These will remove the positive ions, replace them with negative ions, and also reduce static.

Ear Infection Remedy – create the same sort of thing as above, only use cotton instead of wool. Whenever someone has an earache warm up one of these little Himalayan Salt filled bags and hold it against the ear. This will help to draw out the infection. (You can also add some lavender herb).

There it is, the good news and the bad. Fortunately the good news far outweighs the bad, in my humble opinion. You may be wondering, "now what do I do with all the processed salt I have?" You can use the table salt for house cleaning. Know what table salt is really good for? Cleaning cast iron skillets! Cleaning almost anything really. It offers some good scrubbing capabilities. So you don’t have to waste it. 

And you definitely don’t need to go out and buy every type of good salt there is. To help you make the best choice please check with your Doc about your personal needs, ask them to test your sodium levels, each type of salt possesses different benefits to suit different needs. 

Thanks for reading!

I hope this benefits you!

* This Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.


(No affiliate links are included in this article. Only links to products that I have personally purchased and used.)

Sources:

https://draxe.com/10-benefits-celtic-sea-salt-himalayan-salt/

https://chriskresser.com/shaking-up-the-salt-myth-the-dangers-of-salt-restriction/

https://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(17)30508-9/fulltext