Salt Bae
The myths about salt consumption and why you need to start sprinkling that mystical mineral (in moderation) all over your food.
In modern day society, salt may have more haters than Kanye West. Like most problems when it comes to understanding what is healthy for us and what is not, it ultimately comes down to the message and its depth.
In the ‘don’t do this, do that, don’t do that, do this’ society it is hard to determine fact from truth. Even with fact, the facts can be skewed by bias, external factors and contributors. However, false information in the wellness community tends to spread like wildfire and more often than not, the precursor to this misinformation can be led back to a company (BIG PHARMA) trying to make some money.
Luckily for us, there are enough good-natured doctors and chemists who will question and study claims, and I am here to discuss a new revelation in the nutrition world concerning the mineral salt.
credit: https://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/d/drug_company.asp
It’s 1998, and author Gary Taubes, infamous for tagging the word “fat” with a negative connotation (avocadoes would vehemently disagree) writes this:
“In an era when dietary advice is dispensed freely by virtually everyone from public health officials to personal trainers, well-meaning relatives, and strangers on check-out lines, one recommendation has rung through three decades with the indisputable force of gospel: Eat less salt and you will lower your blood pressure and live a longer, healthier life.” Gary Taubes, 1998
Sounds promising. Reminds me of the verbiage used by doctors to encourage smoking for healthy living.
So, in the late 90’s scientists and doctors in cahoots with the Centre of Disease Control projected a message that blamed salt for the increase in high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke in America. At this time the CDC labeled salt, as in ALL salt, “the single most harmful substance in the food supply.”
This message derived from the increase in what is known as the Standard American Diet (SAD) which saw an increase in salty, sugary overly-processed foods. Flawed science and studies lead to doctors discovering that our bodies relied on salt to maintain healthy blood pressure and therefore, too much salt must increase blood pressure. What tends to happen with blanket statements like this that makes catchy headlines and phrases, is no one ends up looking past the headline, and now salt becomes ubiquitous with the fear of disease.
But what really is salt?
Traditionally, most people’s brains revert to the thought of table salt. An iodized, chemically processed, devoid of trace minerals, and commonly containing undesirable additives such as anti-caking agents like sodium silicoaluminate or sodium ferrocyanide –table salt. However, that is not naturally-occurring salt, produced by the Earth, and it is certainly not the salt Paleo-driven dieters are referring to when speaking of our Paleolithic ancestors.
Salt is used in nearly every society in existence; not only in their cuisines, but also their medicine and sometimes religious practices. When average life expectancy is plotted against the countries average salt intake, the trend shows that higher salt consumption is actually correlated to longer life expectancy.
It is said that our hunter-gatherer ancestors actually followed the “salt” trail, searching for the commodity regularly to consume. Our ancestors were aware of what their bodies needed to survive (constantly being in survival mode) they were aware that when in a sodium-deficient state they needed to find salt to restore homeostasis.
I mean all we really have to do is look at the word itself, “salt.” “Sal” is of Latin origin and words have been historically based on humanity’s honoring of the Earth mineral. The word “salubrious” means “health-giving” and even “salary” comes from the Latin salarium, which was the money given to Roman soldiers when purchasing salt. “Salus” is the Roman goddess of health and prosperity.
So, when sprinkling your pretty pink Himalayan salt over your veggies when you cook dinner next just visualise Salus blessing you with abundance and prosperity.
Salus, Goddess of safety, well-being, heath, and prosperity.
Now that we have given salt a little more context let’s talk about the myths and benefits.
Currently, Americans consume an exorbitant amount of processed foods. This leads to a daily high intake of the table salt I outlined before that is devoid of all nutritional value. An extremely low amount of naturally occurring salt is consumed daily because there are only trace amounts found in various fruits, vegetables, nuts, meats, and dairy.
However, if you omit grains and other processed foods commonly found in the Standard American Diet, the amount of sodium in your diet has decreased. This has contrasting results because you are removing toxins but, at the same time you must now include dietary salt in your lifestyle.
Why does our body’s need salt?
We need an average of 7 grams of sodium per day. When we are deficient in sodium, it has serious health consequences, especially in the presence of certain chronic health conditions and lifestyle factors.
“A 2011 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association demonstrates a low-salt zone where stroke, heart attack and death are more likely.”
A sodium deficiency increases hormones and lipids in the blood which puts a lot more pressure on the filtration systems to flush them out, especially since sodium moves with water.
Other signs of salt deficiency from salt restriction include:
- Reduced hydration, especially in athletes
- Muscle cramps
- Headaches
- Weakness
- Cognitive decline in elderly
- Irritability
Sodium is a vital nutrient for the human body’s functionality. It’s a major component of extracellular fluid (cell health) and acts as a positive ion in the blood stream to maintain plasma volume and normal cellular metabolism. This has positive results for our cardiovascular health but also for the nervous system. When sodium ions and chloride work in conjunction, it allows neurons to send signals to other neurons and cells which allow nerve transmission and mechanical movement. Chloride ions, provided by salt, are secreted in the gastric juices in our gut as hydrochloric acid (HCL) which play a vital role in digestion of foods and destruction of food-borne pathogens.
Our bodies need a balance of potassium to sodium ratio to produce the range of health benefits salt can provide.
When hydration is balanced in such a way, salt acts as:
- An excellent source of electrolytes. Without sufficient electrolytes you can experience muscle cramps, fatigue, nausea, and brain fog.
- Protective effect against heart disease.
- A good source of magnesium, potassium, and calcium. These minerals must come from your diet because your body can’t create them.
- Sleep improvement: Sea salt is thought to improve sleep because it contains so many helpful electrolytes for regulating hormones.
Do we ever wonder where Gatorade got their popularity from? They cracked the code of the necessity for sodium in our bloodstream when we train to prevent sodium deficiency. Gatorade however, should never be used as a dietary sodium replacement. Instead opt for throwing some mint, lemon juice, and sprinkles of pink Himalayan salt into a bottle and shake it.
The Institute of Medicine recommends that healthy adults consume 1500 mg of sodium, or 3.8 grams of salt, to replace the amount lost daily on average through sweat and urination. However, just like anything, there are special cases where this daily value statistic does not work. If you’re on a diuretic it is extremely recommended to include supplementary salt into your diet.
Although there is not lot of evidence associating a low sodium diet with better outcomes with chronic kidney disease it is still recommended out of caution. The kidney, when healthy, regulates sodium and water excretion using hemodynamic, neural, and hormonal inputs. When the kidneys are unwell this regulation can be skewed because of reduced glomerular filtration rates. However, this begs the question of whether a diet high in potassium may neutralize this effect to those suffering from CKD, prone to kidney stones, or other diseases causing salt sensitivity. Studies suggest, eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables filled with potassium may be more effective than, and even synergistic with, restricting dietary sodium in reducing renal excretion of calcium.
Conclusively, the amount of salt required for good health is based on our individual needs and health status. It is important to continue skepticism when receiving blanket information without the background text. Bring out the flavor of your own life, just add a little pinch of salt.
Salt Bae at his restaurant in Miami.
My Personal Routine
In the mornings, I have found it incredibly beneficial adding a sprinkle of Himalayan pink salt to my morning hot lemon water. It alkalizes my body and gives me an energy boost when I am really tired. I started incorporating Himalayan pink salt into all my recipes and it definitely makes a difference and brings out flavor. I get my salt either my local Marshall’s/ Home Good's store or Trader Joe’s.