Do the major health organizations in our country think salt is your friend, not your enemy? It seems they don’t agree with one another on the proper amount of dietary salt. The Centers for Disease Control and USDA recommend the average intake of sodium to be about 2,300 mg per day. While the American Heart Association recommends even more strict guidelines of less than 1,500 mg a day for general health and disease prevention.
We Need Adequate Salt in Order to Maintain Good Health.
Sodium is a vital nutrient. Your cells maintain a sodium-potassium pump, which is very important for life. Sodium is also a major part of the fluid outside your cells, called extracellular fluid. It is necessary to help maintain the right volume of plasma for normal cell metabolism. And, because sodium is found in the blood and lymph fluids, it is especially important for cardiovascular health.
2011 Journal of The American Medical Association Study:
- Showed a low-salt zone where stroke, heart attack and death are more likely.
- Followed 3,681 Subjects for 23 years and found that those on a low salt diet were more than 50% more likely to die from cardiovascular causes than those who consumed substantially more salt.
- Concluded that their findings “refute the estimates of computer models of lives saved and health care costs reduced with lower salt intake.”
- Does not support the current recommendations of a generalized and indiscriminate reduction in salt intake at the population level.
Salt is our Friend Because Low-Sodium is Also Associated with Poor Outcomes for People.
People are more likely to die prematurely on a low-salt diet due to other causes as well as cardiovascular death. What’s more, a 2010 study out of Harvard linked low-salt diets to immediate onset insulin resistance, which can lead to diabetes.
Salt Restriction is Your Enemy, if You’re Elderly.
As people experience hyponatremia (loss of sodium in the blood), they have more falls, broken hips and cognitive decline. Not only is hyponatremia common in the elderly in general, it’s even worse when they experience acute illnesses.
Pink Himalayan Salt from Pakistan is your Friend.
- This region has one of the richest and oldest salt fields in the world.
- The salt comes from mines 5,000 feet below the Himalayan Mountain range.
- It is said to be over 99% pure.
- Check the label to make sure your salt comes from Pakistan. It’s the only true source – otherwise it’s artificial pink salt.
Why is Pink Himalayan Salt Better than Table Salt?
- Regular table salt is 97.5-99.9% sodium chloride, while unrefined salt like Himalayan is more consistent with being 87%.
- An anti-clumping agent called yellow prussiate of soda is often added to table salt. The actual chemical name of this additive is sodium ferrocyanide decahydrate.
- Many commercial table salts also undergo a bleaching process and contain aluminum derivatives, in addition to the anti-caking agents.
Benefits and Uses of Pink Himalayan Salt.
- According to the Lung Institute, salt is antibacterial and anti-inflammatory.
- Helps with balancing pH, which makes a big difference in overall health.
- Promotes optimal digestive health.
- Encourages better sleep. Research in 1989 showed that low-sodium diets caused disturbed sleep.
- Contains properties that are anti-stress and anti-excitatory, which is why it helps with sleep.
- Adequate salt intake can prevent or help muscle cramps.
- Provides healing for all kinds of wounds.
- Contains over 84 minerals and trace elements, including calcium, magnesium, potassium, copper and iron.
Exercise Common Sense When Using Salt.
Too much sodium without enough potassium to balance it out can lead to high blood pressure for some people, along with a buildup of fluid in people with congestive heart failure, cirrhosis of the liver or kidney disease. If your doctors have restricted your salt intake for these reasons, we are not here to contradict them. They are monitoring your situation.