What About Salt?
As a Raw (Vegan) Foodist I wondered about eating Salt.
Was this a health food?
Some marketers, or sellers of salt, claim it to be.
But never believe what marketers say!
The nitty-gritty truth is that salt is actually not very good for us, in any way, shape or form. That's because it's not actually pure SODIUM, it's sodium CHLORIDE.
Sodium Chloride (Salt) is notorious for being bad for our health, and it's pretty plain to see. Pour some salt into an open wound, or drink some seawater, and you'll notice it isn't so --nice. It rips apart and dehydrates cells- which is the reason why when one eats a lot of salt, they get puffy and bloated. This is water retention, and it helps protect your cells from a similar fate.
Pour some salt on your tounge and you kill the taste buds. You're not actually tasting the food's flavor when you add salt, you're tasting the salt's flavor within inflamed and irritated, sensitive wounds.
In a brochure titled "Salt: The Forgotten Killer", the Center for Science in the Public Interest (http://www.cspinet.org/salt/) writes in their 2009 edition:
While a small amount of sodium is necessary for health, the amount [of sodium CHLORIDE] in the typical American diet is a major cause of high blood pressure (hypertension). Reducing sodium [chloride] consumption by half would save an estimated 150,000 lives per year.
Consider these facts: 65 million Americans adults have high blood pressure, another 45 million people have "pre-hypertension" and about 90 percent of Americans will eventually develop hypertension.
African Americans' rate of hypertension is 60 percent greater, and rate of stroke deaths is 40 percent greater, than that of the general population.
Increased blood pressure causes about two-thirds of strokes and almost half of all heart attacks around the world. One recent study found that people who are pre-hypertensive and cut back on sodium [chloride], reduced their chances of developing cardiovascular disease by 25% and their risk of dying from it by 20%.
Salt is a bone breaker. "A high-salt diet increases urinary calcium losses," says Professor Caryl Nowson of Deakin University's School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, and the Australian spokesperson for World Action on Salt and Health (WASH). Salt consumption increases the body's excretion of calcium. This will possibly lead to bone mass loss and osteoporosis, as well as other health problems.
Salt causes kidney stones. Related to the increased calcium losses caused by salt, the formation of kidney stones could be a consequences of salt eating.
Salt causes kidney disease. In addition to kidney stones, the health of the kidneys could be impaired in other ways through salt consumption. According to WASH, increased salt consumption leads to increased protein excretion in the urine, indicating kidney deterioration.
Salt is bad for your lungs. You may not realize it, but the health of your lungs (specifically of bronchial reactivity) is linked to sodium balance. High-salt diets impair lung function and worsen asthma symptoms.
Salt causes cancer. Many studies indicate that salt promotes stomach cancer. The countries that have the highest rates of salt consumption (like Japan and Costa Rica) also have a very high incidence of stomach cancer.
Salt is bad for your heart. Animal and human studies show that salt intake has a direct effect on strokes. This is independent to the effect salt has on blood pressure. A daily intake of just 2300 mg of sodium per day was associated with a 89% increase in stroke mortality and 44% increase in coronary heart disease mortality, according to one study quoted by the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
Salt causes stomach ulcers. Evidence shows that high-sodium diets lead to higher rates of stomach ulcers.
Salt causes water retention and edema. As salt accumulates in the tissues, the body tries to dilute it with water. This is why most salt-eaters have a puffy look and weak tissues that bruise easily.
Below I have listed 13 great replacements for salt in your diet.
Cauliflower - 1 head large, 252 mg sodium
Honeydew melon - 1, 230 mg sodium
Celeriac - 1 cup, 156 mg sodium
Cantaloupe melon - 1 large, 130 mg sodium
Fennel - 1 bulb, 122 mg sodium
Endive - 1 head, 113 mg sodium
Young Coconut - 1 medium whole, 80 mg sodium
Beetroot - 1, 64 mg sodium
Celery, 1 stalk, 51 mg sodium
Brocolli - 1 stalk, 50 mg sodium
Carrot - 1 large, 50 mg sodium
Lettuce - 1 head, 50 mg sodium
Spinach, 1 cup, 24 mg sodium
Note that although tomatoes can taste 'salty', they are relatively low in sodium. The salty taste is likely to be due to high levels of glutamate and/or chloride.
After your taste buds have healed you will have a palate many chefs would long for. And as all great chef's know- food is at it's peak when first picked from the farm.
Read More On Sodium Chloride (Salt):
Salt Warning by David Klein, PH.D. from Living Nutrition Magazine - vol. 18
The Raw Food Diet Explained -- Specific Condiments 2.0, Salt 2.1
Sea Salt, Is It Good For You?
By Chris Kendall at The Raw Advantage
