Advice Column: You Mean Salt isn’t Really Bad for Me?

By Noor H. Salem

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Question:

Am I supposed to avoid all salt in my foods to really achieve a healthy life style?

Answer:

Believe it or not, you shouldn’t omit sodium completely from your lifestyle. Strictly avoiding sodium in your diet could actually have reverse effects including lightheadedness and dizziness due to very low blood pressure. Sodium actually is essential for bodily functions like muscle and enzyme operations. The problem today is, people are getting way too much sodium, and of the wrong kind.

I’m not telling you to rain salt on your food next time you dine out, or toss it in your food when cooking. The white table salt you see in restaurants is definitely not the best for you. It’s processed, stripped of its natural nutrients and minerals, and full of chemicals. This type of salt, you definitely want to avoid. A diet high in salt could cause high blood pressure and hypertension.

I must mention the rising scam of “Sea Salt”. White Sea Salt is not any better than regular table salt- both are white in color and deprived of essential minerals and nutrients. Both are processed like table sugar and stripped of the natural nutrients. To make matters worse, read your labels! Some, and the majority of, salt brands put not only chemicals with your salt, but sugar! Yes, sugar. Iodized Salt is not natural; iodine is chemically added in there. If you want your natural nutrients in minerals, opt for the real stuff: Celtic Salt or Himalayan Pink Salt.

If you’re looking for the real stuff, coming straight from the earth, well, you should opt for Celtic Sea Salt or Himalayan Pink Crystal Salt. None of these are white in color, so it’s pretty easy for you to recognize whether you’re buying real stuff or not. Celtic Sea salt has a very light brownish tint to it, and Himalayan Pink Crystal Salt is a very light pink color.

Both Celtic Sea Salt and Himalayan Pink Crystal Salt can be found at your local farmer’s market, grocery store, supermarkets, or even online. They are not that costly, about $9 a pound for Celtic Sea Salt and $14 for real Himalayan Pink Crystal Salt.

So next time you hear someone say “I’m cutting out sodium because it’s bad” laugh it off in the back of your head and know that the salt you’re eating is actually benefiting, and not harming you.

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