Special Reports Salts (Sea salt, rock salt or table salt) and Its Uses...

The earth as we know it today didn’t look the same millions of years ago. What used to be seas have dried up and are now covered with rock and soil. We know them today as subterranean or underground salt mines which have enough rock salt to supply man’s needs for the next so many centuries. So says a documentary on TV recently (Discovery Channel, if I remember correctly) which showed the locations of the largest underground salt mines in the world.

Did I say these salt mines can supply mankind with rock salt for the next so many centuries? Yes, rock salt; not sea salt. There is a difference. Sea salt is made by drying out sea water. So, the cheap rock salt sold in the markets comes from the underground salt mines. The more expensive sea salt that we find in gourmet shops comes from the sea. Chemically, there’s not much difference as they are both more than 99% sodium chloride.

What is salt?

Salt is made up of two minerals (sodium & chlorine).  Sodium naturally occurs in many plant and animal foods, but for most of us it is the salt in our diets which is our main source of sodium.   1g of sodium is the equivalent to 2.55g of salt. If you see sodium on a food table the easiest way to decide how much salt the food contains is to multiply the sodium by 2.5. Sodium x 2.5 = Salt in grams

Why do we use salt?

Salt is used in cooking to add flavor to foods, boost the flavor of other ingredients and to act as a preservative.  Most of the salt we eat comes from pre-prepared foods (75%) rather than the salt we add at the table.

Sea salt, rock salt or table salt is there a difference & which is better?

Sea salt, rock salt and table salt all contain around 100% sodium chloride, which means that too much of any of them will have a negative effect on your health.  However rock salt & sea salt are often marketed as being a healthier or tastier option than table salt and can be considerably more expensive than table salt.

Sea salt is produced by the evaporation of sea water. It is argued that sea salt contains more minerals than table salt, so is better for your health. However, just because it may contain extra minerals does not mean it is good for you. It would better to get  these minerals from a balanced diet containing lots of fruit and vegetables than to consider sea salt as a healthy food.

Sea Salt...

Unrefined sea salt is healthy. The blood-pressure-raising effect of table salt can be due to its high content of sodium with not enough magnesium to balance it. This has a magnesium-lowering effect that can constrict the arteries and raise blood pressure. Real salt (of various kinds) contains plenty of magnesium and other important minerals, which is why it usually does not affect blood pressure in a negative way.

Sodium is an essential nutrient required by the body for maintaining levels of fluids and for providing channels for nerve signaling. Some sodium is needed in your body to regulate fluids and blood pressure, and to keep muscles and nerves running smoothly.

Without appropriate amounts of sodium, your body may have a difficult time cooling down after intense exercise or activity. When the body is hot, you sweat. If you do not have enough sodium, your body may not sweat as much and you may then become overheated. This could result in a stroke or exhaustion as well as dehydration.

Sodium is an energy carrier. It is also responsible for sending messages from the brain to the muscles through the nervous system so that muscles move on command. When you want to move your arm or contract any muscle in your body, your brain sends a message to a sodium molecule that passes it to a potassium molecule and then back to a sodium molecule etc., etc., until it gets to its final destination and the muscle contracts. This is known as the sodium-potassium ion exchange. Therefore, without sodium, you would never be able to move any part of your body.

Excess sodium (such as that obtained from dietary sources) is excreted in the urine. Most of the sodium in the body (about 85%) is found in blood and lymph fluid. Sodium levels in the body are partly controlled by a hormone called aldosterone, which is made by the adrenal glands. Aldosterone levels determine whether the kidneys hold sodium in the body or pass it into the urine.

Rock salt is also known as halite. It is different to sea salt because it is already found in a solid form and then mined.

Table salt (refined salt) can also be produced from solid salt, which is found underground and then refined to remove any impurities. When the salt is being refined minerals such as calcium and potassium are often considered as impurities and so are removed in the refining process.

Since 75% of the salt we eat is already in the foods we buy and no salt is a “healthy” option, we here @ 121 Dietitian suggest the cheapest and best decision you can make is to not add any extra salt at all. Instead, try experimenting with other flavors such as herbs, spices, garlic, chilies, lemon & ginger.

Himalayan crystal Salt...

Himalayan crystal salt that is mined 5,000 feet deep below the Himalayan mountain range was subject to enormous pressure over millions of years and is over 99% pure. The higher the amount of pressure the more superior or excellent the state of order within the crystalline structure of salt. Many Himalayan salts are sold cheaply but are collected from higher up near the tops of the Himalayan Mountains instead of from the deeper mines. These salts contain more impurities, do not have the same structure and are not as easily assimilable by the body.

Himalayan salt contains 84 minerals and trace elements in ionic state and is a delightful pink color. People often state that they use less of this salt than of other types. Many sizes are available from 3 oz in a salt grinder to larger 1-kg bags (2.2 lb). Salt chunks are also available for making your own “sole,” which is a saturated solution of purified water with Himalayan salt. A specific recipe (see below) must be followed to make sole and results in a solution that has much less sodium than just adding salt to water would have. Daily use of sole is believed to stimulate the peristalsis of the digestive organs, balance the stomach acid, support the production of digestive fluids in the liver and pancreas, regulate the metabolism and harmonize the acid-alkaline balance.

Which foods contain high levels of salt?

We mentioned that 75% of the salt we consume is already in the foods we buy.  Foods, which often have a high salt level include bacon, cheeses, ready-made stocks, soy sauce, tomato ketchup, mustard, ham and ready-made sauces.  Try to limit how often you use these products and where possible choose the reduced salt options.  You can also use nutrition labels to compare salt content when no reduced salt options are available.

How much salt is too much?

Recommended maximum salt intakes

Age	Maximum Salt Intake
0-6 months	Less than 1g / day
6-12 months	1g / day
1-3 years	2g / day
4-6 years	3g / day
7-10 years	5g / day
11 years and above	6g / day

What are the health effects of salt?

In the body sodium is actually essential it is required to maintain fluid balance and for nerve signalling. Despite this, as a nation, we needn’t worry about a deficiency. It is recommended that adults have no more than 6g salt per day, but the average intake shown in the last national diet & nutrition survey was 8.6g per day (with many people consuming more than this).  Really, all we need to maintain our health is only around 1g of salt (a pinch).

Getting too much salt can be bad for our health. Higher intakes of salt are linked to increased blood pressure, which in turn can increase your risk of stroke and heart disease.  Salt has also been linked to other conditions, including osteoporosis, stomach cancer, kidney disease, kidney stones and obesity. It may also exacerbate the symptoms of asthma, Alzheimer’s and Diabetes.

What does Salt do?

The negatively charged ions in real salt, especially when combined with water, support a host of hormonal, chemical and electrical processes in the body.The trace mineral concentration in real salt makes it especially supportive of nerve and heart health. (Scary, since cardiac patients are often told to reduce sodium). Some doctors have even had success in improving irregular heart beat and lessening neurological disorders with proper doses of real salt.

Some other health-related processes that salt can support are:

§  Food absorption: Proper mineral balance in food and water (from salt/trace minerals) helps the body absorb and assimilate food and water better.

§  Cell Cleansing- The negatively charged ions in real salt and the trace mineral concentration let it cross into cells and pull toxins from them.

§  Blood Pressure- Real salt actually helps regulate blood pressure (not raise it) when taken in the correct amounts.

§  Heart Health- The negative ions in real salt help stabilize an irregular heart beat and support electro-chemical reactions in the body.

§  pH Balance- The alkalizing effects of real salt help balance the body’s pH.

§  Blood Sugar- Proper mineral balance from real salt helps increase insulin sensitivity and has even been shown helpful in patients with diabetes. (Note: It is especially helpful with type II diabetes, and while Type I diabetes cannot be reversed, it helps nutrient assimilation and other health factors in patients with Type I diabetes as well)

§  Allergies- Some evidence shows that real salt dissolved in warm water is an effective natural antihistamine.

§  Asthma and Sinus Trouble- Some patients experience asthma and sinus relief from taking salt internally and from using a salt inhaler. Salt can also be helpful in clearing up excess mucous and phlegm.

§  Improved sleep- Balancing the trace minerals in the body is supportive of hormone processes and can improve sleep quality and duration.

§  Reproductive Health- By supporting natural hormone function, real salt is also supportive of natural fertility  and can improve reproductive health in both men and women.

§  Cellulite- There is some evidence that cellulite is lessened by proper intake of regular salt. (I’ve seen this personally)

§  Cell Communication- Its pH and ion concentration help improve chemical communication between cells.

§  Muscle Cramps/Tension- The trace minerals and pH in real salt help alleviate muscle cramps (magnesium is also important here). This is one reason that you often see athletes soak in salt water/epsom salt baths.

§  Bone Health- Over 1/4 of the body’s salt is in the bones. When sodium and trace mineral stores are not high enough in the body, it can pull salt from the bones to keep the rest of the body functioning. This can be a tremendous factor in osteoporosis. (Magnesium is important here as well)

§  Adrenal and Thyroid Health- the pH and trace minerals in salt are extremely important for proper adrenal and thyroid function. If you suffer from problems with either of these glands, increasing salt consumption can greatly help improve symptoms.

§  Nerve function- The electrical properties in real salt help support proper nerve function and communication throughout the body.

§  Water Content of Body- Just as an IV must be in the proper electrolyte concentration to be absorbed, the trace mineral in real salt help the body naturally regulate the amount of water and trace minerals it needs.

§  Sexual Health- The same hormone-supporting properties of salt make it supportive of healthy libido and sexual function

§  Digestive Health- When consumed with water, real salt can help optimize the environment in the digestive system and increase stomach acid. This makes it helpful in dealing with digestive disorders, heartburn and other digestive problems.

§  Though not scientifically studied, there are cases of doctors helping or eliminating conditions in their patients with the use of real salt and water, including: arthritis, lyme disease, hypertension, neurological disorders, skin issues.

§  Eczema and Psoriasis- The same helpful properties in real salt make it helpful both internally and externally for skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis.

§  Oral Health- the trace minerals in salt can be helpful for oral health and for remineralizing teeth. Swishing with a salt water mixture daily can help improve oral health.

This is what real salt looks like—we all know what regular white salt looks like—and we mistakenly think it is real salt when it is not. The fact is that refined white salt, such as commercial table salt is bad, very bad stuff. Unrefined natural salt on the other hand is good, very good stuff providing many health benefits.

Prepared and Written by : M.Ajmal Khan.