Hi guys, just 10 days to go in this month’s challenge, so keep up the good work!

I’ve a got a TIP for you today, regarding the consumption of salt.

First off, I know that salt has been demonized for many years now, starting with a 1972 research study, which found that if you fed rats an unrealistically and impossibly high amount of salt (50 x normal human consumption), they developed high blood pressure – how revealing! 😛

I know that the modern Western diet may be relatively high in salt, especially as compared to any historical diet, but salt has literally been around almost forever, and that is no coincidence. In fact, an adequate intake of salt is absolutely required to maintain good health. The sodium found in salt is a vital nutrient. It helps maintain fluid balance and cardiovascular function, while also playing an important role in the nervous system. Also, aside from sodium, the other component of salt is called chloride, and it is used in the stomach as hydrochloric acid (HCL), which is vital for digesting your food.

Therefore, being a vital part of our body’s function, the subject of salt is not to be taken lightly. Studies show that there can be serious danger with very high or even very low salt consumption, especially on the long term.

All that being said, what we really need to consider is how much salt is the right amount? Forget that the government is still recommending salt restriction! The latest research recommends about 1.5 to 3.5 teaspoons per day (depending on how much you sweat, how active you are).

What’s also important is the quality of salt. The basic (cheap, refined) table salt is just sodium chloride, and lacks the extra trace minerals (like calcium, potassium, magnesium, sulfur, zinc and iron) found in sea salt or other natural salts (like Himalayan pink salt). That and the fact that table salt commonly contains undesirable additives such as anti-caking agents makes it automatically scratched off my list.

By eating whole foods and eliminating processed junk, excess sodium in our diet is greatly reduced. Therefore, you never need to think about adding some salt to your meal – it generally makes things (especially veggies) much tastier! Just follow your appetite or instinct, our bodies have of way of regulating themselves, and salt intake is no exception to that. Unless you have a kidney problem, there are almost no good reasons to deprive yourself of some good ol’ unrefined salt!

In all ages salt has been invested with a significance far exceeding that inherent in its natural properties… Homer calls it a divine substance. Plato describes it as especially near to the gods, and we shall presently note the importance attached to it in religious ceremonies, covenants and magical charms. That this should have been so in all parts of the world and in all times shows that we are dealing with a general human tendency and not with any local custom, circumstance or notion.
–Ernest Jones, 1912