Understanding Salt and Sodium
Nearly 20 years ago I wrote a book called “Get the Salt Out: 501 Simple Ways to Cut the Salt Out of Any Diet.”
If I were to rewrite that book today, it would be entitled “Get the Salt In: How the Right Kind of Salt Will Save Your Life.”
Salt is so important that—back in the day—it used to be worth its weight in gold and was used as a form of currency.
The truth is that sodium—found in the form of sodium chloride or salt—plays countless critical roles in the human body that no other macro-mineral can come close to matching!
Without the right kind of salt, our bodies would become like statues. Sodium has a surprisingly pivotal effect on all of our muscles (especially the heart) calming effect on stress, and catalytic role in digestion.
Sodium permeates the fluid between cells (often called the extracellular fluid) while its balancing mineral potassium exists mainly on the inside of the cells or the intracellular fluid.
These minerals need to be in constant dynamic balance so nutrient and waste exchange can take place across cell membranes with sufficient water intake.
At least 1,000 – 2, 000 mg of daily salt is vital for the blood and the lymphatic fluid. But most surprisingly of all is the understanding that sodium (along with zinc and iodine) is necessary for the production of hydrochloric acid—the digestive fluid secreted by the stomach in order to break down protein and keep calcium, magnesium, and iron properly metabolized.
Nearly 70% of Americans over 40 years old are HCL deficient, so a lack of this important mineral may be the key to understanding why so many of us take prescription and over the counter digestive aids.
Along with its sister minerals potassium and magnesium, sodium is required for the proper functioning of our nerves and the contraction of our muscles—including the heart.
Our Paleolithic bodies developed a “taste” for salt to ensure adequate sodium intake. At that time we thrived on minimal amounts of sodium and much more potassium, which we estimate to be a 1:4 ratio in favor of potassium.
On an average day, our hunter-gatherer forefathers consumed about 700 mg of sodium—the equivalent in about a 1/3 of a teaspoon of salt.
Today, however, we are faced with a growing number of environmental, emotional and physiological stresses which actually require more sodium than our Paleolithic ancestors consumed.
Sodium plays a key role in mitigating the stress response and supporting the adrenal glands—which are under constant assault in our 24/7 lifestyles.
Adrenal Cocktail
I recommend this Adrenal “Cocktail” to my over-stressed and over-worked clients—especially midmorning and midafternoon:
- 4 Oz. fresh squeezed orange juice
- 1/4 tsp cream of Tartar (to supply potassium)
- 1/4 tsp of Celtic Sea Salt
The Salt Of Life
Now, there’s salt. And then there’s the right salt.
Unfortunately, most of what is typically consumed in America today is not the right salt. Commercial refined salt is not only stripped of all minerals except sodium and chloride, but it is also heated to such high temperatures that the chemical structure changes.
Additionally, refined salt is chemically cleaned, bleached and treated with anticaking agents, which prevent salt from mixing with water in the salt shaker. Unfortunately, the anticaking agents perform the same function in the human body, so refined salt does not dissolve and combine with the water to assimilate in our bodily fluids. Instead, it build ups in the body and leaves deposits in organs and tissues.
Two of the most common anti-caking agents used in the mass production of salt are sodium-alumino-silicate and alumino-calcium silicate. These are both source of aluminum, which is notoriously drying to the body, interferes with pepsin the in stomach and neutralizes the beneficial effects of magnesium.
So in order to keep our body healthy, we need to ingest the right salt on a daily basis. This means, that we need to consume sodium in its most natural form.
And in nature, the highest amount of sodium is found in sea water along with synergistic and complimentary trace minerals. As an isotonic solution, the highest concentration of the elements in an unrefined sea salt includes magnesium, potassium, chloride, sodium and calcium- similar to the mineral profile of our very own body fluids.
I have used and experimented with many unrefined sea salts, unrefined rock salts and Himalayan pink salts over the years. I am often asked which brand I would recommend, especially since I wrote a book on the topic of salt.
Hands down, my favorite always comes back to Selina Naturally®’s Celtic Sea Salt® which I rely upon daily as my “adrenal tonic” and for cooking! From my experience and research, this salt contains 90 plus minerals with the healthiest mineral balance—especially when it comes to magnesium, the mineral connected to over 350 metabolic processes!!
This natural salt can help to keep our taste buds and blood pressure in tip top shape.
Another way to incorporate this mineral-rich super food is by making Sole (pronounced Solay)—water fully saturated with natural salt.
Here is the Sole recipe that I use:
Ingredients
- About 1 cup Celtic Salt
- Purified water
- 1 Mason jar
Instructions
- Fill the jar about ¼ of the way with Celtic Salt.
- Add filtered water to fill the jar, leaving about an inch at the top.
- Seal the jar with a non-metal lid and let set overnight.
- Use 1 TBSP per day as an instant electrolyte supplement.
Calcium Rich Salt
Best known for keeping our bones and teeth healthy, calcium has other important functions such as regulating heartbeat, nerve transmission (carrying messages from your brain delivering it to other parts of your body), balancing hormones and muscle function. Selina’s Naturally Celtic Sea Salt contains more than seven times the amount of calcium found in ordinary table salt!
Magnesium Rich Salt
One major downfall of ordinary table salt is that it severely lacks magnesium—at only 0.03 percent. Sea salts like Selina’s contains magnesium from anywhere between 0.75 to 1.5 percent! Keep in mind that the fastest way to re-hydrate a dehydrated body is NOT with more water but with more magnesium.
Magnesium is a water hungry molecule. It’s like a magnet that draws water into the cells. This is why if you put a crystal of Celtic Sea Salt on your tongue and drink a glass of water, you immediately feel hydrated!
Aside from keeping the body properly hydrated, magnesium also fights osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, migraine, insomnia, depression and skin disorders such as eczema and psoriasis.
Celtic Sea Salt vs. Himalayan Salt: What’s the Difference?
I am often asked about the difference between Himalayan salt and Celtic Sea Salt. The team at Selina’s was kind enough to provide me with some key information in this regard:
Celtic Sea Salt is a brand that consists of a variety of salts from all over the world.
The salts are mindfully chosen, these are some features and benefits required in order to be a part of the Celtic Sea Salt brand:
- Sustainability: The salt must be sustainable.
- Farmer Relationships: There must be good relationships with our salt farmers. Selina personally visits each source to inspect for quality and recommend improvements. If the farmer chooses not to improve the conditions or implement Selina’s plan to insure high quality, the source does not make it into the Celtic Sea Salt family.
- Extensive Testing: Lab analysis is completed for every salt and every salt harvest.
- Alkalinity Standards: Alkalinity must be in the range of 8.6 to 10.23.
- Ideal Sodium Chloride Levels: The Sodium Chloride content must be in the 70 – 80 percentile and no higher than 90%. Some varieties are dried and ground which increases the sodium chloride. As the mineral rich brine is decreased, the sodium chloride is increased.
So what is Himalayan salt exactly?
It is a type of salt imported by several companies selling it under a variety of brands. Unlike an unrefined sea salt with a mineral balance that matches that of our own blood and lymph, Himalayan salt is rock salt or halite from a mine in the Punjab Region of Pakistan. The salt sometimes occurs in a reddish or pink color, with some crystals having an off-white to transparent color.
Celtic Sea Salt® brand is sustainably harvested from pristine coastal regions around the world where the manufacturer has personal relationship with the harvesters. Depending on the harvesting method and location the color ranges from light grey to white.
For comparison, here are the average mineral content and pH of both Himalayan salt and Selina’s Celtic Sea Salt:
Himalayan Salt:
- Sodium – 36%
- Chloride – 60%
- Potassium – 0.3%
- Magnesium – 0.1%
- Calcium – 0.2%
- pH is 6 on average
Celtic Sea Salt®:
- Sodium – 33%
- Chloride – 52.48%
- Potassium – 0.39%
- Magnesium – 0.917%
- Calcium is 0.551%
- pH is 9.4 on average
The Celtic Sea Salt clearly comes out on top regarding mineral percentages and an alkaline pH.
Clearly it’s time that salt makes a comeback in our diets. Understanding the role salt plays in the body and the difference between good and bad sources will help you get the right salt “in” your life once again.
