Consuming salt

Salt- a familiar and for some even a favorite component of food. You can find different opinions about it: some consider it useful and not dangerous to humans, while others insist on its harm. Let's figure out who is actually right and decide whether it can be added to food in large quantities.

What is the harm of salt to humans?

I think many have heard that salt also called "white death". Why did the frightening name stick to it? The fact is that, first of all, this mineral retains water in the body, which increases the load on the heart. It is believed that with healthy organs, approximately 25 g of salt are excreted per day. If the consumed amount is higher than this indicator, then the remainder is deposited in the body and accumulates over time. After a few years, because of this, the balance between sodium and potassium is disturbed, and the person becomes swollen with edema. This can be considered one of the first signs that there is presence in the body excess salt.

The digestive system suffers greatly, as due to over-salted foods, gastritis and subsequently a stomach ulcer can form. If a person already has these diseases, they will worsen and can go from chronic to acute form. That is why people suffering from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract are recommended to follow a diet that includes minimum salt.

Scientists have been able to prove that the white mineral affects the appearance and development of cataracts. This disease is a clouding of the eye crystal, which significantly impairs vision. Salt, by the way, increases blood pressure, and this also negatively affects eye function. Because of this, vision decreases, and a person cannot always guess the true reason.

It has been proven that salt disrupts the functioning of the circulatory system. Due to the fact that the excess is not excreted from the body along with sweat and urine, it is deposited on the walls of blood vessels. Because of this, they become fragile. Over time, atherosclerosis may develop - the walls of blood vessels increase in size and become uneven, and atherosclerotic plaques form. As a result, the blood vessels narrow and the heart receives insufficient blood supply.

Atherosclerosis is dangerous because it is highly likely to cause a stroke. Because of it, a person can either die or lose the opportunity to live a normal life. This occurs due to clogged blood vessels in the brain with blood clots.

It is not recommended for people who want to lose weight eat salt in any form. It enhances the taste and causes appetite, so some people begin to eat more than necessary. Because of this, they gain weight, which can then be lost only if they stop consuming salt. As is already known, this mineral retains fluid in the body, and this also leads to body volume.

Also applies to joints negative effect of salt. This component is deposited in them, which can occur asymptomatically for quite a long time. But over the years, the joints become less flexible, begin to hurt and react to changing weather. And with age, all this only gets worse. The joints begin not only to ache, but also to swell, as the body tries to get rid of excess salt using liquid. But this only makes a person’s well-being worse.

Does a person need salt?

Having learned about the dangers of salt, the question may immediately arise as to whether it is needed at all. Scientists have proven that it is impossible to do without it, since a lack of white mineral in the diet leads to disruption of digestive processes, problems with the cardiovascular system, depression, apathy and muscle spasms. So it turns out that refusal of salt no less dangerous than its excessive consumption. So what is the way out of this situation?

First of all, you need to know how much salt a person should receive per day through food. It is believed that it should not exceed 4 g per day, and patients with hypertension need to reduce the norm to 1 g. This is the only way a person will not get tired quickly, experience weakness and thirst, as well as loss of appetite. In particular, foods rich in minerals and including salt should be consumed by those who have to sweat a lot during work. This applies to people living in hot climates or doing heavy physical labor.

The thing is that salt enriches the body with sodium - for 1 g of salt there is 0.4 g of sodium. And it is vital for the body. With its deficiency, in addition to the symptoms listed above, loss of consciousness and even coma may occur. Therefore, it is not recommended to completely abandon the white mineral, but it is necessary to take control of its consumption.

What kind of salt can be called healthy?

Now in stores you can find various ones intended for adding to food. Since this element cannot be abandoned, then you should choose the most useful of all available. It may cost more than the usual option, but it will have more benefits for the body and less harm.

Types of table salt:

• stone - a natural product obtained naturally;
• table salt - rock salt that has been processed and bleached;
• extra - the purest of all, contains only sodium chloride and no other microelements, is considered the least healthy;
• iodized - table salt to which iodine-containing salts have been added is considered effective in preventing illnesses;
• marine - the most useful of all, contains the largest number of components necessary for the normal functioning of the body.

Of these listed options, it is recommended to choose the last one, since it will be the least harmful to the body. It is even advisable to purchase iodized sea salt to get the maximum amount of benefit from the component.

How much salt is in different foods?

Every person knows that various foods contain a certain amount of salt. This also needs to be taken into account when creating a menu. It is believed that the greatest amount is present where it is used as a preservative. That is, in salted fish, meat, canned vegetables. There is also quite a lot of it in snacks intended for beer. That is, in crackers, pretzels, chips, nuts, etc. In addition, there is a lot of it in semi-finished products and sausages.

As for raw foods, approximately 800-1000 milligrams of salt are contained in 100 grams of cheese. 800 mg in sauerkraut, 410 mg in green beans, 250 mg in beets and 165 in chicory. The least amount of it is in apples, white cabbage and pears - from 3 to 8 mg per 100 g. From this we can conclude which foods can be consumed in large quantities, and which are best reduced to a minimum or completely eliminated.

Is it possible to remove excess salt from the body?

People facing problems from excess salt, may be wondering how to remove it from the body. This can be done, but it will take time to restore balance and completely get rid of excess. It is mandatory to comply salt-free diet. Some doctors do not speak very well of it, because they believe that the loss of salt should be replenished. However, this is a misconception. The required level of potassium chloride will remain normal during the diet, since the accumulated salt will quickly pass into the blood. And a small amount of salt will still enter the body even with vegetables and fruits. The only difference will be that the amount will be much less than if you constantly salt the food.

The diet may seem difficult for some people, as many dishes may become unpalatable without the addition of the white mineral. However, health is much more important, so it’s worth being patient. Yes, and salt can be obtained from some natural and safe products. For example, from garlic, onions, horseradish, apple and lemon juice. They will help make food less bland without disrupting your diet. And then, when you can eat normally again, it is recommended to replace regular table salt with sea salt to avoid new problems.

I believe that you will be able to stop using large amount of salt. Take care of your health now so as not to encounter diseases later. Be healthy, positive and happy!

"Salt is necessary for life. If you deprive a person of table salt, he will die in a few days in terrible agony, despite any nutrition."

In fact

For example, I gave up salt for long periods and felt great. However, I am not a supporter of extremes, so I do not consider a categorical refusal of salt necessary.

But what really wouldn’t hurt is to avoid using a salt shaker on the table and when cooking. There is no need to add salt to modern food. And that's why.

If you eat fresh fruits or vegetables, they already contain essential minerals. Vegetable salads without salt seem bland only at first. Already the second or third time, you will be surprised to notice that fresh vegetables without salt are not only not bland, but also much more tasty. You will learn to taste the food, not the salt.

If you eat industrially prepared food, it is already salted, even bread. Moreover, there is no point in salting such food. Even the water for pasta and dumplings can be safely left unsalted - nothing gets boiled over, everything turns out as it should.

If you refuse to add salt when eating and cooking, you will still continue to meet, and most likely even exceed, the daily salt allowance. And if you also lean on sauerkraut or pickled olives...

Try to stop adding salt to your food - you will like it. Not to mention the enormous benefits for the body, which is harmed by excessive salt consumption.

Paul Bragg: Salt. What you learn about this simple product will surprise you!

Will you use sodium for seasoning, which turns into a caustic alkali in water? Or poisonous chlorine gas? “It’s a funny question,” you say. “No sane person would do this.”

Of course not. But most people do so because these highly active substances form an inorganic crystalline substance known as SALT.

For centuries, the expression “salt of the earth” has been used to describe something good and important. Nothing could be more wrong. After all, this dangerous product that you add to your food every day undermines your health. Let's look at the facts:

1. Salt is not food! There is no more justification for its use in cooking than there is for using potassium chloride, calcium chloride, barium or other reagent taken from the pharmacy shelf.
2. Salt is not digested or absorbed by the body. It has no nutritional value. Salt does not contain vitamins, organic or any nutrients. On the contrary, it is harmful and can cause a lot of trouble to the kidneys, gall bladder and bladder, heart, arteries and other blood vessels. Salt can dehydrate tissues, causing them to become critical.
3. Salt can be poisonous to the heart. It also increases the excitability of the nervous system.
4. Salt helps flush calcium from the body and affects the mucous membrane that covers the entire gastrointestinal tract.

If salt is so harmful to the body, why is it used so widely? Mainly because salting food has become a habit that has been ingrained for thousands of years. But this habit is based on a serious misunderstanding. The prejudice is that our body supposedly needs salt. However, many peoples, such as the Eskimos, never eat salt and do not suffer from it. In a person who has given up this habit, salt causes a sensation similar to what a cigarette causes in a person who has never smoked. For some animal species, salt is an absolute poison, especially poultry. It is also known that pigs die from large doses of it.

How did the habit of salt consumption begin?

Biochemist Bunge believes that in prehistoric times there was a proper balance of sodium and potassium salts on Earth. Long-lasting rains over many centuries have washed the more soluble sodium salts out of the earth's crust. A lack of sodium and an excess of potassium appeared in soils and, accordingly, in plants.

As a result, animals and humans have developed a desire to eliminate sodium deficiency. They found a poor, ineffective and quite dangerous substitute in the form of inorganic sodium chloride, or table salt.

Consuming this salt to replace the required amount of sodium is the same as consuming inorganic calcium salts to replace calcium.

Both substances are poorly absorbed by cells. Since all inorganic substances are harmful to the digestive organs, it can be understood why sudden and abnormal thirst occurs after consuming salt. The stomach reacts to the foreign substance by making a quick attempt to flush it out with a stream of water through the kidneys. You can imagine the effect salt has on the delicate filters of the kidneys. Of all the organs in our body, the kidneys are most affected by salt. What happens if we get more salt than our kidneys can process? The excess will be deposited in various parts of the body, especially in the feet and lower legs, leading to swelling of the legs.

To protect tissues from poison, the body automatically strives to dissolve the salt, accumulating water in areas where salts are deposited. As the tissues concentrate water, they begin to swell. Feet and ankles become painfully swollen.

Salt is no less harmful to the heart. Under certain conditions, even a small amount of salt turns out to be fatal for him. The activity of the heart muscle is regulated by the relative concentration and ratio of natural calcium and sodium salts in the blood. Moreover, excess sodium leads to an imbalance in this activity, increasing heart rate and blood pressure. The Japanese, according to medical statistics, suffer the most from high blood pressure in the world, and they are also the largest consumers of salt in the world.

How does salt affect blood pressure?

What causes high blood pressure? Medicine knows several reasons: tension, overload, stress, toxic substances - such as cigarettes, exhaust fumes, food additives, insecticides, side effects of drugs, the consequences of industrialization. How to protect yourself from all influences? Of course, it is best to exclude all these factors from everyday life. At least one of the causes of high blood pressure can be eliminated. We are talking about sodium chloride - ordinary table salt, the most important cause of increased blood pressure.

So far we have talked about high blood pressure in a “normal” person. But what about the influence of salt on those of our citizens who suffer from a terrible disease - overweight?

This is a fertile area for research, since it is known that obesity is often accompanied by high blood pressure. There may be a connection between high blood pressure in overweight people and salt intake.

The myth of salt deficiency

Is a low-salt diet unhealthy? Do we need salt to keep ourselves healthy? A widely held view is that salt is needed. Everyone has heard that animals can travel many miles to find a place where they can “lick the salt.” I have thoroughly researched such places. Their only common property was the complete absence of sodium chloride (table salt). Moreover, there were no organic or inorganic sodium compounds in this soil at all. But there were many other substances needed by animals.

Why are cows given a lot of salt?

A person who has invested his money in a dairy farm usually tries to get the maximum profit possible from it. So farmers noticed that adding salt to the diet of cows makes them drink more water. And the more water they drink, the more milk they produce. True, as a result, a quart (0.94 l) of milk contains a very large amount of salt (0.5-1 g).

Go to an American school and look at the physical development of children. You'll be amazed at how many of them are fat. They drink a lot of commercial milk, and their food also contains a lot of salt. Go to an American store and look at the canned foods. They are all loaded with salt. Salt in milk, salt in vegetables and other foods. Add it all up and you can see why heart disease has become the number one killer in our society. We are a nation of salt addicts! Cheese, canned vegetables, bread - all the most popular products are oversaturated with salt. Baby food is also loaded with salt!

Another argument in favor of the fact that salt is not needed

Rommel's German Afrika Korps suffered a heavy defeat in Egypt at El Alamein and retreated hundreds of miles through the lifeless desert. But when hostilities were over, the British saw that the surrendered troops were in good condition, although the Nazi soldiers were not supplied with a supply of salt.

Judging by scientific data, the following happens: after several days of acclimatization, a person stops losing salt through sweating. There are likely adaptations of physiological mechanisms that prevent sodium loss. The good condition of people in normal weather conditions with a low-salt diet also shows that the need for salt in hot weather is greatly exaggerated.

Habit is second nature

Natural sodium is quite sufficient in vegetables, fish, meat and other products, even if they have not been treated with salt. This natural sodium can fully satisfy the normal needs of the body. Confirmation of this fact can be found in the history of many peoples who never used salt.

The American Indians knew absolutely nothing about salt before the arrival of Europeans. Columbus and all the great explorers of the New World found the physical condition of the Indians magnificent. The degeneration of the natives always began after exposure to salt, alcohol and unnatural foods.

I have participated in more than 13 expeditions to the most primitive corners of the Earth and have never seen the natives consume salt. Therefore, none of them suffered from hypertension. Indeed, regardless of age, their blood pressure is 120 over 80, which is considered excellent. They also do not suffer from heart disease or kidney disease.

How much salt does a person need per day?

A lot of research has been done on this matter. Scientists' opinions vary: from 0.5 to 1 g of salt per day. This dose can be absorbed by the body. The average American salt lover exceeds this norm by 15-30 times.

This horrifyingly high figure is explained by the huge amount of salt that is contained in almost all “ready-made” foods. It is found in bread, cheese, meat products (ham, bacon, stew), canned vegetables and hundreds of other products.

Southerners have the highest blood pressure in the United States, and evidence shows that salt is an important food component for most of them, especially salt pork. I was born and raised in Virginia, and many of my relatives suffered from hypertension. They died early from heart attacks or kidney diseases, as they were big fans of salt pork, ham and bacon. A lot of salt was added to every dish. By the age of 30, they were constantly sick, their joints were very bad. This was facilitated by the high-salt diet of the average southerner.

The best way to prolong life is not to shorten it

A tragic incident involving salt imbalance occurred at a hospital in Binghampton, New York, where many children died from salt overdose. An overdose of salt can kill a child quite quickly. The body needs natural sodium, not an inorganic mineral. You can get natural sodium that nature provides in beets, celery, carrots, potatoes, turnips, seaweed, watercress and other natural foods. Remember that minerals can only be absorbed by our cells in the form of organic food.

Based on materials from the book "The Miracle of Fasting" by Paul Bragg

• Key four. You are what you eat
  

  Bones, muscles and the whole body in general are built from what we ate yesterday, the day before yesterday or a year ago. The strength, shape and beauty of our body directly depend on what we eat. You can fill your stomach with anything, but strong and healthy cells will be built from one food, and weak and sick ones from another.

  It is not surprising that the issue of proper nutrition has long been of interest to people. Many schemes have been proposed, often contradicting each other.

• Myths of modern times
  

  The atheist, pragmatist and skeptic of the twenty-first century loves to believe in technological progress. Let us believe that potassium cyanide is harmless, as long as scientists confirm it.

  However, science is sometimes wrong, and scientific data is often distorted for personal gain. Be critical and reasonable, even towards scientific postulates. After all, according to Goebbels’ principle, “the more monstrous the lie, the more willingly they believe in it.”

Comments (110)

06/01/2010 12:03 mihas

I would like to warn all zealous maximalists. The body is very complex, if you live as your ancestors lived, then at least you will live the norm. “Breaking” the body in the direction of increasing life is very problematic, and nothing better than restricting nutrition has been invented so far, but shortening life with a lack of microelements, incl. and a salt-free diet, which will affect the digestion and absorption of animal protein, is quite possible.

key2life-team

You are right, maximalism is useless. A salt-free diet in the modern world is simply impossible, since salt is already contained in most foods. But there is no need to add salt to food on the table and during cooking. Already exceed your salt intake norm.

26/10/2014 22:52 MK

mihas, what are you talking about? Inorganic sodium is not absorbed by the body, i.e. By consuming salt we harm our body, so how can we make things worse for ourselves if we give it up?

animal protein... which means that those who have been without animal protein for 10 or more years feel great - salt is definitely not needed;)

02/08/2017 21:54 Michael

So you first try to live fully and then say, and then I see everyone on the Internet is so cool, they learned the common myth and immediately began to defend salt in the comments. That's how marketing works, people in the world just act as guinea pigs. Don’t fool yourself, I live quietly, I don’t eat bread at all, I don’t eat foods that contain salt, I try to buy foods in the store that don’t contain salt - only vegetables and fruits, I’ve been living like this for 3 months now. I can’t remember that during this time I felt a salty taste. By the way, my head stopped hurting. Anyone who thinks that salt is healthy should go straight to the coffin, why then suffer for many years from hypertension and headaches? It's okay to not respect yourself

11/01/2010 18:30 key2life-team

The mayor of the largest US city, Michael Bloomberg, plans to reduce the salt content in processed foods and dishes offered by city restaurants by a quarter over five years.

Too much salt

On Monday, the New York City mayor's office released a plan to reduce salt levels in the city's most popular foods. The plan does not include legal restrictions on the level of salt in food. The Bloomberg administration expects that manufacturers and restaurant chains will voluntarily limit the amount of salt in products for the sake of additional advertising and increasing consumer confidence in brands.

The city's health department has set a goal of reducing the amount of salt consumed in prepared foods by 25% by 2015.

Mayor Bloomberg is well known to New Yorkers as a champion of healthy lifestyles. Re-elected last November for a third term, Bloomberg had previously required restaurants to print the energy content of foods on restaurant menus and banned the use of transgenic fat in food products. “We consume too much salt, and most of the salt we get from the food we buy ready-made,” The New York Times quotes Thomas Farley, head of the city’s health department, who has led the fight against salt. According to the official, Americans get up to 80% of their salt from processed foods or restaurant food.

Less salt - more brand

One of the largest supermarket chains in the country, A&P, has already joined the initiative. "We think it's quite feasible to put new salt content requirements in front of our suppliers that they will have to meet," Douglas Palmer, the chain's vice president, told the newspaper. According to him, 435 supermarkets across the country will take part in promoting low-salt products. The famous fast food chain Subway also intends to join the movement. According to nutritionist Lanette Kovacs, Subway knows how to get its suppliers to reduce the salt content in their products. The chain has already had to cede salt requirements to those set by the UK government since 2003.

Market participants and experts note that it will be difficult to regulate the level of salt content in food products. "You're going to have to set salt reduction goals for so many different foods," says nutrition expert Jeffrey Cowley. It is expected that salt content will be reduced by 10%-40% for 61 types of packaged products and for 25 types of restaurant dishes, and for 25 types of restaurant dishes. This would involve measuring the salt content of an entire line of one type of food, such as canned vegetables or frozen dinners, and then determining a reasonable level of reduction.

For some dishes, the desired level of salt content has already been determined: by 2014, a hamburger in McDonald's restaurants will have to contain 1.2 g of salt. Now this figure is at the level of 1.38 g.

The US government recommends consuming 1.5 grams to 2.3 grams of sodium daily, the amount found in one teaspoon of salt. However, according to statistics, Americans today consume on average twice as much salt. Excess salt content leads to increased blood pressure, which in turn provokes heart disease.

Source: http://www.gzt.ru/topnews/world/281370.html

29/01/2012 13:15 Alexander

1.5 mg to 2.3 mg sodium, the amount contained in one teaspoon of salt.
-
Something is wrong with your knowledge of chemistry - this amount of sodium is contained in approximately 10 mg of salt (NaCl), and even on the tip of a teaspoon there will be >1g - and then how much will be in a teaspoon?

key2life-team

There was a typo in the above article; the numbers were apparently meant in grams. Correcting the quote.
Thank you for your attention!

10/03/2010 17:06 question

WHAT BLOOD SALTS ARE NOT IN THE BLOOD

key2life-team

This question is not about table salt at all. But we are kind - we will explain;)


None. Blood salts got their name not because they are contained in the blood (they are not there), but because in the past the starting material for their production was blood, as well as skin, horns, wool and other nitrogen-containing animal waste.


22/03/2010 20:49 vicky

Personally, I use salt in large quantities (for myself) when my blood pressure drops. When I don’t feel well, I sprinkle salt on black bread and eat it, my blood pressure returns to normal and the dizziness goes away. Otherwise, when I cook food, I add a small pinch of salt; in some dishes I don’t put salt at all, for example in porridge, because... I like the natural taste of the grain. If I lived alone, I could easily give up salt entirely

key2life-team

A very correct approach is to listen to your body. He knows absolutely exactly when and what he needs

06/07/2013 16:55 Alexander

Indians eat coca leaves every day and believe that it helps them.
Among many sources they write that the daily norm is N number of grams of salt, that salt is even in the plasma and is vital.
But I have a question for experts; I ask others not to write.
If we are talking about the norm, then this means conducting a study and drawing a certain average value. But why doesn’t anyone talk about the subjects being studied, whether they use salt in everyday life or not?
With the same success, you can take drug addicts who use morphine every day for a year, on the basis of which you can conclude that morphine or its derivatives is the norm for everyone.
This seems absurd to me.
I doubt the reliability of the studies cited. Give valid arguments to support your thesis - SALT IS VITAL FOR HUMAN LIFE.


14/05/2015 18:13 Vitaly

Listening to your feelings (“listen to your body”) and, on this basis, building your eating (and any other) behavior is correct if this living creature does NOT use “consciousness-displacing substances”... this also applies to unfortunate Indian drug addicts... It’s funny to hear some chemically dependent people when they say: “I want to smoke - that means my body needs it”...
It’s difficult to get a cat to eat greens on a regular basis, but a couple of times a year he can be caught eating a carefully searched (“sniffed”) blade of grass...
With that said, if I personally want a little salt, I'll eat it... and I want it every day.
Health and happiness.

18/04/2010 15:03 Vet

Explain why salt licks are hung on the cows that move freely on the farm; they willingly and regularly lick it. Nobody forces them to do this.

This is the most important rule. The body knows very well what food it needs right now. It’s enough to listen to him, eat what you want now and... don’t deceive yourself.


And we deceive ourselves by constantly distorting the taste of food. Not only do we fry, boil and bake it, but we also supply it with salt and a bunch of spices. To “become tastier”, to deceive the body even more.


Eat natural food with its natural taste. If you like raw meat, fish or live spider bugs - go ahead. If you want to lick salt or chalk, lick it. This means that the body needs all this. Or prefer ripe berries and fruits, vegetables and herbs, honey and nuts.


It never occurs to anyone to season a juicy peach with garlic. Do you know why? Peach is so delicious!


14/09/2011 18:15 Sergey

More salt means more milk. What did you think - farmers take care of you?! Only about income!!!

10/06/2010 14:27 Alexander

There is an opinion from Dr. Fereydoun Batmanghelidj
Salt is the most important ingredient in the body. Oxygen, water, salt and potassium are the main elements necessary for the normal functioning of the body. Pliny (c. 75 AD) called salt “the greatest medicine known to man.” And he was right. About 27 percent of salt is stored in the bones in the form of crystals. Salt crystals are said to be used for bone hardness. Therefore, salt deficiency can cause the development of osteoporosis. To maintain the proper level of salt in the blood, it is extracted from the bones.

Insufficient salt intake leads to increased acidity in some cells, which in turn destroys the DNA structure and is a trigger for the formation of cancer in cells. Experiments have proven that most cancer patients had extremely low salt levels in their bodies. In my next book, What You Should Know About Cancer and Depression, I will detail the critical role of salt and water in preventing cancer.

Let me repeat: if the body begins to accumulate salt, it means it is trying to retain water. From this "swelling" it can filter water and "channel" it through the cell membrane into the cells. The industrial process of purifying drinking water using the principle of reverse osmosis for consumption by those who do not have access to fresh water is based on the same principle. This is precisely what requires an increase in blood pressure to develop filtration power.

However, it is very important to remember this: if the amount of water consumed increases, but the amount of salt does not, then the body begins to lose salt. After a few days of drinking six to eight glasses of water a day, you should consider adding salt to your diet. If you experience muscle cramps at night, this indicates a salt deficiency. Spasms in untrained muscles most often mean salt deficiency. In addition, dizziness and fainting can be a sign of water and salt deficiency. In this case, it is necessary to increase the amount of vitamins and minerals, especially if you are on a weight loss diet or have a poor diet - including fruits and vegetables for their water-soluble vitamins and minerals.

I have developed a rule of thumb for daily salt intake. For ten glasses of water, you should consume half a teaspoon per day, i.e. 3 g (a regular teaspoon contains 6 g of salt). At the same time, you need to make sure that the kidneys are functioning efficiently. Otherwise the body will simply swell. If you feel your feet swelling, don't panic. Reduce the amount of salt and increase the amount of water for several days until the swelling goes away. It is also recommended to increase physical activity, since muscle activity helps move water into the bloodstream and some salt is lost in sweat and urine. Don't sit or stand in one position for too long."

key2life-team

Many people will say the same thing. And we are just trying to understand whether the importance of salt consumption is a myth.

01/12/2015 02:35 47

Why then did the Indians not faint and crumble without salt?

19/02/2016 20:40 Aliya

I eat salt all the time. Apparently I have a psychological addiction. I love the crunch of coarse salt on my teeth. Krt krt. Being a biologist myself, I can’t stop myself. My entire tongue has already corroded. But it calms the nerves. I drink a lot and, accordingly, walk a lot..... I don’t know what to do. I barely weaned myself from eating ice. And this is due to the fact that I am a nursing mother. My nerves were as much as they were without drugs. What a break, by God. And by the way, I’m losing weight before my eyes, apparently the salt is drying.))))

30/11/2018 03:36 Eugene

I recently read about the benefits of baking soda as a means of deoxidizing the body. And I successfully used the method for probably two months. In short, I drank two packs of soda during this time. So, I accidentally came across another such study (I won’t tell you who conducted it, but you’ll have to take my word for it or look for it yourself), and so, by deoxidizing the body, soda affects cells in such a way that they, on the contrary, become more susceptible to cancer formation. Of course, this was enough for me to stop the experiment. This is me, Alexander, to what you wrote, which I quote, “Insufficient salt intake leads to increased acidity in some cells, which, in turn, destroys the DNA structure and is a trigger for the formation of cancer in cells.” So here we still need to figure out what is actually worse, acidification or alkalization of the body and, in particular, the cells!!!

21/08/2010 09:02 zhek

There are no harmful products, their excess is harmful. Everyone has their own norm, we are all different and different from each other!

key2life-team

We agree with you

04/04/2013 10:39 Stanislav Getman

Pass!
“Everything is POISON and everything is MEDICINE! It is determined solely by the DOSE,” - Paracelsus
The article is bullshit!!!
By discarding the knowledge accumulated by humanity, one can only “dig one’s own grave”

13/12/2011 12:01 Vyacheslav

I read this nonsense about a product that was created by the earth itself, nature, the cosmos and is found in everything in the seas, oceans, earth and all living organisms. We will reduce salt consumption and increase consumption of monosodium glutamate and other “E”, which are mercilessly sprinkled into all food products. We will eat rich chemicals, dietary supplements, GMOs. Wonderful!!! An excellent perspective using the examples of McDonald's and Subway. Let's reduce salt intake by 0.2 mcg per day!!!

key2life-team

Why, if you reduce your salt intake, do you have to increase E? This is your conclusion)))

26/05/2015 19:34 seeker

And you re-read the article again!
(if you read it at all, of course)

17/03/2012 00:01 Andrey

all wild animals do without salt, and in winter they use snow instead of water, i.e. distillate and no one dies!

31/07/2012 20:27 Human

In fact, not all, many animals look for natural sources of minerals and lick rocks and natural salt outcrops on the surface of the earth in order to replenish their mineral reserves

key2life-team

Licking salt from time to time is not the same as constantly adding it to any food.

13/05/2012 18:45 Lena

Salt is very important and needed by the body. Water-salt exchange. Read Batmanghelidj, not Brag. For centuries, our ancestors ate salt and were healthy. A person should drink approximately 1.5-2 liters of fluid per day (depending on weight). For 2 liters of liquid you need at least 3-4 g of salt (half a teaspoon). You can’t overdo it with salt, but excluding it from your diet is unwise and dangerous.
And the Bible correctly says: “Salt is a good thing” and “You are the salt of the earth.”
It is important to drink a lot of water.
water + salt = guarantee of health

key2life-team

Lena, 3-4 g of salt along with water is too much, since you will also consume salt with food. For me, drinking salt water is tasteless and therefore unhealthy.
When quoting the Bible, please cite the Book and Chapter.

05/10/2017 11:21 koroed

Come on, the ancestors were healthy. Forty-year-olds were already considered elders.

13/05/2012 18:51 Lena

And it is best to use sea salt. Edible sea salt is sold in stores. It contains a huge amount of essential minerals. Our regular salt does not have this amount.

19/06/2012 09:21 Anatoly

Sea salt does not contain any useful minerals, since it is the same as table salt, only more “dirty”.

04/04/2013 10:51 Stanislav Getman

NEVER in the entire history of mankind has either sea water or sea salt been consumed by humans! Even by peoples who lived along the coasts of the world's oceans

To believe that millions of years of natural development and adaptation of man is a false path, excuse me, but, at a minimum, it is UNSMART

Salt takes an active part in ALL processes occurring in our body!
And with a fool, as you know, you can... break EVERYTHING

06/04/2018 10:36 Mikhail - 73 years old

Anatoly says that sea water contains the same table salt, only dirty. Where does the water(?) come from? It flows down from the mountains, “springs out” like springs from underground. Water comes into contact with layers of earth and rocks and therefore dissolves everything that is dissolved and all soluble salts are present in it, not just NACL.

key2life-team

Take this Kant, and for such evidence he would be sent to Solovki for three years! - Ivan Nikolaevich plumped completely unexpectedly.

Ivan! - Berlioz whispered, embarrassed.

But the proposal to send Kant to Solovki not only did not strike the foreigner, but even delighted him.

But,” the foreigner continued, not embarrassed by Berlioz’s amazement and turning to the poet, “it is impossible to send him to Solovki for the reason that he has been in places much more remote than Solovki for over a hundred years, and there is no way to extract him from there, trust me!


17/04/2013 09:23 Daria

Well, after a year, I’ve been without salt for three years, and my friend has been without salt for 26 years - they got rid of a bunch of ailments. I bake my own bread, we don’t eat meat or dairy, and we don’t eat canned food either.

10/07/2012 22:47 Polina Vospetaya.poet.

Salt should be limited to those with hypertension and kidney problems, but you can’t completely avoid it. It regulates blood pressure, without it it is low to the point of a feeling of fullness in the head, stuffy ears and exhaustion. Two pinches a day are enough, considering its content in bread, meat and other products. I am for sea salt.

02/12/2014 22:49 Lesya

Have you tried it without salt? I haven't eaten it for several years. I drink a lot of fluids, I’m a vegetarian, I’m switching to a raw food diet... I don’t add salt to my child either. Sometimes I still find salt in foods; I don’t use it on purpose. And it's great, you know

29/09/2012 16:47 Dmitar

I haven’t salted anything for twenty years. The guests are horrified by this, and they have to look somewhere in the corners of the kitchen cabinet for a yellowed pack of petrified salt.
For about fifteen years my family has been following this rule. No complaints, my wife feels much better and her weight has dropped. Alas, we cannot completely give up salt (or rather, calculate its amount according to medical recommendations). Bread, cheese, sometimes sausage, and in the summer we often eat in cafes... Still too much salt! Tell me, what is there to argue about? Now, if only everything was proven experimentally, on rabbits, monkeys, or something. Where can I find scientific developments?

key2life-team

Likewise)))

Thanks for your feedback!

22/06/2013 23:08 Svetlana

I feel better without salt. Bread and cookies are full of it

27/12/2012 22:01 Guzel

Salt may taste better than sugar. American researchers have proven using the example of ants that such life circumstances really exist.

A team of researchers from the University of California at Berkeley (UC Berkeley), the University of Oklahoma and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock studied the taste preferences of ants living at different distances from the ocean. It turned out that already at a distance of 60 miles (when converted to conventional units, this is a little less than a hundred kilometers), ants prefer salt to sugar. They like a 1% solution of common table salt (NaCl) more than a 10% solution of sucrose.

The research methodology is very simple. Traps with salt and sugar were installed near the habitats of colonies of ants living at different distances from the ocean. And then scientists simply counted the insects caught in different traps. The research was carried out in 17 places around the globe, from the yard of one of the researchers to the Amazon jungle: these include Peru, Panama, Costa Rica, and several US states.

Ants will always actively consume sugar - this is an important resource for maintaining life processes. But the fact that ants spend a significant part of their time extracting salt indicates that this is an equally important resource, which for some regions can be limiting for survival,” explained one of the researchers, Steve Yanoviak.

The authors of the work explain their results as follows. In areas close to sources of salt water, salt is transported mechanically: wind, water flows. The critical distance is about one hundred kilometers; sea salt no longer gets there using these methods. Carnivorous individuals (animals and insects) feel quite at ease: the necessary minerals are contained in tissues and organs. The thing is that the concentration of sodium ions in the blood is one to two orders of magnitude higher than the concentration of sodium ions in plants. But herbivores have to get creative. Surely everyone remembers the books by Vitaly Bianki, where it was said that a moose can be lured by pouring salt on a tree stump. The scientists’ conclusions are indirectly confirmed by the fact that colonies of carnivorous ants react less actively to salt.

In the range of 10-100 kilometers from the sea, “vegetarians” live quite comfortably: the salt concentration is sufficient, but not toxic.

According to scientists, the results of the study may be true for all insects and bacteria. And the role of NaCl’s influence on the development of ecosystems has not yet been well described. Of course, the authors emphasize, factors such as soil type, amount of precipitation and a number of others influence the habitat. However, the fact of restrictions on the development of populations due to the lack of the most primitive microelement has been shown for the first time.

key2life-team

Thanks for the information, but what is the practical point of this? Ants love a lot of things, dead caterpillars, for example.

22/01/2013 12:47 Guzel

In recent decades, the topic of the harmfulness of salt has been discussed, and only recently, apparently in response to this, voices began to be heard in defense of salt (Batmanghelidj! et al.).

Have you ever noticed that in hospitals almost everyone who gets there is given an intravenous infusion of hypertonic salt solution? Blood must be salty! This is the key to disinfecting the body and timely delivery of salt to the right areas (for example, the stomach for the production of HCl).

There are so many unnatural substances in modern nutrition that salt and water help reduce their concentration and remove them from the body. Without salt, potassium metabolism becomes more complicated, because K\Na regulate cellular/extracellular processes accordingly. Salt helps maintain appropriate pressure and prevents cells from “drying out.” Salt deposits - phosphates, urates, oxalates - are not NaCl.

The article makes it clear that living organisms react to the salt content in plants. And 100 km from the coast is a critical value, after which the salt content decreases. Carnivores eat herbivores (for example, ants eat dead caterpillars), but herbivores and vegetarians have a more difficult time - either consume a lot of grass (green) or consume additional salt. In the villages where I went as a child, I saw that all housewives give salt to all animals (not just cows for milk). We have chickens on our farm and they eat some salt. I added salt to the fish in the aquarium and they recovered. Salt is also added to some plants in the beds - then they become juicier, sweeter and healthier.

But salt and water intake should be correlated with each other. If you eat little in the heat or in the desert, then you can use less water (to maintain the balance of salt), and it is better to add a little salt. If you sweat a lot during training, it is clear that water and salt are being lost, which means this needs to be replenished.

All this applies to ordinary people. But there are vegetarians, there are low-calorie eaters /Shatalova/, and even prana-eaters...

So, the previous article was about the fact that everything is relative. That those living in certain conditions (on the coast and, I think, in areas of former marine sediments) are less dependent on salt. And they can afford to talk about the dangers of salt - I’ll add!

This is a wonderful article about the fact that there are invisible, unconscious, unaccounted factors, and the mind is not exhausted in attributing causes and effects where there is no connection!.. (Oh! Look, a UFO! And this is a front sight on the lens.)

Sodium (Na+) is an electrolyte found primarily in extracellular fluid and in smaller quantities inside cells. It is responsible for the functioning of nervous and muscle tissue, digestive enzymes, blood pressure, and water metabolism. Normal sodium values: 136-145 mmol/l.
- Chlorine (Cl-) is one of the main electrolytes, which is in the blood in an ionized state and plays an important role in maintaining water-electrolyte and acid-base balances in the body.

Normal chlorine values: 98-107 mmol/l.

Http://rusinfomed.ru/content/view/id-69/

31/12/2012 02:55 laseer

where did you get the idea that salt is deposited in blood vessels and bones? salt is sodium chlorine, it goes to the formation of hydrochloric acid in the stomach. and in the bones the oxalates that are formed in organism during gastrointestinal disease are debugged. when the acid of the stomach and the alkali of the 12th intestine mix. A neutralization reaction occurs with the release of gas and salts. Which are exactly what are being adjusted throughout the body. And the one who wrote this crazy article about the crap and bullshit in the human body is not dragging. And your bitterly beloved poll Breg ate herring every other day where there are plenty of salts in their natural form and drank mineral water where your sodium and chlorine as well as other eye salts


key2life-team

Interestingly, in the human body you “drag” much better than in Russian spelling? And where do these “facts” about Paul Bragg come from?

21/06/2015 22:05 Alexander

laseer I completely agree with you! Without salt and without acid in the stomach, the body suffers from gastritis, colitis, dysbacteriosis, diarrhea and much more... You need to take salt 40 minutes after eating and the pylorus will close and there will be no neutralization reaction and the diseases listed above will not happen either!

07/03/2013 08:11 Nikolai.

“Will you use sodium for seasoning, which turns into a caustic alkali in water? Or poisonous chlorine gas?” “Ridiculous question,” you say. “No sane person would do this.”

Sodium chlorine, that is, salt, is a different element with different properties than chlorine and sodium separately, and in my opinion it is inappropriate to compare it with sodium and chlorine in physical and chemical properties.

key2life-team

You're right, perhaps Bragg's metaphor is not entirely accurate.

31/03/2013 01:18 Daria

The statement about cows is so untrue that I cannot believe in the sobriety of a single statement from this article, since I know what I am talking about. Not only cows are given salt in agriculture. Salt is also given to horses, even though they do not produce milk. In order for cows to give more milk, today there are more effective ways like hormones (described in detail in Endgal’s book “Seeds of Destruction” than the lick that cows and horses lick when they don’t have enough salt. It can hang untouched for half a year, or maybe “ “licked” by half in a week. So this argument has nothing to do with reality at all, it would be better if you didn’t write something you have no idea about.

31/03/2013 01:24 Daria

And by the way, I will always prefer a 3-centimeter-high piece of meat, fried a millimeter on both sides, to fruits and nuts and eat it with salt and great pleasure, because it’s damn tasty and salt is the only natural antibiotic.

04/04/2013 11:06 Stanislav Getman

SCORE!
Daria, won’t a PIECE happen for me in this case?
I wouldn't refuse either

02/12/2014 22:54 Lesya

It’s damn tasty... And that’s why you need to torture and kill living beings: (People, come to your senses, this is completely unnecessary... The resources spent on meat production could save the world from hunger. But we believe in the myth and pay meat producers , we please our lower essence... Look, for example, at the film “Home” (about ecology).

08/08/2017 05:26 Ilya

Lesya, it was thanks to meat that a person was able to increase the amount of brain necessary to become what we are now, and you are trying to drag us from evolution to degradation)

02/04/2013 01:19 Mithrandir

I don’t eat salt, sugar, meat, fish, milk, fried or boiled eggs, I feel great

key2life-team

Mithrandir, thank you for your personal experience!

Thousands of raw vegans can confirm the same)))

04/04/2013 08:29 Nyusya

And what do you eat?

04/04/2013 11:02 Stanislav Getman

DO NOT INTERRUPT. your experiment!
This is important, first of all, for SCIENCE!
I have always been fascinated by people who are ready to sacrifice themselves for the sake of knowledge.
We are all with you in our thoughts

03/03/2015 12:23 Lyudmila

When you live at least 80 years and are healthy and of sound mind, then you will have the right to share your experience about proper nutrition, but for now you are simply conducting experiments on yourself for what is not clear, because science has already done everything before you. Look in history for evidence of your experience. Good luck.

04/04/2013 11:50 Stanislav Getman

Thanks EVERYONE!
First of all, I was pleased that there are actually not as many people subject to MASS PROPAGANDA as it seems

The article is another “stuff” by a nice organization called WHO, which today has already “built” both our medicine and our scientists!!!
The main IDEA of WHO is to separate the aborigines of the conquered countries from their historical TRADITIONS, to knock out from under people’s feet the very FOUNDATION of their health - FOLK TRADITIONS (and first of all FOOD traditions)!

From the moment we UNCONDITIONALLY began to adhere to the “recommendations” of this organization (lobbying exclusively for the interests of large pharmaceutical concerns and the world’s most expensive medical equipment manufacturers), in our country the indicators for ALL diseases jumped sharply, the average life expectancy decreased significantly, and “NEW” ones appeared. , previously unknown diseases in Russia, our young couples are increasingly unable to conceive or bear a child normally, bald sons look in bewilderment at their hairy fathers, etc.
This list of WHO “good deeds” can be continued indefinitely
Statistics from the Ministry of Health and Social Development are PUBLICLY AVAILABLE!

And further! Referring to “scientific developments” or some kind of “experience” of the USA is, at a minimum, FUNNY!

The Yankees are the SICKEST, most MANAGED and most POORLY EDUCATED nation (if, of course, the thieves and scoundrels who historically hid in America can even be called a “nation”) in the WORLD!
The United States has the highest percentage of overweight people with diabetes, cancer, heart and vascular diseases, etc.

In addition, the YANKS, more often than ALL other nations, KILL each other without any apparent reason
In the USA, 110-120 thousand people die annually from the use of FIREARMS alone!!! Those. There is essentially a CIVIL war going on in the country!
For comparison, in neighboring Canada, where almost any weapon is also sold FREE, the number of “firearms” does not exceed 40-50 cases per year!

"Tell me who your friend is, and I will tell you who you are"))
We're not friends with the right people, guys!

19/05/2013 23:40 Guzel

In fact, you can find a lot of alternative material on the Internet about P. Brega.

31/10/2014 04:32 ASL

But the idea of ​​WHO interested me.. This organization does interesting things! With the same AIDS.. They painted such a mess! That even a far from stupid person cannot fully understand what’s what, and what they eat it with.. At the same time, the WHO themselves don’t know what it is, they can’t even show where it is, what this pathogen looks like to this day!
Our children are poisoned in every possible way, as if it were necessary... We somehow didn’t need it and were much healthier and stronger for it. And now? It’s a pity that many parents of these same children don’t understand this and poison their children with their own hands... Ecology, you see, is not the same! First of all, your brains are wrong! Where they led, there they went! Herd! Sorry, I can’t call it any other way.

16/04/2013 07:14 Satmerus

Well, you give... Life came out of the sea, and what is the percentage of salt in sea water - this is the natural salt content in the body of all land animals, such an ancient norm cannot be adjusted...

19/05/2013 23:07 Guzel

This question is very well confirmed in the scientific literature, in particular, by Dr. Revici

06/07/2013 16:43 Alexander

“Life came out of the sea, and what is the percentage of salt in sea water is the natural salt content in the body.”
Apparently, just like you thought, the missing sailors were drinking sea water.

18/05/2013 11:28 glory

stop lying to everyone, I haven’t eaten salt for 20 years, I even boil my food through dead water, dividing it into parts, 6 cubes and a healthy heart and sleep, I sleep 6 hours, I can’t sleep well anymore. It’s beneficial for big companies for everyone to get sick and eat salt, this is poison for the guys.

19/05/2013 23:34 Guzel

Paradoxes with people who do not eat meat, salt, and many other examples indicate that man is the most adaptable creature on planet Earth. Man is the guarantor of the preservation of life, this is his purpose. This is how the Supreme One intended. This is also a guarantee -
fulfillment of its purpose - the preservation of man as a species.
Thanks to all the experimenters - through them we can understand this. But this is an experiment, and we do not know the long-term consequences; perhaps this is a change in humans as a species.
In scientific circles they talk about it cooler.

24/05/2013 16:35 Marina

A year ago I decided to reduce the amount of salt I consumed, my health has improved (I used to have slightly high blood pressure), but I can’t give it up completely... probably the body still needs it...

17/06/2013 20:17 Anka

The truth is somewhere in the middle. Really overweight people should reduce their salt intake. And thin, depending on how you feel

17/06/2013 20:17 Anka

I myself, with my weight of 80 kg and height 160, want to give up salt completely

05/07/2013 10:27 Yaroslav

Every person lives as he feels. Sometimes it happens that the desire to change something generates the mind, clouding the feelings. A person is given many reasons and he already believes that he lived wrong before.
And sometimes, it happens that a person has not lived correctly all his past years and has slowly become ill and is now looking for a way out.
For me the solution was salt. And the more salt I consumed, the healthier I became...
Why so, I think you already guessed.
Salt is Life... And man is part of it. Health is an indicator of Knowledge.
And illness is for the weak-minded!

02/08/2013 20:23 Vika

I haven’t added salt to my food for several months now. I have enough salt in my bread, vegetables, herbs, and meat. The swelling in my legs went away and I began to feel better.

03/09/2013 23:18 Tatyana

Regarding the Bible verse (Mark 9:50). “Salt is a good thing, but if the salt is not salty, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace among yourselves.” Based on the Bible, the ideal diet is described in Genesis 1:29 (fruits, vegetables, greens, raw nuts). I think the above verse rather compares man to salt, and its saltiness to the Word of God, the Holy Spirit and the Redeemer, faith and love, since without them man has no eternal life. The Lord Jesus Christ taught in figurative expressions and parables.

Personal experience has shown that you can live without additional salt. For years I did not add salt to food, nor did I eat foods containing “extra” salt (bread, etc.). The body received only organic minerals contained in vegetables, fruits, cereals, and herbs. Moreover, I am a vegan (strict vegetarian).

Three months ago I decided to conduct an experiment. She ate yeast bread and added salt to many foods. As a result, I acquired gastritis.

I removed yeast from my diet and it became easier. But not perfect. I think that salt continues its detrimental effect on the gastric mucosa (although its amount is minimal).

There were also unpleasant sensations in the kidneys.

I think I'll cut out the salt again.

Although I believe that in this body and in this world the ideal cannot be achieved. I think a plant-based diet with no extra salt is the best option. Nevertheless, I adhere to the principle: “Judge not, lest ye be judged.”


11/10/2013 08:30 Paul

A person without even a medical education gives advice about which he has no idea

24/12/2013 20:05 Rita

salt is like a drug

24/06/2014 21:31 Vegetarian

Read people's reviews about eating without salt - people are delighted, especially those who really lose weight easily.

29/06/2014 06:47 Alexander

Previously, my eyes hurt a lot. And I felt pressure in my head. This is at 20 years old!!! And all because I ate a lot of salt. But I didn't know that then. Now I hardly use it. And in general I did a lot of experiments on myself. For example, I haven’t eaten for 21 days. There was nothing, I didn’t even really want to eat. Only he was weak. And I lost more than 10 kg. And there were many vivid sensations. Became a vegan. Now I’ve decided to pump up, and exclusively on plant protein - peas, beans, lentils. I eat little, 40-50 grams of vegetable protein per day, and my arms become a little bit thicker every day. Maybe it would be even faster on an animal, but I’m not in a hurry, and I don’t feel like eating carrion. Oh. I've gone far off topic. Salt sometimes makes you want to eat a little. I eat a couple of times a week, 0.5-1 grams. What I usually eat has no salt at all - cereals, vegetables, fruits. Total 0-2 grams of salt per week. More often 0 than 2. I noticed something that if you eat a lot of salt, then it really becomes like a drug - the more you eat, the more you want. And it increases your appetite enormously. Well, personally, it’s like that for me. Without salt I don't want to eat much. And with salt, I basically can’t get enough of it. Even with a full stomach, it was as if he hadn’t fully eaten. By the way, any cereal that is not thermally treated - the same as peas - if you cook it, it largely loses its taste. So people salt their porridge. And sugar is added. If you soak it for a day and then eat it just like that, it won’t give you any taste and it will be easy in your stomach. And raw lentils taste even better - like cracking green peas.

key2life-team

Alexander, thank you for your direct and frank personal experience!

29/06/2014 07:02 Alexander

By the way - imagine yourself in the place of our ancestors - in skin and with a stone ax - how much salt would you eat? First of all, where would you get it? Of course, it exists in nature in a state close to pure, but you won’t see it at every step, will you? I doubt that ancient people used it often at all. First, the caveman must accidentally find its deposit. On foot. A hundred, if not five hundred, kilometers from the cave, depending on your luck, maybe it will settle in a salt cave. Secondly, accidentally guess to pick up this stone or dust and try without fear of getting poisoned. And thirdly, it’s not a fact that you’ll like the taste. If our ancestors hardly ate it, then we don’t really need it.

04/05/2015 09:56 Dima Estonian

Eh Alexander - you’re not talking about the “cave people” - look at the more modern ones. I noticed HOW today - judging by themselves, people distort and JUDGE everything in their own way as it seems to them and as they see it.
Proverbs, sayings and expressions about salt. People say - look how our ancestors knew how important salt was! But they don’t understand that their ancestors DID NOT HAVE IT AT ALL! An incredibly expensive condiment, a treat, a sign of wealth. Probably used as often as 5,000 ruble bills by ordinary people today. The high cost and inaccessibility of salt is perfectly described in History and runs through all these proverbs. Those. several generations over a century or more have grown up with virtually no salt at all. Both cucumbers and cabbage were fermented without it. and alive and well, stronger and healthier than those who today are trying their best to comply with the official healthy lifestyle.

30/11/2018 05:54 Eugene

Yes Sasha, yes. So you should add that they lived until they were 14 years old, and at 21 they were considered very old!! Who could no longer walk, or hunt, or get anything, and if they pitied him, since he was strong in his youth and did a lot for the tribe, they fed him to death. A couple of days)) At about 10-11 years old, he was a seasoned warrior, a breadwinner, a protector of the family, a mature man. Are there any other connections here? But they didn’t eat salt, and there were raw foodists, and vegans and fruit-eaters, and if you were very lucky, then both meat-eaters and sugar-eaters could not be found for months, or caught, or it was not the season. Go out into the forest with your friends, take sticks, you can take iron axes as a bonus (because you can’t make stone ones in life). How many wild boars, bears or moose will you meet there in a month? I think none!!! But if you are unlucky and you still accidentally stumble upon that moose, and God forbid he guesses your intention)), then I think he will bump into you such that even ten of you there will end up in intensive care after such a meeting, at least you will be impressed sea, for those who survive. I'm not talking about a wild boar or, God forbid, a bear. And you ran and hunted for me. I think the main food of ancient people was either, most often - nothing at all)) or roots, leaves, twigs, if you were lucky, berries, mushrooms, or some half-dead rat, by chance, once every six months.. so that’s what the grandmother said in two. How to eat right.

27/09/2014 14:00 Juno

We are arguing about salt, but what’s interesting is that no one mentioned that salt today is far from sodium chlorine, or rather, not only it, but also a lot of improvers and anti-caking agents. I very much doubt that our ancestors cracked table salt. Seafood enters the body with seafood. And nothing, all of Japan lives on seafood, and is healthier than our compatriots. So there is no need to say about sea salt that it is poison. Don't overeat it and everything will be fine.

11/10/2014 12:12 Cooler

You all have an excess of salt in your brain, you stupid salty monkeys.

“Everything is POISON and everything is MEDICINE! It is determined solely by the DOSE,” - Paracelsus
Who is this written for? Don't eat too much salt, that's what the article is about, not don't eat at all.

06/12/2016 14:40 Margarita

Listen, cooler)))
Although it’s not appropriate to talk to the device, your rudeness (monkeys are solelizers) forced me to go down to the level of your moldy basement and answer.
You are stupid, which is not surprising, given your nickname)) Continue to limit yourself in salt, food, meat, etc., but you are unlikely to live long and happily with your attitude towards people who have an opinion (and the grounds for this opinion) , different from yours)))


31/10/2014 03:59 ASL

Oh! I read so much nonsense in the article.... Especially about cows and milk) If the cattle are not given salt, then they will look for it everywhere - lick stones, the ground, even scour in search of bones.... And they will gnaw these bones like a dog! And she won’t calm down until you give her salt. This means that the same cow needs it, since the body requires it so much. But the farmer and his greed have nothing to do with it!!!
And the Americans)))))), who get fat from salt))))) aren’t it funny to write this themselves? It's NOT SALT that they're offended by! It's McDonald's, chips and cola, we got drunk!
I believe that moderation is needed everywhere! An excess of anything, even salt, can lead to tragedy. Often a person does not know the limits, that’s his problem. And salt, it is needed.. It’s not just that, in fact, every living creature on earth looks for salt and eats it... If I’m wrong, then nature has made such a global mistake, it turns out.. Yes, this cannot be!


07/12/2014 15:19 Evgeniy is the smartest

without salt you'll die I bet you anything

30/01/2015 20:21 past

when gout teaches, then let's talk about eating salt

06/12/2016 14:45 Margarita

Past, what should I take from you?))))

16/02/2015 10:47 Michael

There is a wonderful organ in the human body and it is called the kidney. There is a science of physiology. Which says the kidneys can excrete up to 42 grams of salt with every liter of urine. In general, it doesn’t matter how much salt a person eats, the main thing is how much is in the blood. Salt is the main osmotic component of the blood, and potassium is intracellular. Both elements must balance both environments. A lack of salt in the diet can create preconditions for the loss of intracellular potassium. Which will lead to dehydration and loss of mineral balance. Potassium and salt are not only passive elements, they take an active part in metabolic processes.
Like any animals, salt... human ancestors didn’t learn about it yesterday. Life itself originated in the salty water of the world's oceans. That’s why the blood is salty, like a “rudiment” of the former “salty” life.
Medicine treats salt exclusively as a symptomatic remedy. Salt does not retain water in the body, it allows you to have a larger supply of water... Since the body does not need fresh liquid. Up to water poisoning - there is such a concept. Restricting salt reduces the body's water supply, as well as blood volume. Thereby reducing the quality of blood circulation... But the blood pressure becomes lower. Something like bloodletting from the past. Although the cause of high blood pressure lies in a completely different plane. What you need to remove from your diet is not salt, but an excess amount of refined foods from a series of simple and fast carbohydrates, which are harmful from the very beginning. Low in nutrients and prone to high blood sugar. Which stimulates increased losses of vital nutrients and causes an inflammatory factor. But this is where all the troubles begin.
For a couple of million years, beginning with his distant ancestors, man has been cooking while sitting around a fire. And salt was his eternal companion. We are not horses, so we can easily find and make the necessary supply of salt to go to the salt marshes... so as not to slurp on salt. So study the consequences of magnesium deficiency (!) in the body - this is the basis of the inflammatory factor, as a consequence of oxidative stress and metabolic syndrome, etc. etc. But they are silent about this.

key2life-team

Mikhail, thank you for your detailed review and recommendations!

We fully support the idea of ​​reducing refined foods and sugar in the diet. We are against completely abstaining from salt, but we are also against thoughtlessly waving a salt shaker over your food.

There is little doubt about removing 42 grams of salt from the body at once. There is a story about port longshoremen who tricked their newbies on a bet - they say that the new weakling won’t eat just one stack (30 grams) of edible food. Those who succumbed to the bet were offered a stack of salt, and either the person lost the bet or died after taking 30 g of salt at a time. Or maybe this is another myth...)))

08/08/2015 09:47 Anti-scientific crap

08/08/2015 09:59 Anti-scientific crap

I apologize, correction - in hospitals, 0.9% isotonic solution of sodium chloride (sterile solution of table salt) is dripped into the blood. And 10% hypertonic solution is used mainly locally, on tissue.

05/09/2015 13:29 Freethinking Anarchist

A person cannot live without salt, because... metabolic processes in the body require a saline solution, but the food that a person eats already contains salt, that is, it does not have to be eaten separately. But if it is not consumed at all, either separately or with food, then metabolic processes in the body will not be able to occur, and the person will die, but this is not a quick process, but a gradual one.

25/09/2015 15:42 Tatiana

Blood pressure dropped from 140/90 to 120/80, headaches disappeared, energy appeared, goodbye to gout, mood improved, weight dropped by 5 kg, thirst disappeared, appetite decreased, chest pain disappeared, enlarged joints on the fingers are reduced and do not hurt, my doctor is completely at a loss. All this happened within a month and a half. I gave up: salt, sugar, bread, dairy products. I eat unlimited quantities of vegetables, fruits, meat (I want less and less), spices, water as desired, collect herbs, make herbal teas, eat by the handful nuts, seeds, mostly raw. Rice, potatoes every other day. Chew everything thoroughly. What’s difficult? I plan to continue depending on how I feel, under the supervision of a doctor, of course. Join us
With God blessing!

key2life-team

Tatyana, thank you for sharing your personal experience!
Please be sure to let us know about further results.

13/10/2015 02:27 Garik

Salt is evil, everything is correct. The truth is always extreme, there is nothing a little bit. Like, for example, a little salt, or how they spoiled the nation with “cultural drinking,” taste a little poison =) Either for or against salt. And everyone stands in the middle, I think that no one will deceive them or move them. Whoever stands in the middle is automatically behind or heading there. You don’t understand because this is not your level. It’s not easy, but whoever seeks will find.

23/02/2016 01:30 Diana

I don’t know, of course, who to believe here, I came here to read about salt, is it harmful, as many people say, or what? I just eat a lot of salt, even separately with food, even with butter and sour cream with anything, this is not a habit, it’s something I inherited from childhood, I don’t understand why it makes me gain weight, I’m 23 and weigh 49-50, I’d be glad to gain 5 - 6 kg😊or I didn’t understand something, but to be honest, my right kidney sometimes hurts and my legs hurt, maybe from taking more salt, I would like to know what to do to avoid eating so much of it?

07/05/2016 13:58 dotabase

For a long time I completely refused salt in any quantity. Now the production of gastric juice and its acidity have dropped, food is digested worse than ever.

17/05/2016 11:18 Valentina

07/07/2016 20:33 Looking for

It is not entirely clear: those who write that they live well without salt, whether they use it in prepared foods (cheese, bread, etc.). My cholesterol is more than 7, hypercholesterolemia (LDL-5.6), I follow a diet. (During times without diet, cholesterol was only 0.2 mmol/l higher). Statins are not prescribed because they will cause even more weakness. I eat and cook only raw foods - vegetables, fruits, cereals, dairy, eggs, and rarely fish and meat. I eat about 1 gram of salt per day. The weakness is terrible, muscle spasms at night, as if it’s breaking, often dizziness and confusion, so that you have to sit down or grab something to avoid falling. Depression. No appetite at all. Examined from all sides, incl. endocrinologist.
Doctors diagnosed me with nutritional dystrophy (BMI = 14.01), but they say that I still need a diet. I don’t know what to do.

17/07/2016 20:12 Nick

Aqueous solution Sodium chloride is an electrolyte. Sodium, potassium and phosphorus ions are involved in creating osmatic pressure in cells and transporting nutrients. Without electrolytes, the brain loses connection with the muscles. Therefore, salt is needed, but in certain quantities!

18/08/2016 07:39 Elsa

But what about the “bread and salt” with which our ancestors greeted their dear guests? No one advocated the use of salt for them; on the contrary, this product was valuable.

15/09/2016 08:05 Denis

Salt is part of our blood so that salt is necessary for the body. Just don’t overuse it to the point of swelling. Everything needs to be in moderation.

20/09/2016 22:39 Misha

I don’t care what they write, I eat about 2 kg of salt a year. I like to add a lot of salt to everything. no way without salt. and whoever wants, let him eat without salt.

23/11/2016 09:41 Vadim

I support the author of this document....I myself have been doing this for a very long time - since I was 14 years old... and I come to the conclusion that salt simply slows down metabolic processes.... or, more simply put, it leads to banal aging..... .Gentlemen, the argument is generally inappropriate ---- if someone becomes strong like Hercules thanks to salt (and beautiful like Apollo:-).....) I am very happy.... this means that he has such an organism.... .and if like my friend - he had high blood pressure for many years, it reached the point of a stroke, he was dependent on pills.... and --- he really likes everything salty ---- excuse me.....

06/12/2016 15:09 Margarita

Fatty people should give up salt, and a lot of other things in general. The normal thing is not to overuse salt or anything else. And for the skinny, salt will help with digestion. And salt is not just sodium. Indian black (pink) salt has a healing effect, contains a rich range of minerals in addition to sodium, replenishing the deficiency in the body. I tested it myself - my elbow and finger on my right hand hurt for six months, drinking a solution of black salt (one-third of a teaspoon per glass of water in the morning) solved the problem in a week. And by the way, salt water tastes very good, it cleanses the body and balances electrolytes.

06/12/2016 21:09 Svetlana

I haven’t salted it for many years - nothing bad has happened. And now for 2 months I’ve decided to take it with water according to Fereydun. I’m 71 years old, so far I’m very happy, especially the cramps have gone away, etc. I’ll say everyone has their own choice And our doctors protect diseases and not health As they say * Diet -is the persistence of diseases until death *What I have observed all my life

25/01/2017 09:30 Irina

Author, excuse me, you are not very literate. Beware of writing such stupid articles. From salt, hydrochloric acid of the stomach is formed. Only 10% of gastric juice is spent on digesting food, the remaining 90% is intended for the disposal of dead cells of the body. It is highly recommended to even just suck on a piece of salt after eating for various reasons. Without chlorine, the human nervous system cannot function normally. What can I say, at least read the opinions of scientists and academicians. Bolotov, for example, will generally surprise you very much. It’s just necessary to salt the body...
Salt kills pathogenic organisms and activates rejuvenating cells. It is hardly possible to describe here the enormous importance of salt that it has


06/03/2017 05:55 Ivan

18/06/2017 13:23 Kate

I haven’t eaten salt for 2 years (bread, cheese and everything in which it is deliberately added was also excluded, for diet reasons), now I’m swelling from everything. Water-salt balance should not be ignored.

02/08/2017 22:01 Michael

This is because you started eating foods with salt again, why did you lose it again? If you ate what God gave without any additives, this would not have happened. So it's your own fault. I haven’t seen a single swollen person who hasn’t eaten salt for more than 3 years in a row, for some reason everything is fine with them, they don’t eat junk store food like fools among the people

02/08/2017 21:57 Michael

I will become better than this Paul Bragg and give up salt completely. I already refused and everything is fine. For some reason I don’t see any ailments in myself, I’m not dying, I already realized that society has simply brainwashed people. I don’t eat a single gram of salt a day; now I ate buckwheat without salt!
I'll create my own blog and bypass this Bragg field to hell

27/10/2017 16:25 Andrey

I’m 39 and have never limited myself in salt! As a result, I have been suffering with joints for 5 years, and now osteoporosis has been discovered!

25/12/2017 20:42 Konstantin

If you want to give up salt, but are afraid that your body will not have enough of it, then add salt correctly. How will be correct? Add enough salt so that its taste is not felt in the food. This is a safe dose. Over time, perhaps you will stop salting altogether, simply because you will forget to do it. And if you add salt, do not use “Extra” salt. Salt food with high-quality, unrefined salt. For example, I use Himalayan pink salt. Good health to everyone!

26/01/2018 17:32 Natalia

Konstantin. Why then add salt at all if you don’t notice it in your food? In this case, you can easily do without salt...

27/05/2018 13:07 Fristaylo

In the human brain there is an important and very old part of the brain: the pineal gland. It produces melatonin and dopamine. Esotericists consider it the third eye; the Egyptians called it the eye of Horus. This is the third eye of a person, responsible for superpowers, regeneration of the body. Because of the salt, it begins to calcify and we lose the body’s ability to recover. Regarding meat: the human intestines take a very long time to digest meat, it rots in the intestines with the formation of gases, toxins and wastes that poison the body for years, and people cannot understand the cause of diseases, and doctors treat only symptoms. The transition to a raw food diet and minimally thermally processed food is the only correct path, difficult but effective.

21/07/2018 20:55 Denis

Please study basic anatomy before writing nonsense.

09/08/2018 19:24 Lana

Fristalo Thank you, very interesting! We agree with you, meat eaters have a lot of aggression - judging by the rude comments


key2life-team

21/07/2018 20:54 Denis

I haven't eaten salt for several months due to pancreatic problems on doctor's advice. I can guarantee this because I prepared everything myself and didn’t add a single gram. I began to lose weight very quickly, my muscle mass fell, weakness appeared, my blood pressure dropped to 87/53 (at the same time, I was hypertensive before). In short, very serious problems began. Don't believe people who tell you not to eat salt, they are lying. 1500-2000 mg is the required amount.
P.S. dies slowly and painfully, not quickly.

key2life-team

Denis, thank you for your personal experience!

It would be interesting to know what you ate during that period, were you allowed to eat fresh fruits and vegetables or was there a strict diet?

27/08/2018 13:14 Tanya

I have been looking towards a salt-free diet for a long time, and I finally got around to it and stopped adding salt, I don’t eat anything from any store packages that might contain salt, I also don’t eat milk, bread or anything that contains white flour, palm, and only cod fish from meat. , I don’t salt mackerel and salmon; you can sprinkle the fish with lemon juice and eat it with vegetables. I observe only positive aspects, satiety is felt for a long time, there is no thirst, the swelling has gone away, the face has become more beautiful (and from salt, as if from a week’s binge), cellulite disappears, the heart beats evenly, you can’t even hear it with a salt diet, but it was constantly beating incomprehensibly, in general, no there is no irritation inside, calmness comes, there is no wild appetite. Salt and sugar are what we have been hooked on since childhood so that people can buy blood pressure pills and insulin, this is a whole business. I highly recommend a salt-free diet to anyone with health problems. This is just a fairy tale and paradise compared to salt, now I have tested it on myself and I can definitely say that this is a drug that there is no other word for. And whoever hasn’t tried to live without salt for at least a month, you don’t know the difference and you can’t say anything until you try, so when you’re on one side and the other side of the barricades, then speak up.

key2life-team

Tatyana, thank you for your valuable personal experience!

28/09/2018 17:52 Gluck

I haven’t eaten salt for three months now. It’s not like “I don’t eat salt, but I like sausage,” but I don’t eat it at all, not even an ounce. I don’t buy anything ready-made in stores - only cereals, vegetables, spices (I make sure to read that they don’t contain salt), and herbs. I don’t eat anything when visiting, I cook everything myself. I don't consume animal products. At the same time, I have been drinking distillate for more than six months. That is, at least some doses of sodium chloride are excluded - everything is fine with me.

12/10/2018 17:18 Alexei

Dedicated to all salt defenders... there once was Lykov and his family; he lived in the taiga for 57 years without salt, when they were accidentally discovered by geologists from a helicopter. They came to them and brought salt with them, they asked Lykov what was missing most of all, and he, like an old drug addict, said: - SALT. The geologists left the salt. By the way, he and his family looked 10-15 years younger than their age, a year later Lykov died, and then almost everyone died in a short time. time interval. If you know analytics, you will draw the appropriate conclusions.

23/03/2019 10:02 Anna

A month completely without salt. I haven’t consumed animal products for a long time. I feel great. Finally, I see a normal face in the mirror in the morning, without swelling. The condition of the skin and joints has improved. There is no weakness. There was a very pleasant lightness. My diet has become more varied, I eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. The taste of food brings a completely new sensation. You begin to taste the "natural saltiness" of some foods, such as tomatoes, celery or legumes, and no salt is needed. Withdrawal was the first week, I withstood it, which I don’t regret at all!

Salt is an important element in our daily life. However, in order for it to be exclusively beneficial, it is necessary to think in time about the quantities that each of us consumes in food.

Salt is the most controversial product, a food additive, around which there is always a lot of controversy. Some people believe that salt is useful and that it is necessary, while others argue that salt is dangerous for the human body, and therefore call it “white death.” But is this really so? Does the human body need salt? And is it possible to die from its excess? Scientists and doctors around the world think about these and other questions every day.

Numerous studies have shown that the salt that we eat every day is, one way or another, necessary for the human body. There are benefits from it, and considerable ones. Since it is salt that takes part in many processes, for example, in the production of gastric juice or the contraction of muscle fibers. A deficiency of this substance leads to nervous disorders and diseases of the cardiovascular system.

Benefits of the substance

Scientists have proven that the constituent components of salt (Na and Cl) are necessary elements, thanks to which all human organs and systems are able to function normally, but their deficiency can lead to malfunctions of the body.

With the help of sodium, the fluid balance in the body is distributed and regulated, the required pH level is maintained, muscles and nerve endings relax and contract. Thanks to this substance, oxygen enters organs and tissues. In addition, it is able to retain some minerals while being in soluble form in the blood, thereby preventing the process of blood clots.

Daily salt requirement

We all know very well that everything is good in moderation. Why then do we use so much salt? The answer to this question is simple. This is most likely due to the fact that few people know how much salt can be consumed per day. But it can be beneficial in limited quantities! In order for salt to have an effective effect in the human body, it is allowed to consume approximately 2 grams per day.

A pinch of salt contains approximately 300 mg, while 1 teaspoon contains slightly more than 2 grams.

This is the quantity in which its benefits will be felt. But, unfortunately, in everyday life this is not at all the case. Very few people adhere to a “salt-free diet”, consuming it in the required quantities. Typically, people consume 6 to 10 grams daily. salt, and sometimes more. After all, we all use it not only for cooking. This mineral is included in many ready-made products that we constantly buy in the store.

Those who are interested in the question: “Why do we need salt, and what are its benefits?” should be reminded that its lack often leads to:

• to the development of a depressive state;
• malfunctions of the digestive system;
• the occurrence of cardiovascular pathologies;
• disruption of nerve cell activity;
• decreased synthesis of the hormone insulin;
• as well as muscle spasms.

Therefore, it is not recommended to completely exclude salty foods from your diet.

Too much salt

Many people have absolutely no idea what happens to their body if salt constantly accumulates. Can excessive use of it lead to death? In general, this fact has not been revealed in practice, but purely theoretically it is possible. It all depends on how much you weigh. After all, exactly 3 grams of salt per 1 kilogram of weight is considered a lethal dose for humans!

You shouldn’t be afraid of this, since no one has ever managed to eat such a quantity of this substance at one time, but it’s worth thinking about the consequences that may arise afterwards.

Excessive consumption of sodium chlorine can lead to active removal of potassium from the body. As a result, the incoming fluid begins to accumulate, which leads to the appearance of edema. In addition, lovers of highly salted foods are most susceptible to an increase or sharp decrease in blood pressure. This is why doctors often say that salt abuse leads to the development of hypertension, as well as such dangerous diseases as myocardial infarction and stroke.

Important! Table salt is useful if you use it a little, however, if a person exceeds the recommended dose, the load on his heart, liver and kidneys will immediately increase. This may cause severe headaches.

Research by scientists has shown that people who lead a preferably sedentary lifestyle consume highly salted foods more often than others. This gradually leads to a decrease in concentration, however, if a person then begins to engage in an active lifestyle again, his brain function will be restored again.

Digestive system

Excessive salt consumption leads to the development of gastritis and stomach ulcers, due to the fact that this substance can actively irritate the gastric mucosa.

Cataracts due to salt abuse

Research by Australian scientists has shown that excessive consumption of salty foods leads to cataracts. This is a disease that is characterized by clouding of the eye crystal. Approximately 3 thousand people took part in the study. In addition, salt can increase blood pressure, which puts additional strain on the eyes.

Circulatory system

Excess salt intake always increases the body's fluid intake. As a result, this may increase the load on the cardiovascular system, which will ultimately lead to the formation of fat, edema, and the development of atherosclerosis.

Naturally, the human body is able to independently deal with excess salt by excreting it through urine and sweat. But this is not always enough. As a result, salt is deposited on the walls of the vessels, which makes them quite fragile.

Nervous system

As mentioned above, excessive salt consumption is the main cause of atherosclerosis. With this disease there is a high risk of stroke. If the pathology is not detected in time, this will lead to necrosis of body tissues and human death.

Weight loss

Anyone who wants to lose weight must follow a “salt-free diet” in which the daily dose of salt should not exceed the recommended one. Why? The thing is that salt is a natural appetite stimulant.

Joints

This substance can gradually be deposited in the joints. Therefore, diseases caused by excess salt do not appear immediately. Over time, you can observe a decrease in joint flexibility and pain, which more often occurs when the weather changes. With age, the situation worsens significantly.

Healthy salt

Today, every person has the opportunity to purchase any type of salt.

1. Rock salt, which is a natural product. It is obtained naturally.
2. Table salt is the name given to processed, purified and bleached crystalline rock salt.
3. Extra – this type of salt is the purest. It contains only sodium chlorine, without any useful trace elements. This salt is the least useful.
4. Iodized is the name given to regular table salt to which iodine-containing salt is added.
5. Sea salt is the healthiest salt of all. Its benefits appear in almost everything. It is needed not only for cooking, but also for taking baths, since it contains a huge amount of useful microelements.

If some people still cannot determine why we need salt and what its benefits are, just try eliminating it from your diet for a while.

Salt is the oldest natural mineral and one of the most popular natural minerals on Earth. However, in recent decades, serious scientific debate has flared up around this mineral. Some put salt on a pedestal, others equate it with a murderer, calling it “white death.” Where is the truth? How to figure out whether salt heals us or cripples us? Let's weigh the pros and cons and try to put an end to this difficult debate.

A little history

Even in ancient times, humanity learned about the extraordinary property of salt to change the taste of food. As a result, salt began to be evaporated and frozen out of sea water, and a little later, humanity learned about rock salt, which they began to extract from underground.

Very quickly, salt became incredibly popular. In the Middle Ages, this mineral began to be worth its weight in gold, and it was not for nothing that countries started real wars for the right to own salt deposits! In high society, salt was served to the table in special salt shakers inlaid with precious stones. And common people could not imagine their life without salt, just remember the Salt Riot in 1648 in Russia. In every house, guests were greeted with bread and salt; this product was stocked up for the winter; salt was present in many fairy tales and legends. And even the well-known expression “salt of the Earth”, about people who are of particular value to all humanity, says a lot about the importance of the mineral itself for all of us.

So, has humanity really deified a mineral so harmful to our body for many centuries?

The benefits of salt for the body

Initially, we will say that without salt a person simply could not exist! Salt is the main supplier of such essential elements for the proper functioning of the body as sodium and chlorine. A third of sodium is contained in human bones, the remaining amount predominates in nerve and muscle tissues, in extracellular fluids (including the brain), and independent production of sodium by the body is impossible. Sodium is necessary for interstitial and intracellular metabolism, activation of digestive enzymes, regulation of acid-base balance, and fluid accumulation in the human body. Sodium can be obtained from beets, carrots and other plant foods. In turn, chlorine contained in human tissues is indispensable in the regulation of water metabolism and osmotic pressure, in the formation of hydrochloric acid in gastric juice. Chlorine is found in foods such as meat, milk, and bread.

With a lack of sodium chloride (less than 0.5 g per day), a person experiences loss of taste and lack of appetite, nausea and flatulence, stomach cramps and increased fatigue, decreased blood pressure, frequent dizziness, weakness (even muscle cramps), memory loss and weakened immunity, problems with skin, hair and nails.

These facts alone are enough not to completely exclude salt from your diet. Another thing is the excess consumption of this mineral and the quality of the salt that ends up on our table.

Harm of salt to the body

It should be noted here that salt enters our body not only in the form of a separate product. It is found in almost any food we eat every day, from bread to fruit. But there is especially a lot of salt in canned foods (pickled cucumbers, sauerkraut, salted herring). What can we say about sausages, sausages and other semi-finished products, as well as salted nuts, chips, crackers and other harmful products.

If you abuse such food, and also add salt to food, its excess in the body will result in the development of edema, problems with the kidneys (due to their overload), high blood pressure (in hypertensive patients), as well as high intracranial and ocular pressure ( in people suffering from glaucoma). Constant thirst, sweating, increased nervous excitability and frequent urge to urinate also indicate excess sodium in the body.

The development of hypertension is indicated by the desire to salt food, constant taste sensations that the food is not salted enough - such a symptom is worth paying attention to. Excess salt in food whets your appetite (salt is a taste enhancer), and besides, after such a meal you want to drink a lot. That is, excess weight and swelling are guaranteed.

Salt can, if consumed in slight excess, increase the load on the heart muscle, liver, kidneys, and provoke a severe headache. Medical studies have shown that people exposed to excessive salt intake lead a predominantly sedentary lifestyle. Cognitive functions gradually deteriorate, and concentration is significantly reduced. When switching to a more active lifestyle, brain functions are restored.

How much salt does a person need

It becomes clear that salt must be consumed in limited quantities. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends eating no more than 2-3 g of this product (less than 1 tsp) per day. But according to statistics, a modern person eats 12–13 g of salt per day! Such high salt intake is harmful to anyone, but is especially dangerous for people with obesity, hypertension, gout, kidney disease, as well as menopausal and postmenopausal women.

Which salt should you choose?

1. Table salt “Extra”
In 99 cases out of 100, table salt is present on our tables. In fact, this is a refined product that has an absolutely white color and even small crystals. As a result of thermal and chemical treatment, such salt loses its original properties, because of the useful minerals only sodium and chlorine remain in it. In addition, to make the salt crumbly, anti-caking agents are added to this product, which are also harmful. Salt of the first and second grade contains more microelements, and therefore it is more beneficial for the body.

2. Sea salt
This salt is extremely beneficial for the body, as it is extracted by evaporation from sea water, due to which all valuable minerals remain in the finished product, including potassium, calcium, bromine, magnesium, iodine (more than 50 trace elements in total).

3. Rock salt
In fact, it is the same sea salt, deposits of which were formed in the place of dried up ancient seas. This salt has a smell that not everyone likes, but its taste is milder than table salt and is ideal for preparing first and second courses.

4. Iodized salt
This is ordinary table salt, to which manufacturers add potassium iodide. This product is recommended for people with insufficient production of thyroid hormones (hypothyroidism), but this salt is contraindicated for people with hyperthyroidism. In addition, it has a limited shelf life and is not suitable for pickling and pickling vegetables.

5. Pink Himalayan salt
This is a unique product that is mined in Pakistan, at the foot of the Himalayas. Himalayan rock salt has a pink color and a pleasant aroma. But more importantly, it contains 84 microelements that support the health of the body. True, the price of such salt is quite high.

Treatment with table salt

Now let’s talk in detail about how salt helps fight certain painful conditions.

1. Toxicosis and severe vomiting
Dissolve 1 tsp. ordinary table salt in a liter of warm boiled water and take 1 tbsp. at short intervals.

2. Severe diarrhea
Dilute two teaspoons of salt in a liter of boiled water and drink this solution to replenish fluid loss by the body and prevent dehydration. You should drink in small sips over a short period of time.

3. Food poisoning
Taking 2 tbsp. of the product in question, dilute them in a liter of warm boiled water and drink 2-3 glasses of this product. After the second glass, you will feel a strong urge to vomit and can easily get rid of the contents of your stomach, and therefore of toxins.

4. Tonsillitis, colds and sore throat
After diluting 1 tsp. salt in a glass of warm water, gargle with this solution at least 6 times a day. It is also recommended to add 2 drops of iodine to the liquid.

5. Dry scalp eczema
Take a handful of salt and rub it into the affected areas of the scalp without pressing for 10-15 minutes. Rinse off any remaining salt with warm water. Carry out such procedures twice a week for a month and this problem will no longer bother you. During the treatment period, refrain from washing your hair with shampoo, styling and using a hairdryer.

6. Fungal infection of the feet
Just dissolve 1 tbsp in a glass of water. salt and wash your feet with this solution every night.

7. Nail fungus (onychomycosis)
Dilute the salt as described in the previous recipe, then soak a piece of gauze in this liquid and apply it to the affected nail, holding it until the gauze dries.

8. Suppuration of the finger at the nail
Dissolve two tablespoons of table salt in a glass of boiling water. Dip the sore finger into the hot solution and hold for 20 minutes. Repeat the procedures every day until complete recovery.

9. Cold runny nose
Heat the salt in a frying pan for a few minutes, then fill a cotton bag with a handful of the salt and apply it while hot to the sides of your nose. By the way, it is useful to apply hot salt in a bag to the soles of your feet.

10. Excess weight
Fill the bathtub halfway with water. Dilute 0.5 kg of table salt in it and gradually fill the bath to the optimal level. The water temperature should be around 25–30°C. Carry out water procedures for 15 minutes an hour before bedtime 2-3 times a week. The full course of therapy will be 8–12 procedures.

11. Treatment of hemorrhoids
Hot baths can help treat hemorrhoids and relieve pain. They should be done for 3 days in a row before going to bed. To prepare the bath you will need 3 liters of water, to which 0.5 kg of table salt has been added. Boil the solution, cool to a temperature that can be tolerated, and take a bath for 15-20 minutes.

Sea salt treatment

1. Chronic tonsillitis, sore throat, sore throat
A teaspoon of sea salt should be dissolved in a glass of warm water and gargled several times a day.

2. Vegetative-vascular dystonia, insomnia and neuroses
Every morning, rub with cool water (1 l), in which sea salt (3 tbsp) has been diluted. After 30 days of daily therapy, you will be pleasantly surprised by the results obtained. Such rubdowns also help strengthen the body and increase immunity.

3. Bumps, bruises and bruises
For a glass of cold water, take 2 tbsp. sea ​​salt. After moistening several layers of gauze in the solution, apply it to the affected area for two hours.

Salt and weight loss

People who are trying to lose weight should definitely limit their salt intake. There are even salt-free diets. Excess salt leads to swelling. It is believed that a single extra gram of salt contributes to the retention of 100 ml of fluid in the body. Table salt is a natural flavor enhancer; it promotes uncontrolled overeating and weight gain. As a result, additional stress is created on the cardiovascular system and musculoskeletal system.

It is best to salt food with sea salt, which contains a large amount of beneficial minerals. But in any case, it is necessary to reduce salt consumption to a minimum. To improve the health of the body, you should remove the salt shaker from the table and do not add salt to dishes, even if they seem unsalted. It is imperative to give up processed foods, exclude fast food, salted nuts, and chips from your diet. You should limit the use of various gravies and sauces containing large amounts of salt. It is better to season salads with vegetable oil and either lemon juice. It is important to remember about hidden salt, which is contained in sausages and cheeses.

Benefits of a sea salt bath

Separately, it should be said about a bath with sea salt. This method of therapy is considered a very effective remedy for such ailments as:

• increased nervousness;
• stress and sleep disorders;
• metabolic disease;
• vascular atherosclerosis;
• problems with joints and spine (osteochondrosis, arthrosis, arthritis);
• skin pathologies caused by allergies (eczema, seborrhea and psoriasis, diathesis and dermatitis);
• hypothyroidism;
• decreased immunity;
• cellulite.

Before taking a bath, be sure to rinse with soap in the shower. Take water at a temperature of 35–37°C and add approximately 250–300 g of sea salt. This will be quite enough to calm and relax. If you want to carry out medical procedures, the salt concentration should be increased to 0.7–1 kg.

And further. After the water procedure, do not rush to dry yourself. Simply pat your skin with a terry towel to remove moisture. The beneficial substances remaining on the skin will be absorbed for another 1.5–2 hours.

One has only to remember that salt baths are contraindicated for people with purulent skin diseases, people with malignant and benign tumors, arrhythmia, tachycardia, hypertension types 2 and 3. For tuberculosis, vein thrombosis, exacerbation of infectious diseases and pregnancy, this treatment is also contraindicated.

Cosmetics made from salt

Surprisingly, ordinary salt can be an excellent cosmetic product that comes to the rescue in a variety of situations. Here are some examples.

1. Oily skin prone to acne
Dilute a tablespoon of sea salt into 3 tablespoons. water to which a little baby soap was previously added. Apply the resulting mixture to your face, rubbing the product in circular massaging movements, then wait two minutes and rinse with warm water. Literally 2-3 procedures per week will very quickly give the desired result.

2. Brittle and peeling nails
If your nails begin to flake and break, pour 0.5 liters of hot water into the bath and dilute 2 tablespoons in water. sea ​​salt. Keep your fingers in this bath for 15 minutes daily. There is another useful recipe. Cut the lemon into two halves, sprinkle one half with sea salt on top, and then dip your fingers into the pulp for 10 minutes. At the end of the procedure, rinse your fingers with water and blot with a napkin. Do 10 such procedures, and if necessary, repeat the course in a month.

3. Problems with hair growth
To achieve beautiful and lush hair, you also cannot do without sea salt. 1 tsp Dissolve this product in half a glass of heated kefir, add 2 tbsp. water and one egg yolk. Apply the prepared mixture to your hair, gently rubbing it into the scalp, then wrap your head in a towel and leave for 30 minutes. Hair should be treated in this way 2 times a week for two months.

4. The presence of comedones on the skin of the face
Many cosmetic products have been developed to combat blackheads on the face. But you can easily deal with comedones on your own if you have sea salt on hand. To prepare the cleanser, simply grind 1 tsp. sea ​​salt in a coffee grinder and mix the resulting pollen with 1 tsp. m soda. Wet the problem areas of your face with water, then soak a damp cotton swab in the prepared product and apply it to your face in a circular motion without putting too much pressure on the skin. Leave the product on for 10 minutes, then rinse with cool water and apply moisturizer. Do this mask once a week and after a month the problem of comedones will no longer bother you.

5. Anti-cellulite, cleansing body scrub in the bath
Mix salt and soda in equal proportions. After the steam room, apply the scrub to the body using circular movements and light pressure. Massage lightly and leave on body for 5-15 minutes. Baking soda softens the skin, salt promotes the release of fluid, disinfects and cleanses the skin. You can also prepare a body scrub using honey and salt.
Health and beauty to you!

Humanity has been using salt since time immemorial, but the way it is produced has changed little. Salt is a substance of natural origin - produced by evaporation of sea water or extracted in mines and quarries from deposits of rock salt (halite). Halite was formed many thousands of years ago on the site of dried up seas. Table salt is made from it by purification.

The importance of salt for the human body

The debate about whether salt is harmful or beneficial has been going on for a long time. To understand the benefits of salt, it is worth remembering that table salt is sodium chloride. Without sodium, the transmission of nerve impulses and muscle contraction would be impossible. When there is a lack of this microelement in the body, a person may experience drowsiness and muscle weakness, and in more severe cases, loss of coordination of movements. Chlorine is necessary for the production of gastric juice, since hydrochloric acid is formed with the help of chlorine ions. Moreover, salt is practically the only source of chlorine for humans.

The body begins to replenish the lack of salt from reserves located in muscle and bone tissue, which can lead to their destruction (osteoporosis). Lack of salt leads to nervous disorders, digestive disorders, and problems with the cardiovascular system. It is believed that the human body can survive completely without salt for no more than 10 days.

How much salt do you need

How much salt is needed for normal life? On average, this is 4-6 grams per day. However, we also get salt from vegetables and various products (bread, cheese, etc.). Fast food is especially high in salt. Therefore, its consumption is often much more than the daily norm, which is far from harmless. Salt entering the body in large quantities leads to fluid retention. This affects the kidneys and cardiovascular system, and increases blood pressure. The least useful salt is the “Extra” type, which contains practically no useful substances.

Sea salt

Recently, sea salt has been increasingly used in cooking. But is its use justified, what are the benefits of sea salt? Unlike purified salt, sea salt (as well as unrefined rock salt) contains more than 80 useful microelements. Therefore, in those countries where salt evaporated from sea water is used (Japan, Spain, etc.), there are much fewer cardiovascular diseases and nervous system disorders. But the iodine content in sea salt, despite popular belief, is not very high. Therefore, if necessary, you should use iodized salt. By the way, such salt, like sea salt, cannot be subjected to heat treatment, otherwise they will lose their beneficial properties.

Salt in everyday life

Salt is used not only for food. When you have a runny nose, doctors advise rinsing the nasopharynx with saline solution (0.5 tsp per 1 cup of water). For bruises and insect bites, apply vinegar-salt compresses. When coughing, warm the chest with heated salt.

Salt is also a cosmetic product. To strengthen nails, it is recommended to take salt baths. A mixture of honey and salt is an excellent body scrub that also has tonic properties.

Now you know the benefits of salt and how to use it correctly.