Salt
Salt is essential for life.
Without it, we can’t live.
Salt helps keep the body system working well and absorb
nutrition from foods.
But there are different kinds of “salts”, and some are beneficial
and essential, while others can be harmful.
Table salt VS sea salt
So-called “table salt”, which you see on the shelves at grocery
stores or at tables at restaurants, is basically a chemical
product, almost no nutritional value and even harmful.
In the process of refining—heated to 1200 degrees, then flash
cooled--, most of the important minerals are depleted, and
99% is sodium.
The rest is additives to make it more marketable.
Those additives include ;
Potassium iodine
Dextrose
– basically a simple sugar, to stablize the iodine, which can be
volatile and oxidized when exposed to the light.
Sodium bicarbonate
– the combination of iodine and dextrose make the salt
purplish color, so this chemical is added as a bleaching
agent.
Sodium silico aluminate
– to coat the salt crystal so it does not stick together in humid
conditions.
* most of the processed foods and foods at many restaurants
use this type of “salt”, of course.
While sea salt is made by natural solar evaporating of sea
water.
And most of the minerals and trace minerals remain intact,
including copper, calcium, nickel etc etc.
Solar evaporated sea salt contains at least 84 elements to help
protect our bodies from the harsh effect of pure sodium
chloride.
* one of the main reasons iodine is added to table salt is for
fear of developing goiter due to lack of iodine.
But the lack of iodine is generally due to the modern, western
diet.
Whole foods diet such as Macrobiotic diet supply enough
iodine, from such as sea weeds and vegetables.
How much salt is needed?
According to USDH, recommended sodium intake is 2 to 3
grams, about 1 tea spoon.
* average Americans consume 5 to 10 times more than the
guideline. Then again, how you take sodium makes a big
difference. Table salt or sea salt.
But of course, as any other foods good or bad, too much can
be problematic.
Signs of sodium over consumption
1 thirst
2 irritability – effect on the nervous system
3 dark eyes – sign of kidneys’ overload
4 over eating – excessive salt(yang) can increase your
cravings for sweet foods and fat(both yin), leading to over
eating (and drink alcohol!)
5 facial or ankle swelling – signs of kidneys overload
listen to your body, and be moderate!
Heart, coronary diseases
Underlying cause of heart, circulatory problems is not just salt,
but a long term intake of excessive “extreme foods” such as
meat, eggs, poultry, dairy, which make arteries become
constricted, hardened and narrowed, while sugar, excessive
fruits and juice,, stimulant, alcohol, spices can expand, loosen
and eventually weaken the heart.
(more about meat, click here)
(more about sugar, click here)
(more about dairy click here)
Just because you reduce the sodium intake does not solve the
problems.
We have to reconsider the whole dietary habit!
Healthy sources of sea salt
In fact, salt intake from healthy sources can improve your
health.
The sources include,
1 natural sea salt (solar evaporated)
2 naturally fermented miso and soy sauce
3 naturally fermented pickles such as umeboshi or sauerkraut
*Japan’s National Cancer Center reported that people who
never ate miso soup daily had 43% higher death rate from
coronary diseases than those who consumed miso soup daily.
Also those in ‘no miso soup’ group had 29% more fatal strokes,
more than 3 times deaths from high blood pressure.
Conclusion
It is a good idea to watch daily amount of salt intake for your
heath.
But what type of salt is used is more important.
Also important is to look at the whole dietary habit, instead of
focusing on just one element.
Salt is essential for life.
Without it, we can’t live.
Salt helps keep the body system working well and absorb
nutrition from foods.
But there are different kinds of “salts”, and some are beneficial
and essential, while others can be harmful.
Table salt VS sea salt
So-called “table salt”, which you see on the shelves at grocery
stores or at tables at restaurants, is basically a chemical
product, almost no nutritional value and even harmful.
In the process of refining—heated to 1200 degrees, then flash
cooled--, most of the important minerals are depleted, and
99% is sodium.
The rest is additives to make it more marketable.
Those additives include ;
Potassium iodine
Dextrose
– basically a simple sugar, to stablize the iodine, which can be
volatile and oxidized when exposed to the light.
Sodium bicarbonate
– the combination of iodine and dextrose make the salt
purplish color, so this chemical is added as a bleaching
agent.
Sodium silico aluminate
– to coat the salt crystal so it does not stick together in humid
conditions.
* most of the processed foods and foods at many restaurants
use this type of “salt”, of course.
While sea salt is made by natural solar evaporating of sea
water.
And most of the minerals and trace minerals remain intact,
including copper, calcium, nickel etc etc.
Solar evaporated sea salt contains at least 84 elements to help
protect our bodies from the harsh effect of pure sodium
chloride.
* one of the main reasons iodine is added to table salt is for
fear of developing goiter due to lack of iodine.
But the lack of iodine is generally due to the modern, western
diet.
Whole foods diet such as Macrobiotic diet supply enough
iodine, from such as sea weeds and vegetables.
How much salt is needed?
According to USDH, recommended sodium intake is 2 to 3
grams, about 1 tea spoon.
* average Americans consume 5 to 10 times more than the
guideline. Then again, how you take sodium makes a big
difference. Table salt or sea salt.
But of course, as any other foods good or bad, too much can
be problematic.
Signs of sodium over consumption
1 thirst
2 irritability – effect on the nervous system
3 dark eyes – sign of kidneys’ overload
4 over eating – excessive salt(yang) can increase your
cravings for sweet foods and fat(both yin), leading to over
eating (and drink alcohol!)
5 facial or ankle swelling – signs of kidneys overload
listen to your body, and be moderate!
Heart, coronary diseases
Underlying cause of heart, circulatory problems is not just salt,
but a long term intake of excessive “extreme foods” such as
meat, eggs, poultry, dairy, which make arteries become
constricted, hardened and narrowed, while sugar, excessive
fruits and juice,, stimulant, alcohol, spices can expand, loosen
and eventually weaken the heart.
(more about meat, click here)
(more about sugar, click here)
(more about dairy click here)
Just because you reduce the sodium intake does not solve the
problems.
We have to reconsider the whole dietary habit!
Healthy sources of sea salt
In fact, salt intake from healthy sources can improve your
health.
The sources include,
1 natural sea salt (solar evaporated)
2 naturally fermented miso and soy sauce
3 naturally fermented pickles such as umeboshi or sauerkraut
*Japan’s National Cancer Center reported that people who
never ate miso soup daily had 43% higher death rate from
coronary diseases than those who consumed miso soup daily.
Also those in ‘no miso soup’ group had 29% more fatal strokes,
more than 3 times deaths from high blood pressure.
Conclusion
It is a good idea to watch daily amount of salt intake for your
heath.
But what type of salt is used is more important.
Also important is to look at the whole dietary habit, instead of
focusing on just one element.
Whole Life with Jin