Salt

We hear again and again from so-called nutrition experts that we consume too much salt. They say we should reduce salt consumption because salt dehydrates the body and is unhealthy. But is that actually true? Well, salt does not equal salt. There are big differences. The regular table salt we commonly find in supermarkets is a highly processed industrial product. It has been stripped of the minerals naturally occurring in salt. These can be used far more profitably in the industry than in the kitchen. In fact, this is an industrial waste product. To top it all off, various chemical additives such as fluoride, aluminum silicate and silicon chloride are added to the table salt. These are toxic and therefore unhealthy. Since the soil in Central Europe contains little iodine, it is also added to the salt as an additive. If you consume a lot of salt, there is a risk of an oversupply of iodine. This has just as negative an effect on health as an undersupply. The question asked can definitely be answered with yes as far as table salt is concerned. But what about the other salts?

Rock salt, also called crystal salt or ancient salt, is the basis of life. Natural, unprocessed salts contain up to 84 other minerals in addition to the well-known sodium chloride (NaCl). Himalayan salt stands out as it appears to contain all of the minerals needed by the body in almost exactly the same ratio as our body fluids. These mineral salts are essential for cell metabolism. Among other things, they regulate the water balance, are required for the transmission of electrical signals in the nerves, enable muscle contraction and ensure the balance of acid-base ratios in our organs. Himalayan salt is used in Ayurveda and Chinese medicine to support the metabolism, as a natural broad-spectrum antibiotic, to regulate high blood pressure and to improve digestion. It also combines all Schüssler salts in one product. ¹

Until a few years ago, I personally used mainly unrefined sea salt without any additives, because it also has an undeniably valuable mineral content. In my opinion, however, this can no longer be recommended without hesitation because of the immense water pollution. Sure, it's still better than table salt, but I don't want all that microplastic in my food. The many ship and oil disasters and especially Fukushima have certainly not contributed to a better quality. There exists a variant called Fleur de Sel. During extraction, fine salt crystals are collected from the water surface instead of letting the water evaporate in the sun. This avoids contamination by substances that reside under the water surface. Probably not completely clean either but certainly better than sea salt from evaporation plants.

In summary, one can say that Himalayan and other ancient salts are the only ones that can be used without hesitation and are also healthy. Provided you buy them in their original, unrefined condition with no chemical additives. The usual table salt is definitely not recommended. It's even been called a neurotoxin because the body has a hard time processing this massive amount of sodium and chlorine without the other minerals that are supposed to come with it. The addition of iodine is unnecessary as it is present in sufficient quantities in rock salt. You could probably also ditch magnesium supplementation if you use a wholesome salt. Whether one should actually reduce salt consumption is questionable. Salt is essential to life. Statistically, the Romans and Swedes historically consumed far more salt without harm than we do today. However, their salt was unprocessed.