Let’s Talk Salt
We can not live without salt. It is essential to many of our bodies functions. Did you know that along with water, the right kind of salt can actually help regulate your blood pressure? It helps promote a healthy ph balance in your cells and promotes bone strength. Salt has many other health benefits. But...all salt is not the same!
Your normal table salt (traditional iodized salt) is not the salt I am talking about. It has been cleaned with chemicals, heated at high temperatures and rendered into something that your body sees as a foreign substance. The big problem is that processed foods are loaded with this toxic salt. Your body doesn’t like this “industrial” salt. It can create a fluid imbalance that contributes to high blood pressure and other issues. The topper is that toxic chemicals such as aluminum hydroxide are used as preservatives in common table salt.
What salt is the best? I now only use Himalayan Salt in my raw food recipes. First, it is said to be the purest salt on earth. Second, the flavor is amazing. Nothing else comes close. And a tiny bit is all you need to add that special little touch.
Himalayan Salt contains 84 trace minerals. Mined at the foothills of the Himalayas, it comes from deep inside the earth from the largest salt range in the earth. Dating back to the Precambrian age, these salts are said to be pure and free from the polluting agents that are found in most of today’s environments. They are still mined by hand.
In raw food recipes, Himalayan salt can bring out flavor, balance flavors and add a greatly desired dimension to food. Using Himalayan salt can actually add health benefits, too. That said…a tiny bit is all you need. When I say a pinch of salt in the recipes here, I really mean a very small pinch. Literally about 1/16th of a teaspoon.
There are many topical uses for Himalayan salt, too. Rashes, bug bites, mouth rinses, nasal rinses…do a quick search on google and you will find some great tips.
Note: If you are on a salt-restricted diet for health reasons, I would consult with your doctor before adding any salt to your diet.
Jinny wrote on July 23, 2010
You should give black Himalyan salt a try, taste just like eggs due to the high sulfur content. Great to put on the flesh of a young coconut…also great in any raw dish that needs an eggs taste. I know rawfoodworld.com carries it.
The salt book reference above, if the same one is by Dr Brownstein.
Kelly Parr wrote on July 23, 2010
Amazing what a little “pinch of salt” conversation will stir up! Reading each one’s expertise adds much flavor to the pot! Thank’s to all as I have learned a lot this morning.
Now bear with me as a thought just came to mind…sometimes I wonder if a “pinch of salt” is not just a “generational” thing; a learned behavior- something we have always heard in the kitchen. My mother always said and did it.. my grandmother always said and did it and I can even remember my Great-grandmother saying only add just “a pinch of salt!” I could never figure out why and to be honest I can’t really taste just “a pinch” one way or another! So it’s almost as if no matter what people say… good or bad.. I must add a “pinch of salt” into everything – just in case! 🙂
But I have discovered the SMOKED sea salt and WOW… with just “a pinch” …that BOLD taste I can tell!
Thanks Susan for stirring the pot and thanks to all for adding a great flavor!
scherry valentine wrote on July 23, 2010
I buy SunFire salt from Radical Health. It is so amazing! It’s a combination of Himalyan, Bolivian Rose. I use it for salt flushes and I even put 1/2 teaspoon in 32 ounces of pure spring water that I bottle myself from the source and drink daily. I have experienced many wonderful things since I started using premium/pristene salt in this way. Magnetism being only one. There is a book out there about the therapeutic uses of salt and water that explains why we need it. Wish I could remember the name……Also many good articles about it’s use at radicalhealth.com too. Cheers!
Dot D. wrote on July 23, 2010
Susan,
Thanks for the clarification, and while I agree with you that a tiny bit is best, and from a trusted source as well, the article I quoted states that sodium chloride causes HBP leading to stroke and a number of other health conditions. Written by doctors, tested in labs, etc. Natural sodium is best.
I have not found Dr. Mercola to be the best source for information. He did a job on Agave Nectar a few months back, and frightened a number of raw fooders along the way. I wonder, at times, whose side he’s on! Buyer beware, I guess is the answer.
Dot D. wrote on July 23, 2010
Susan and friends of Raw foods,
From what I’ve been reading, ALL salt contains sodium chloride, no matter from where it’s mined. What our bodies really need, and only a small ratio, is “sodium.” Sodium, a “natural salt,” is found in vegetables…..the more common ones being Romaine lettuce, celery, baby spinach, etc. We ingest many more times the amount our bodies need hidden within ingredients like Nama Shoyu and Miso…..up to 4,000 mg more! We only require 500 mg for our bodies to get the right amounts to function optimally.
From a chart I had been reading, most salts, even Himalayan, contain 98% sodium chloride (a deadly ingredient). Celtic Sea Salt contains 83% with 10% moisture, and Fleur de Sel is 85% with moisture. Take the moisture out and you’ve got 95% sodium chloride in these…..all of which amounts to nearly the same as refined table salt at 99% !! Scary huh?
All these facts and more are listed at http://www.cspinet.org/salt/ and from the Center for Science in the Public Interest; Dr. S. Graham, Dr. R. Trall, Dr. H. Shelton, all renowned in the field of raw foods; and Institutions like the Deakin University School of Exercies and Nutrition Sciences, and the World Action on Salt (WASH) to name a few.
Sorry to burst anyone’s bubble, but since being on this diet, I have discovered there is too much salt in my body already that is being shed thru my feet. They are like huge balloons!! I realize that my age (61) is also a factor, having had a lifetime to destroy my health, but for the younger set….my recommendation is for you to eliminate salt from your diets completely! At 80-100% Raw, you get your 500 mg the natural way – no problem!!!
Susan wrote on July 23, 2010
All salt is mostly sodium chloride. My point here is not to tell people that they should start consuming tons of salt. Actually if you read, I suggest that you only need a tiny bit for flavoring. But…there are huge differences in salt. So, if I am going to use salt, I want to use a healthy salt, not an unhealthy salt.
As always, we need to keep in mind the whole concept of biochemical diversity. Everyone is different. What might cause problems for you, might be salvation for someone else. Everyone’s bodies need different things. You need to figure out if salt works for you or not. And once again…I only recommend a tiny amount if you are using it.
Sodium Chloride is not a deadly ingredient. It can be if you consume too much but so can water. Your extracellular fluid (the fluid in your body that is outside of your cells in your body) contains sodium chloride. Without it, you could not survive. “Sodium chloride—also known as salt—is necessary to help your body maintain fluid balance, help your muscles relax and your nerves transmit signals. Sodium chloride also helps maintain normal blood pressure.”
You might want to check out Dr. Mercola’s post on Himalayan salt. You can find it here: Himalayan Salt
Roni wrote on July 23, 2010
I was actually a participant in a salt-tasting study… The big pink salts were always the nicest… ^.^
Raw Candy wrote on July 22, 2010
My fave salts are sea salt, and pink Himalayan salt. Recently, my local Whole Foods has started carrying a variety of flavoured salts, and I’m dying to try one in particular — a smoked salt!
Susan wrote on July 23, 2010
I have the smoked salt. It is delish…but being smoked, I only use a tiny bit.
Chantal wrote on July 22, 2010
I am a big salt fan, and an even bigger Himalayan salt fan, but considering that it’s so popular nowadays, I’m concerned for the product’s sustainability. This has been a real dilemma in my salt choices actually! Himalayan salt is now being mined and shipped to the four corners of the world, probably stripping the foothills of the mountains more than ever… I’m just worried about how long this will be able to keep going on before we realized we’ve over-used another natural resource! Everything is finite after all 🙁