Salt is has been branded another evil in our Western world diet, along with trans fats and sugar. Andi Lew, wellness couch and author of ‘Real Fit Food, Intelligent Nutrition & Functional Training‘, dissolves the myths on fats, sugars and answers the eternal question, is salt good for you?
Are some health experts turning us away from vital nutrition and minerals be telling us to steer clear of salt?
There is a myth about salt being bad for us. Because ‘real’ salt (salt of the earth) is a natural antibiotic, it kills good bacteria in the body. As a substance that draws water, it interferes with the normal absorption of water, which possibly leads to constipation and the accumulations of toxins in the intestinal tract. Processed table salts are depleted of vital minerals the body needs and have additives that are harmful when ingested.
However, it is the unprocessed natural salts that are actually trace minerals disguised as the word ‘salt’. They’re rich in calcium and magnesium. Eaten in moderate quantities, can be very healthy and beneficial. Choose this as a table salt or ‘iodised salt’ replacement”.
Iodised salt is what has caused a bad wrap, because it isn’t even really ‘food’ anymore. It is highly processed. The process it goes through takes away all the micro-nutrition, AKA vitamins and minerals, and this is what our body needs to help it feel full or satiated.
Good quality salts are beneficial for balancing body fluids. Pink salts contain the minerals the body needs without the toxins found in common table salt.
Pink Pervian Salt, for example from Power Superfoods, has been hand harvested for over 2000 years from a natural ancient ocean spring bubbling up to the surface in the Sacred Valley of the Incas near Machu Picchu, Peru at around 4000 metres above sea level. Pure salt sources are scarce today due to pollution of land and sea – this one is a low carbon footprint, evaporated product (not mined) and is carefully tested against heavy metal contamination. This is really my favourite because it is sun dried too and the Peruvians are, by hand, literally skimming these dried up trace minerals that have bubbled up to the surface. All done by hand and the sun means no processing in factories: natural and good for the environment.
This is the perfect healthy seasoning prized by masterchefs with a deep robust flavour – the rich mineralization, containing many trace minerals and elements, creates a lovely pale pink colour. It’s really the best food I have found.
The higher the nutrition when you eat any food, the more you will help your brain to feel full, because you are only satiated when you are satisfied on a nutritional level. Otherwise, you are always searching for something else. So eat ‘real fit food’ and allow yourself to eat goodness that acts as fuel. This way you are nourishing your body with natural medicine. Prevention is the only cure. Using salt to get vital micro-nutrition, may be exactly what our bodies are missing, especially because we have been programmed to steer clear of it.
When shopping for salt, choose:
- Non processed kinds and ditch the iodised salt
- Look for pink coloured salts
- Shop in health food stores or shelves
Benefits of ingesting are:
- Balances blood sugar and acid levels and helps the body’s cells generate electrical energy.
- Natural antihistamine which regulates phlegm and mucus in the sinuses and nasal cavity.
- Helps prevent osteoporosis, muscle cramping, and irregular patterns.
- Think if it not as salt, but as minerals disguised as the word ‘salt’. It contains so many trace minerals including calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, copper and zinc.
image credit: via cultbeauty.co.uk
