Do you know the importance of salt in the human body? How much salt do you consume per day? What type of salt do you consume? How do you use salt for its consumption? Learn more about salt in this article.
The salt, the true, is therefore excellent for health, as much because of the minerals and trace elements it brings that because of the sodium itself which is part of the essential elements for good functioning and each cell must contain sodium to work properly. Salt is life. This is why we must favor a salt balanced in mineral salts rather than a salt containing 99% sodium.
In fact, the common misconception that salt is bad for health is widespread. The consequence is that many people are limited in salt and are deficient in mineral salts. It is not necessarily salt that is unhealthy for us, but rather refined table salt that is bad for our health. Eating too little salt can be as bad as eating too much.
The Importance of Salt in the Human Body Because of Sodium
Sodium is an essential nutrient needed to maintain plasma volume, acid-base balance, nerve impulse transmission, and normal cell function.
It is considered that 4 g of daily salt is necessary for the proper functioning of the body. In fact, salt is involved in the transmission of nerve signals, in the contraction of muscles, in the functioning of the kidneys, and in general hydration. Concerning this last point, it is the sodium which it contains which regulates the distribution of the body water, participates in the movements of this water, and in the water exchanges between the internal and external milieus of the cell.
1. Natural Salt and Industrial Salt
Of course, when we speak about the importance of salt in the human body, we speak about natural salt. Natural salt is an unrefined salt that has retained all its natural richness in mineral salts and its nutritional qualities. It does not undergo a process of transformation or the addition of additives.
Industrial salt is the refined salt found in processed foods and table salt.
For 60 years, the agri-food industry has refined salt to better preserve it. It is heated to a very high temperature to rid it of impurities. The impurities in question are high-quality minerals.
The purpose of this expensive and complex process of salt refining is to obtain a potent reagent, sodium chloride, a basic component in the production of synthetic chemicals, in the production of plastics, paper, mineral oils, release agents, etc.
2. Salt in the Diet
In the diet, salt can come from processed foods, either because they are particularly high in salt (prepared meals, processed meats such as bacon, ham and salami, cheese, salty snack foods, instant noodles, etc. .), or because they are often consumed in large quantities (such as bread and processed cereal products). Salt is also added during cooking (as broth or bouillon cubes) or on the table (soy sauce, fish sauce, table salt).
The salt refining process converts it into a toxic element for humans. From the chemical point of view, by refining salt, it is deprived of the 84 trace elements essential to life. By entering the body, this artificial molecule, provided with many free radicals, tends to return to its original molecular form by recovering the trace elements that were removed during its refining, from bone tissue and plasma, thus leading to demineralization and acidification of the environment with disastrous consequences.
When consumption is excessive there comes a time when the body can no longer devote more detoxification work to this detoxification work and it uses another way to solve the problem: the crystallization of bones and joints. To do this, amino acids of animal origin bind with sodium chloride and deposit in the form of uric acid crystals giving rise to the formation of kidney stones and gallbladder, as well as arthritis, osteoarthritis, and rheumatic diseases.
We must, therefore, favor a salt balanced in mineral salts rather than a salt containing 99% sodium.
3. Table Salt or White Salt, or Refined Salt
The refined salt, called “white salt” or “table salt” is a “chemically pure” salt, 99.9% sodium chloride.
Commercial salt is refined and processed: by drying at temperatures above 1,000 degrees, which destroys the beneficial substances in the salt. This heat also causes chemical alterations that turn salt into sodium chloride, a substance that is not good for the body.
Then, we add chemical additives to preserve its whiteness and the size of its grains (avoid that they agglutinate): Iodine, fluorine, aluminum, glutamate. This gives a very white salt, without particular taste, without trace elements, very dry, and of no use for the health.
The table salt has been completely drained of its minerals – the most nutritious part of the salt – during the manufacturing process.
*** The Consequences of Adding Additives
– These additives are responsible for the formation of nitrates in the stomach, the latter being the most aggressive carcinogenic substances.
– They are responsible for allergic reactions.
– The addition of iodide may cause hyperthyroidism, autoimmune thyroiditis, and decreased fertility.
Fluoride is associated with neurological and endocrine disorders that affect the nervous system, causing attention deficit disorder (ADD) in children and adults.
– Aluminum hydroxide added to avoid compaction is associated with neuronal dysfunctions such as Alzheimer’s disease.
– Other harmful effects of refined salt are water retention, obesity, cellulite, and sclerosis by crystallization of this molecule when it cannot be eliminated by the kidneys.
4. Importance of Sea Salt in the Human Body
Unrefined sea salt is a natural salt, known for its tastes and various personalities. It is obtained by evaporation of seawater in shallow basins; the ideal weather is sunny, dry, with the wind to facilitate the crystallization of salt and its evaporation. Sea salt is harvested in salt marshes.
It is a product rich in trace elements and electrolytes: potassium, magnesium, calcium, sulfur, and less iron, manganese, zinc, iodine.
Our body only needs small amounts of these nutrients, but they are absolutely vital for a variety of functions in the body. They have a key role in enzyme production as well as in the immune system, and adrenal and thyroid function. So these elements are essential in the sense of the importance of salt to the human body.
Unrefined sea salt allows the body to achieve a balance of water both inside and outside the cells. With adequate natural sodium and pure water, diseases such as gout, muscle cramps, water retention, and edema disappear.
*** The Importance of Sea Salt in the Human Body According to Physiological Functions:
– It helps the production of bile.
– It increases the peristaltic movement of the intestine, thus contributing to good digestion.
– It alkalinizes the blood, thus fighting against the acidifying effect of the current diet.
– Sodium is involved in the conduction of nerve impulses and also promotes muscle contraction.
– It makes foods more nutritious and enhances their flavor while providing energy and vitality.
– It stimulates renal function and its proper use promotes the absorption of calcium and the use of nutrients in general.
– It is considered a purifying food, and as such, it helps the body eliminate toxins.
*** The Benefits of Sea Salt
Do not be ignorant about salt. Discover the benefits of sea salt. And for its effectiveness, please consume with moderation.
Digestive Functions
Salt brings in chlorine to allow the stomach to make hydrochloric acid, and sodium to the liver to make the sodium carbonates of the bile. It is thus possible to determine the state of the liver by analyzing the hepatic passage of water through the Sodium / Potassium Ratio.
Cell Function
Sodium is at the heart of cell function and is a major electrolyte. It allows through the sodium channels the care and assimilation of minerals and vitamins in the intestine. Vitamins C and B, but also calcium, magnesium depends on sodium and therefore salt.
Kidney Function
80% of renal work consists of sodium recovery. If the level of this mineral became too low, at best, gastric acidity, in the worst, hypertension, extracellular dehydration, destruction of bones, stroke.
Acid-Base Balance and Collagen Function
Chlorine is acidic, sodium, alkaline and the combination of both in the body give NaCl, an acidically balanced diet. In addition, salt deficiency results in information blocking of collagen structure and blocking calcium implantation in bones.
Sodium, Chemical Element of Our 5 Senses
At the heart of cellular functioning, sodium makes our 5 senses work in association with calcium and our chemical messengers, hormones.
The best way to consume salt is to consume it through fresh foods, which contain it in a biologically assimilable way, in the form of unrefined sea salt and in small quantities.