Salt is everywhere. It’s a universal mineral found around the world, and even in our bodies.
Despite being an essential nutrient in our bodies, modern nutritionists believe that salt should be used sparingly as it’s been linked to high blood pressure, which in turn causes strokes and heart attacks. But too little salt in your body is just as bad as it can cause cases of electrolyte imbalance. Symptoms of electrolyte imbalance includes weak muscles, or painful muscle cramps due to the lack of salt in your body.
Salt is still a sacred, age-old ingredient. Despite its negative connotation, salt is used as a disinfectant, a preservative, and even a remedy for epidemic diseases and eye ointments. However, the Greeks were the first to note that eating salty food could affect the basic body functions like digestion and excretion.
Nutritionist Cyndi O’Meara notes that there are two kinds of common salt – table salt and natural salt. Table salt is the little granules we find in the supermarket that’s used for cooking. To make it edible and safe to consume, it goes through a process that alters its chemical composition, leaving it with a composition of 98% sodium chloride and 2% of various preservatives and substances.
Despite losing out on natural minerals for the body to absorb, iodine is added into table salt to make it more nutritious. Iodine plays an important role in the thyroid gland. It helps the thyroid gland produce healthy, necessary hormones, and regulates the body’s metabolism levels.
The body has its own way to regulate salt levels, and that’s through urination and perspiration. So, when you go overboard with your salt intake, you’re giving your kidneys a hard time. Too much salt can also dehydrate your body, but what’s funny is that it’s also a cure for dehydration. Oral rehydration salts are usually prescribed to patients with food poisoning or diarrhea to restore the fluids and electrolyte balance in their bodies.
It’s obvious that the consumption of salt is important for the body, but it clearly should be monitored to avoid risks of high blood pressure. Moderation is still the key, but you should never be afraid of salt! The modern conception of salt being bad for you is the same as how carbohydrates are bad for the body.
