Pass the salt please!

We are told all the time that too much salt is bad for us. Thats true. But not all salts are the same! I’ve blogged to you about pepper, so its time to blog about the other common seasoning in our lives... salt!

What is salt?

Salt is comprised of the chemicals sodium and chloride (NaCl). It is one of the oldest and most common food seasonings around. The taste of salt is one of the basic human tastes and we need it (in small quantities) to survive. It is historically used as a form of preserving foods, as retains water, thereby stopping moisture and preventing foods from moulding. Salt preserving foods is still used today. In its natural state, salt contains trace minerals of magnesium, calcium, potassium and sodium.

For the people who love random facts out there, salt has been utilised in religions all around the world, with 35 verses about it in the Hebrew bible, 6 verses of the Christian bible, is very auspicious (good omen) in Hindu rituals, Wiccans used salt to clear negative energies and the Aztecs worshipped Huixtocihuatl, the fertility goddess who presided over salt & salt water.

Whats so bad about it?

Unfortunately most processed foods today contain salt, as it is used to enhance flavours. Once our bodies adapt to a level of salt, we keep needing to add more to get flavour out of foods. In our bodies, sodium is processed through the kidneys. When a person eats large amounts of it, the kidneys cannot process it all and excess sodium ends up in the bloodstream. Because it retains water, the volume of blood in the body increases, putting an added strain on the heart to pump the blood. Long term high salt intake has been linked with health conditions such as high blood pressure (hypertension),  heart disease, oedema (fluid retention) and kidney failure.

Foods known to be overly high in salt...

• Canned foods (soups, vegetables, fish)
• Cured meats (salami, bacon, corned beef)
• Snack foods (potato chips, pretzels)
• Processed foods
• Foods "low in sugar" - some of them make up for it in salt!
• Butter

The important thing is too look at the nutritional breakdown on the back of packaged foods. Anything below 150mg of sodium per 100g is considered low in sodium. Fresh produce (fruit, vegetables, meats, eggs, unsalted nuts, seeds) are naturally lower in sodium than processed foods.

Try to keep your daily sodium intake below 2000mg. If you only add salt when cooking and not afterwards, you may find your taste for salt changes and you don’t need to eat as much to get the flavour hit.

Unfortunately the salt added to foods is usually from table salt. See below for more details why this is a concern.

So are all salts the same?

There are variety of different salts around that you can buy, I've discussed the more common ones...

Table salt

This is the ground up stuff you can buy in shakers from the supermarkets, or in granulated packets. Table salt usually contains 97.5% sodium chloride and 2.5% other chemicals, such as an anti-caking agents, but some people put uncooked rice in with their salt as this does the same thing. Common additives include iodine, fluoride, iron and anti-caking agents. In processing, table salt is chemically “cleaned” (aka bleached), and then heated up to 650 degrees Celsius, which changes the natural chemical structure of the salt, removes all the beneficial minerals and makes it a potential cause to many health conditions.

Sea salt

Sea salt is collected from the ocean (thats why the shell is in this picture! :D). It is collected in trays, which are then dried in the sun. This means there is minimal processing and leaves the trace minerals in tact. However, many companies package their processed salt and call it “Sea Salt” as all salt came from the ocean at some point. Check the colour: if its pure white, its not alright! If its non-white, it means it contains minerals. Celtic Sea salt has a greyish sandy colour. Himalayan salt is a sandy rose colour. Read below for more details.

Black salt

I had to mention this one. I haven’t seen it anywhere to buy except at an amazing cafe near my house, called, strangely enough, Black Salt Cafe. Their salt is black! What makes it black? It is an unrefined sea salt from the Mediterranean which was originally white, which was then ground with volcanic charcoal and activated carbon. Charcoal is a natural detoxifier of the body, making it a healthy salt. Amazing stuff!

Movie Salt

Salt is a 2010 movie starring Angelina Jolie and Liev Schreiber The plot is about a CIA agent who goes on the run after a defector accuses her of being a Russian spy. Although its not the best film ever, its a good action flick which keeps you thinking. (Sorry, had to mention this one!)

Celtic sea salt

Also known as Sel gris, or Gray Salt. This is sea salt which uses solar evaporation methods, but is allowed to come into the contact with the bottom of the salt pan before being raked  (with wooden rakes), making it a greyish colour. It is a moist salt, meaning it does not suck all the moisture out of food when being used. This makes it ideal for heartier foods, like steak and root vegetables. It is also mineral rich, containing over 80 minerals and is herbicide and pesticide free.

Himalayan Crystal salt

This is the Grand Poo Bah of all salts. This is the most pure salt you can get. It contains the full spectrum of 84 minerals and trace elements that mother earth intended. It is an unprocessed, raw salt which is hand-mined from salt caves around the world formed 250 million years ago. Salt lamps can be bought made out of this salt and helps naturally ionise the air and adds an attractive glow to a room. Why is it called Himalayan? It used to be found just in the Himalayas, which would have to be considered one of the untouched natural paradises of Earth. Now it is farmed in many places around the world (mainly Pakistan), but the name still stuck.

Himalayan Salt Lamps - Hows the serenity?

So Celtic or Himalayan? Both seem pretty pure to me!

Himalayan salt is said to have numerous health benefits, including healthy pH balance for your body, blood sugar balances, promoting vascular health, supports respiratory health, helps with weight loss, promotes natural sleep cycles, supports your libido reduces the signs of aging, reduces muscle cramps and reduces sinus problems. This being said, this doesn’t mean you should go out and eat a kilo of Himalayan salt every day. Celtic sea salt has similar health benefits.

I believe Himalayan salt is more pure, as it is unclear how pure the waters are that Celtic sea salt is formed from. But ultimately, the choice is yours. Try both and see what you think!

Next time you ask someone to pass the salt, ask them to pass the Himalayan salt!