My Take On Salt
3/13/2010 1:54 PM
I often get e-mails on my opinion on salt. There are a lot of readers that are confused out there. No wonder they are, some say that salt is a plague to be avoided, and some say we need more.
Here are some points to consider:
1. Modern salt is like sugar and most oils consumed: a very refined product very far from its original form, hence its toxicity.
2. Salt intake has to be individualized. While restricting salt could be good to combat acne, it would be disastrous for someone trying to recover from adrenal fatigue. In certain genotypes, salt can aggravate osteoporosis.
3. The higher protein intake you have, the more salt you need. On every single Comprehensive Metabolic Profile we do, we always find that sodium is low in high protein users.
4. The more cooked you eat, the more salt you need to activate certain intestinal enzymes. That is why traditional Chinese food tends to be salty, as the Chinese eat very little raw food, as lets say the Eskimos who still eat their traditional diet.
5. Salt should have a color. Not that bland white stuff. Salt should be either pink, red, beige or grey. What that means is that it contains trace minerals and has not been highly processed. Now keep in mind that should not cost an arm and leg. It does not need to come from Tibet, be harvested by a blood type AB Buddhist monk who engages his pelvic floor before bending over, 10th out of fourteen children born during a full moon...etc. Good salt is readily available at any health food store. A great brand that I have used for years would be Celtic Sea Salt. That type of salt is about 82% sodium chloride, and 14% other minerals, magnesium being the large portion of it. If you live in Hawaii, Hawaiian Red Sea Salt is a great option. The iodine contained in colored salts in retained in tissue for a long time, as opposed to the refined one from supermarkets.
7 comment(s) so far...
Re: My Take On Salt
Thanks for the post, Charles. Is there any benefit in using rock salt (I personally use himalayan pink salt) versus sea salt? I have read about how sea salt coming from certain parts of the world can be contaminated. Is the natural craving for salt a good enough indicator of how much salt you need in your diet, given you don't have serious nutritional deficiencies?
By Kishore on
3/26/2010 9:41 AM
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Re: My Take On Salt
Great little article :)
Is Santa Maria Extra Fine Rock Salt a good choice?
By Fredrik Gyllensten on
3/26/2010 9:41 AM
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Re: My Take On Salt
Charles,
Glenn from D.C. here (not sure you remember me). Your article on meat and nuts for breakfast doesn't have a comment option, but the blog does. So I hope it's ok to transfer my question here. (Good post on salt, btw.)
What's your take on soaking nuts to remove the phytic acid? That anti-nutrient is one of the strong arguments that paleo dieters make against grains. Others say that's its not really necessary if nut consumption is kept in moderation--which of course raises the question of what's moderate.
Anyway... soaking nuts: helpful or hype?
Thanks
By Glenn on
3/26/2010 9:41 AM
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Re: My Take On Salt
Thanks Charles!
Now when I'm fighting with my clients and especially trainers I have some authority for reference. So easy and simple :)
I personally buying Himalayan salt from local healthy food store, pink in colour and not expensive at all
By Anna on
3/26/2010 9:41 AM
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Re: My Take On Salt
Kishore an Fredrik: I don't have any data or lab analysis on rock salt.
Glenn: Soaking nuts, and then roasting them is great for their nutrition value. Consult Sally Fallon's book "Nourishing Traditions" to learn more about it.
By Charles Poliquin on
3/26/2010 9:43 AM
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Re: My Take On Salt
Thanks ! Great info as always :)
By francine savard on
4/27/2011 7:05 PM
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Re: My Take On Salt
Excellent post as always Charles. Sodium is also so important in adrenal function. Will teach some lessons about taste testing sodium needs in my level 2 Lab Cert class next year.
By Mark Schauss on
11/18/2011 10:14 PM
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