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Refined table salt can lead to fluid in the joints
This week, campaigner and food writer Heather Mills explains the body’s relationship with salt
There has been a lot of debate and confusion about the benefits and detrimental effects of salt. These constantly conflicting messages have made many people reduce their salt consumption to such a degree that they are suffering numerous other ailments because of it.
We need salt (NHS recommends adults eat no more than 6g salt a day) but it has to be the right type...
I used to add a pinch of Celtic sea salt and alternate it with a pinch of Himalayan salt (more potassium) in my bottle of water when I was high altitude ski racing.
The intensity of this training meant that if I didn’t I would get severe cramps in my foot. However, I am still surprised how many people use nutrient-deficient sodium table salt.
Natural sea salt contains 92 essential minerals whereas table salt – usually a byproduct of the chemical industry – contains only sodium and chlorine.
When your cells suffer from a dietary deficiency of trace elements, they lose their ability to control ions. This has serious consequences as cells in the body begin to burst. This can lead to nervous disorders, brain damage or muscle spasms, as well as, in the longer term, breakdown of cell regeneration.
Natural sea salt allows liquids to freely cross body membranes and blood vessel walls, and move freely through organs such as the kidneys.
Refined table salt can prevent the free crossing of liquids and minerals thereby causing fluids to accumulate and stagnate in the joints, lymphatic ducts, lymph nodes and kidneys.
The dehydrating effect of commercial salt can lead to gallstone formation, weight increase, high blood pressure and other health problems.
The body requires salt to properly digest carbohydrates. In the presence of saliva and gastric juices, natural salt is able to break down the fibrous parts of carbs. In its dissolved and ionised form, salt aids the digestive process and sanitises the digestive system.
So try and stick to Celtic sea salt and Himalayan varieties. And remember, you will be taking in plenty of processed salt in most foods when you eat out.