Compiled by: Jitendra Gajjar

History of Himalayan Pink Salt

Millions & millions of years ago, with the formation of the magnificent Himalayan

Mountains, came the existence of Himalayan Mineral Salt Crystals. The Himalayas are

the world's most tranquil, serene, peaceful and undeveloped region; therefore the salt

crystals mined from the foothills of the Himalayas are still pure and untouched by

pollution.

Tremendous pressure and heat refines the structure of the salt crystals and make them

translucent. In comparison with European salt lamps, which are dull and opaque.

When mining the salt at the Himalayas, use of dynamites is strictly prohibited to

preserve the structure of the crystals. Mining by hand is painstaking and expensive.

What is Genuine Himalayan Crystal Salt? In today's modern society salt has been given a bad rap. It is considered unhealthy and

unnecessary. As industrialization came to a full swing, much of what we eat has been

genetically altered.

Today's common salt is chemically refined; all of the natural minerals are removed as

they are considered to be impurities and reduced only to sodium and chloride. This

process made the salt unhealthy; it is not a natural element and is poison to the body.

Eating common table salt results in the formation of edema, or excess fluid in the body

tissue, which is also the cause of cellulite. That's why doctors say to avoid salt. For

every gram of sodium chloride that the body cannot get rid of, the body uses twenty-

three times the amount of cell water to neutralize this salt. That makes our body weak

and prone to diseases.

Himalayan Salt is however pre-pollution and without environmental impact. It is

absolutely pristine, purest, totally natural, unrefined, cleanest and most complete Salt

available. It is identical in minerals to the ancient primal ocean with all the minerals

and trace elements our body needs. These natural minerals are identical to the

minerals, which our bodies have evolved with and are also originally found existing in

the primal ocean.

Life came from the sea, its nutrients and the suns energy. Millions of years ago when

the formation of the Himalayas begun, the primal ocean was naturally dried up with

the energy of the sun, as the mighty Himalayas were rising, over time with intense

pressure and temperatures salt became crystallized. The higher the amount of

pressure the more superior the crystalline structure. Alexander the great discovered it

and since then it has been a part of regular diet for natives.

Himalayan Salt is the finest; hand picked and stone ground crystal salt, which is

transparent with pink and reddish veins. Only Genuine Himalayan Crystal Salt should

be used for flavoring food, Brine solution and for bathing.

How Does Himalayan Salt compare to Sea Salt? Oceans cover 70% of our earth. However, the oceans are being degraded with nuclear waste, industrial waste and farm chemical run-off. Not a single year passes without major news of at least one fractured oil tanker causing catastrophe. Recent government warnings about the increased levels of mercury in our oceans limit us to eat fish only once or twice a month. Today, sea salt does not have the same positive impact on our health, as it used to. Most of the sea salt undergoes man-made refining to get it to the packaged commodity stage.

Where does it come from? Genuine Himalayan Salt is extracted by hand from the deepest and farthest levels of

the mines, located in the biggest salt range of the world.

Where is the salt range located? The salt range is located at the foothills, between the valleys of the Indus and Jhelum

rivers, in the northern part of the Punjab region of Pakistan. It derives its name from

extensive deposits of Crystal salt, which are one of the richest salt fields in the world;

they are of Precambrian age. The salt range is more than 1,600 feet (490 m) in

thickness and spread approximately 186 miles (300 km) beneath the Karakoram Range

and the Great Himalayas of Pakistan. Home to the world's greatest masses of high

mountains, nine of the world's fourteen 8,000-meter peaks are located here including

K2.

How is the Himalayan Crystal Salt Mined? All mining is done by hand. Use of dynamite is strictly prohibited to preserve the structure of the crystals. Mining by hand is slow and expensive.

Is Himalayan Salt mined in areas outside of Pakistan? No. The only source of Himalayan Crystal Salt is in Pakistan, which is well known to

locals.

Is there any analysis done for Himalayan Crystal Salt? Himalayan Crystal Salt has been analyzed by Fisher Environmental Laboratories, Toronto Canada. A chemical analysis report can be obtained here.

Who can Benefit from Himalayan Crystal Salt? Everyone: Individuals and business alike, Himalayan Crystal Salt is becoming the choice

for: health food store, spas, restaurants, gift shops, just to name a few.

What is Salt?

Salt is a mineral comprised mainly of the two elements, sodium and chloride. When we speak of salt, we mean unrefined, unprocessed, sodium chloride plus all of the other 82 natural occurring mineral elements held within the crystalline structure of the salt in its original form; holistic, wholesome, unaltered, and natural, the crystallized remains of an ancient, primal ocean that evaporated over 250,000,000 years ago, and is today coming from an exclusive mine in the Himalayan Mountains, Original Himalayan Crystal Salt®.

Life on Earth is not possible without salt. But our consumption of salt is killing us. Why is that? Because our regular table salt no longer has anything in common with the original crystal salt. Salt, now a days, is mainly sodium chloride and not salt. Natural, Original Himalayan Crystal Salt® consists not only of two, but also of all natural elements. These are exactly identical to the elements of which our bodies have been made and originally found existing in the "primal ocean" from where all life originated.

Salt and Your Health

It’s well known that salt is critical to your existence. But there is a tremendous difference between table salt versus crystal salt. Common table salt no longer has anything in common with the original crystal salt. Natural salt is "chemically cleaned" and reduced only to sodium and chloride. Important minerals and trace elements are considered "impure" and removed. The remaining salt by itself however, is not a natural element and is poison to the body. Modern methods of mining and chemical treatments have turned the 'white gold' into an almost useless substance.

Clinical research facts gathered from double-blind studies with PSYMPHONY™ – our unrefined and unprocessed Original Himalayan Crystal Salt®, have demonstrated a myriad of benefits of salt to your body. Crucial to your existence is the presence of the primary electrolytes of sodium (Na+), potassium (K+), calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+), chloride (Cl-), phosphate (PO43-), and hydrogen carbonate (HCO3-), plus other significant mineral salts. The electric charge symbols of plus (+) and minus (-) indicate that the substances are ionic in nature.

The words ions, ionic, and ionized refer to electrical charge or electrical potential. We commonly refer to this as ENERGY. Your body functions on Energy alone and requires a specific and complex combination of electrolytes to maintain the very delicate balance between the intracellular and extracellular environments of your body. Vital to your existence is the presence of precise quantities of the right electrolytes. It’s the electrolytes that affect and regulate the hydration of the body, blood pH, blood pressure, and are crucial for nerve and muscle function.

The muscle tissue and neurons of the body are considered electric tissues, able to conduct electricity. It’s the electrolyte activity in the body that activates the muscles to contract. There can be no thoughts and no words without natural salt in your body. And without sufficient levels of the key electrolytes mentioned above, muscle weakness or severe muscle contractions may occur.

Electrolyte balance is normally maintained by eating salt or drinking an electrolyte

containing substance, like sole. It is water and salt that regulates each and every

metabolic function of the body, including functions of the solid matter itself. Without

water and salt, this solid matter of our body is absolutely useless. It is water and salt

that energizes and activates our bodies!

Salt is the mediator between Energy and Matter. The word salt comes from the Latin word, Sal. In ancient times, the Roman soldiers were paid with salt. The Latin word salarium; meaning a payment made in salt, is the root of the word salary. The word sal is synonymous with its root origin, sol, again synonymous with the Sole, Latin for Sun. Mythologically, and from definition, sole means "liquid sunlight," the liquid materialization of the Sun's Energy bound into the geometric structure of a cube, capable of creating and sustaining life. This literally explains the origin of life on Earth;

from the Sole of the primal oceans. Interestingly, our blood contains the same salty solution as that of the primal sea; that is, a fluid consisting of water and salt. It also has the same concentration as existed in those days when life left the primal sea. This salty water flows through more than 56,000 miles of waterways and blood vessels throughout our organism with the forces of gravity and levity and regulates and balances every single function of our body. There can be no thoughts or actions without the presence of salt in the body.

Benefits of Salt

The benefits of salt are numerous. Salt has a tremendous power to transform. From a scientific view, salt has a unique property. Unlike other crystalline structures that are molecular, salt’s atomic structure is electrical. That is why salt is so transformable. It has the ability to give up or surrender its material structure and transform into something electrical, ions. When we combine salt with water, the salt dissolves and the minerals that are hidden inside the cubic form are released as ions, both positively and negatively charged particles. The result is a supercharged potion of ionized minerals.

A Brief History of Salt

Salt has become an inexpensive and readily available commodity that most of us take for granted. But in older times salt was heavily taxed and wars were fought over it. In some ancient civilizations, salt was in such high demand that it was actually minted into coins to serve as the basic currency.

Where salt was scarce, it became as valuable as gold. As the Roman stateman Cassiodorus observed, “Some seek not gold, but there lives not a man who does not need salt.” Salt was traded ounce-per-ounce with gold – if that were still the case we’d have to pay $300-$400 per ounce of salt!

Because everyone, rich and poor, craves salt, rulers going back at least as far as the Chinese emperor Yu in 2200 B.C. have tried mightily to control and tax it. Salt taxes helped finance empires throughout Europe and Asia, but also inspired a lively black market, smuggling rings, riots, and even revolutions.

Why Real Salt is Essential for Health

Understanding Real Salt Grain Sizes

Refined vs Unrefined Salt

Salt Truths Read "The 13 Amazing Health Benefits of Himalayan Crystal Salt, the Purest Salt on Earth" Read

The Typical Table And Cooking Salt In Your Grocery Store Has Been "Chemically Cleaned"

You Are Losing Precious Intracellular Water When You Eat Normal Table Salt

So Why Are Many People Still Using Table Salt?

The 3 White Poisons Read

1. White Salt The Consequences of Consuming Refined Table Salt

Himalayan Crystal Salt & Sea Salt Information Read

The Conductivity of Salt

White Gold to White Poison

How Salt Became Sodium Chloride

How Table Salt Burdens the Body

The Consequences of Consuming Table Salt

Chemically Speaking

Pure salt consists of the elements sodium and chlorine. Its chemical name is sodium chloride and its formula is NaCl. Its mineral name is halite.

Table salt is a chemically simple combination of two components, sodium and chlorine. The basic components of salt are, by themselves, potentially dangerous. Sodium will ignite immediately if it comes into contact with water, and chlorine is poisonous if ingested. In combination, though, the two elements form sodium chloride, commonly known as salt.

The Human Side of Salt In the body, salt is as important to humans as water or air, in fact each of us contain from four to eight ounces of salt. Salt helps maintain the normal volume of blood in the body and also helps keep the correct balance of water in and around the cells and tissues. It is also necessary for the formation and proper function of nerve fibers, which carry impulses to and from the brain, and plays an important part in the digestion of food and is essential in making the heart beat correctly.

The sodium found in salt is an essential nutrient. Sodium, together with calcium, magnesium and potassium, helps regulate the body’s metabolism. In combination with potassium, it regulates the acid-alkaline balance in our blood and is also necessary for proper muscle functioning. When we don’t get enough sodium chloride, we experience muscle cramps, dizziness, exhaustion and, in extreme cases, convulsions and death. Salt is essential to our well being.

For years, many researchers have claimed that salt threatens public health, mostly by contributing to high blood pressure. Recently, though, other researchers have begun to change salt’s reputation. A recent review of salt studies conducted over the past two decades concluded that there’s no reason for doctors to recommend reducing sodium intake for people with normal blood pressure. It may be that most of us are protected from excessive salt by our kidneys, which regulate the body’s sodium level and eliminate any excess.

Salt as a Healing Agent

Salt cures aren’t new. In the early 19th Century, sick people traveled to rudimentary spas such as French Lick Springs in Indiana and Big Bone Lick, Kentucky, to soak in salt springs. Today’s more luxurious spas offer salt baths, glows, rubs and polishes to exfoliate dead skin, stimulate circulation and relieve stress.

The Source of Salt

All salts come from a sea, but not all salts come from the oceans we know today. The oceans that once covered the earth left a generous supply of salt beds and underground deposits which provide pure salt unpolluted by modern mankind. Crystaline salt deposits are found on every continent, from oceans that contained an estimated four-and-a-half million cubic miles of salt.

There are two basic methods for removing salt from the ground: room-and-pillar mining and solution mining. In room-and-pillar mining, shafts are sunk into the ground, and miners break up the rock salt with drills. The miners remove chunks of salt, creating huge rooms that are separated by pillars of salt. The room-and-pillar method requires that about half the salt be left behind as pillars. In solution mining, a well is drilled into the ground, and two pipes are lowered into the hole. The pipes consist of a small central pipe inside a larger pipe. The brine is either shipped as a liquid or evaporated in special devices called vacuum pans to form solid salt.

Salt’s Many Uses

Only about five percent of the world’s annual salt production ends up as seasoning at the dinner table. The vast majority pours into chemical plants, where it leads the five major raw materials utilized by industry: salt, sulfur, limestone, coal and petroleum.

Salt pickles cucumbers, helps pack meat, can vegetables, cure leather, make glass, bread, butter, cheese, rubber and wood pulp. Salt has some 14,000 uses, more than any other mineral.

Salt is essential. In humans, it is a basic component of taste, along with sweet, sour and bitter.

During the lifetime of the average American, he or she will use:

750 pounds of zinc 800 pounds of lead 1,500 pounds of copper 3,600 pounds of aluminum 26,000 pounds of clay 28,000 pounds of salt 33,000 pounds of iron 365,000 pounds of coal 1,240,000 pounds of sand, gravel and cement

In Your Kitchen

In cooking, salt acts as more than seasoning, pulling flavors together and accenting them. As a dry crystal, it preserves meat and fish by drawing out the moisture. It also

acts as a meat tenderizer. It can be employed in a dough that is wrapped around meat or fish and turns into a flavor-sealing crust as it bakes.

Not all salt is the same. The ordinary table salt that most of us eat is too refined; it lacks the minerals we need. Also, yellow prussiate of soda and other additives and preservatives are added to prevent caking, dextrose is even added to improve flavor. About half of all table salt is supplemented with potassium iodide, which wards off goiter. RealSalt contains 50 natural occurring trace minerals like calcium, potassium, sulphur, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, manganese, copper, iodine and zinc.

Is Salt Really Bad For Me?

It’s been decades since we started hearing about salt’s damaging effects on our bodies, and it seems salt is only getting less popular as time goes by. Recently, state senators in New York flirted with legislation that would even make it illegal for restaurants to salt their food, treating salt as if it were on par with second-hand cigarette smoke.

Is salt so bad that we need laws to protect us from its effects? Well, you’re reading this on the website of a salt company, so you can probably guess what we think. But being predictable doesn’t mean we’re on the wrong track, so if you have a few minutes, let’s examine the salt myth in context and see what all the fuss is about.

Salt is essential for life

Let’s take a big step away from the salt debate and look at things from a distance. If you are admitted to any modern hospital in the world, chances are very good that one of the first people you meet will be very interested in finding the biggest vein in your arm so they can stick you with a needle and introduce saline solution (salt water)

directly into your body. Since hospital workers are generally in the life-preserving and health-improving business, it’s probably safe to assume that salt, itself, is not something we need to keep out of our bodies.

I know, there’s a difference between eating salt and getting an IV, and you’re still wondering whether you can trust a salt company when we tell you salt is good for you. I guess it’s a good time to break out the sources. A 2006 study published in The American Journal of Medicinetells us that “sodium intake of less than 2300 mg (the daily recommended allowance) was associated with a 37% increase in cardiovascular disease mortality and a 28% increase of all-cause mortality.” Mortality is a rather polite word for dying, so in other words, people who consume too little salt are more likely to die than other people. Other peer-reviewed journals have released similar results in 2000, 2004, 2006, and even 1960, and several authors and health experts complain loudly when they hear people dismissing salt. (Scroll down to the bottom for links directly to the reports.) So why does salt have such a bad reputation? Well, to go back to our hypothetical hospital visit, you can be sure your nurse isn’t simply dumping bleached table salt into the drinking fountain water to prepare those IV bags — hospitals and health care professionals understand that all salt isn’t the same.

All salt is not created equal

Did you know that all salt could technically be considered “sea salt”? Some salt is harvested from current oceans, some from dead seas, and some is mined from ancient sea beds, but the sea is (or was) ultimately the source of all salt. Sea water usually contains more than 60 essential trace minerals, but most salt producers today remove these high-profit minerals and sell them to vitamin manufacturers before selling the remaining salt to you and me to dump on our hash browns.

That would be okay, but when you remove the trace minerals that used to accompany sodium chloride, you typically get a bitter flavor that many producers try to mask with chemicals or even sugar. (Go ahead — grab your salt shaker and read the ingredients. See any dextrose? Yep, that’s sugar!) Even worse, when you consume chemically treated or de-mineralized salt, your body’s mineral balance doesn’t always respond gracefully. When people started consuming chemically altered salts 100 years ago, we started seeing high blood pressure and water retention that had never been associated with salt before. Interestingly enough, our customers tell us these are the same problems that go away when natural salt replaces “table salt” in their diet.

Watch SALT MINES – History – Modern Marvels

In other words, salt can be bad for your health, but real salt is actually a crucial part of good health! That’s why, more than 50 years ago, we named our brand Real Salt: Your body knows the difference between what is real and what has been chemically altered. Real Salt is salt exactly the way nature made it. You can taste the difference on your tongue, and you can feel a difference in your health.

Comparing Real Salt to Himalayan or Celtic

We’re going to do something today most companies don’t like to do: we’re going to say nice things about the competition.

No, that doesn’t mean we’re going to be kind to that bitter, chemically treated white table salt you still find in far too many kitchens, because if you understand the health benefits of Real Salt you already know that Real Salt and table salt aren’t even the same product. But we are going to answer a question we hear a lot when people are considering their salt options: What’s the difference between Real Salt and Celtic or Himalayan salt? (Are you wondering why we’re only talking about Celtic and Himalayan? It’s because we are, first and foremost, salt lovers, and if for some reason Real Salt didn’t exist, Celtic and Himalayan are really the only other brands we’d consider using. But we’d still dearly miss Real Salt. Read on.)

First, a Real Salt reminder…

Just so we know we’re all on the same page, Real Salt is an all natural unrefined sea salt harvested from an ancient ocean. It’s full of those natural minerals that make it healthy, delicious, and pink or red looking, and though we do hate to boast we’re also the best-selling brand in America’s health food stores. Yay, Real Salt!

With that in mind, here are the differences between Real Salt and our second-favorite sea salt brands.

Celtic Sea Salt

Celtic Salt is a great salt harvested from the current ocean. They do a terrific job with their salt, harvesting it by hand and leaving it unprocessed so it contains those important trace minerals. Compared to Real Salt, the biggest difference is that the current ocean is exposed to many environmental challenges (mercury, lead, plastic & petroleum toxins, chemicals, etc.) that ancient seas never experienced. (That’s not to say Celtic users have anything to worry about, but we people do tend to foul up the oceans terribly, sometimes.)

Himalayan Pink

Like Real Salt, the Himalayan brands are harvested from an ancient salt deposit that would have been created long before there were any modern toxins. Geologically, the Himalayan deposit is very similar to Real Salt; they both have the full spectrum of minerals and both can be considered crystal salts. Tasted side by side, Real Salt is a bit sweeter, while Himalayan tends toward an earthy flavor.

The big difference between Real Salt and Himalayan is to do with consequences of geography. Real Salt comes from the USA (Redmond, Utah), and the Himalayan deposits are in and around Khewra, Pakistan. There are 17 different mines supplying the Himalayan brands, and some have more modern standards than others. Generally, Real Salt is half the cost (we’re so glad we don’t have to ship it from Pakistan!) and we know you can always trust the quality, processes, and labor policies that bring Real Salt to your kitchen.

Why Himalayan Pink Crystal Salt is so much better for your health

than processed table salt

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/028724_Himalayan_salt_sea.html#ixzz2gp3erXXN

If you've been reading NaturalNews for long, you've heard me talk about the

importance of switching from processed table salt to a "full spectrum" salt. Table salt --

or "white salt" -- is to real salt as table sugar is to dehydrated cane juice. Both white

table salt and white sugar are devoid of the full spectrum of minerals and other

nutrients that protect and enhance your health.

Here in Ecuador, I regularly drink jugo de caña, for example (fresh, raw sugar cane

juice), but I would never think of eating refined white sugar. I don't use refined white

table salt, either. Instead, I use Himalayan Pink Crystal Salt because it contains the full

spectrum of 84 minerals and trace elements just like Mother Earth intended. It is an

unrefined, unprocessed "raw" salt that's hand-mined from abundant salt caves that

were formed 250 million years ago as ocean salt settled in certain geologic pockets

around the earth.

Most of the western world thinks of salt as sodium chloride -- a highly refined,

processed white substance that's devoid of nutrients. Salt is so devoid of nutrients, in

fact, that in the early 20th century, doctors noticed that people who ate white table

salt started to suffer chronic degenerative diseases such as goiter. This was caused by

the lack of iodine in the salt.

Iodine deficiency, by the way, is the No. 1 most preventable cause of mental

retardation. Eating processed salt that lacks iodine, in other words, can cause your

offspring to be retarded.

Now what's really interesting about processed table salt is that it's missing over 80

minerals. But they only put ONE mineral back in -- iodine. That's because iodine is the

one mineral that causes the most obvious disease (goiter is sort of hard to not notice).

Iodine is a naturally occurring mineral in the ocean. It's abundant in seafood and in

real sea salt, but it's completely missing from refined white table salt.

So they started adding iodine to table salt, creating "iodized salt."

But why would you want to eat salt that's been artificially enriched with ONE mineral

when you could be eating salt that naturally contains eighty-four minerals?

Himalayan Pink Crystal Salt contains 84 minerals and trace minerals, including iodine!

And below we share a link where you can get it at 33% off...

Beware of the "sea salt" scam

You've probably noticed a lot of processed salt companies now claiming to offer "sea

salt." The truth is, virtually all salt is sea salt because it all came from the sea at one

time or another in the Earth's history.

The term "sea salt" is essentially meaningless. White processed salt can still be called

"sea salt" even though it is devoid of full-spectrum sea minerals.

The way to tell if your salt is really full-spectrum salt is to look at the color. If it's pure

white, it's not full-spectrum. White salt is just like white sugar: It's missing the key

supporting minerals and nutrients your body needs.

Full-spectrum salt always has a non-white color. Celtic Sea Salt, for example (which is

really good salt) has a brownish sandy color. Our Pink Himalayan salt is a sort of sandy

rose color. All the truly natural full-spectrum salts are sandy or brownish in color.

Some other things you may not know about full-spectrum salt:

• This product stores for years. It's naturally shelf-stable as long as you keep it

relatively dry and unopened. Store in a dark, cool place for longest shelf life.

• Full-spectrum salt is a crucial preparedness item. Your body cannot live without salt,

and in a crisis situation, real salt may be very difficult to come by in many areas.

Storing full-spectrum salt is not only good for your health today; it's a type of

nutritional insurance against future food shortages.

• If you exercise a lot, juice a lot or live in a very hot climate, your body may

actually need more salt than you're getting. But processed salt doesn't provide all

the minerals your body needs to replenish. Only full-spectrum salt fulfills your body's

true salt needs.

• A craving for junk foods is often just a craving for full-spectrum salt. When your body

lacks minerals, it urges you to consume more. This is often mistranslated in your mind

as a craving for salty snack foods. But consuming full-spectrum salt (in a reasonable

amount) can often ease your junk food cravings.

Where it comes from

Our Himalayan Pink Crystal Salt comes from the Himalayan Region of the Karakoram

mountain range located 400 miles from the Hunza Valley in Pakistan.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karakoram)

Our salt is always stone ground. No metal ever touches the salt during grinding. All the

salt is extracted by hand from the salt caves (ancient sea bed deposits). No salt from

other sources is mixed with this salt. This is 100% from the Karakoram mountain range

salt caves.

These salt deposits are roughly 250 million years old, meaning they were deposited

long before the earth became polluted with heavy metals, pesticides and PCBs. While

there is really no such thing as "organic" salt, this is probably the most pristine salt

you'll find anywhere on the planet. Eating this salt is a lot like going back in time and

consuming minerals from pre-industrial Earth.

Confront Salt Confusion

Salt is currently considered a leading culprit for high blood pressure and other health

problems. This is based on the premise that a high sodium intake creates high blood

pressure, which can lead to heart attacks, arterial, and kidney problems. Salt is high in

sodium. But sodium is essential for proper absorption of other major nutrients and

functioning of nerves and muscles, as well as being necessary for balancing water and

minerals in the body.

Lately there have been studies that strongly question the research on sodium hazards,

as well as the recommended maximum sodium intakes from that research. There has

been a survey in New York, conducted over several years on hypertension prone locals,

which showed that those with high sodium intakes had proportionately less heart

attacks than those who were put on low sodium diets! And now there are even MD`s

who claim that the right type of salt, unrefined, has more health benefits than health

hazards.

A major confusion is that only refined commercial and household salt is known as salt

to most of medical science and consumers. It is the most prevalent, by far. Refined salt,

stripped of its natural mineral structure, is virtually all sodium. As a matter of fact, it is

97% to 99% sodium! That`s why it is called Sodium Chloride. Processed foods are laced

with Sodium Chloride refined salt as well as with other types of sodium, such as

sodium benzoate, sodium nitrate, and the notorious monosodium glutamate (MSG). So

if you are concerned about your sodium levels, then cut out processed foods!

Part of the process for refined salt, or commercial table salt, involves the use

of aluminum, ferro cyanide and bleach. These are all toxic materials that your body

takes in with refined, commercial salt. And because of that process, almost all the vital

minerals that real, unrefined salt can offer are removed! One or two servings of refined

salt won`t send you to the grave. But continued almost daily use will avail you to the

perils of aluminum toxicity. Ferro cyanide is listed by the EPA as a toxic material for

human consumption. You are probably aware of the hazards to human health of

chlorine, which is used to bleach the salt.

There's more on aluminum toxicity here: www.hbci.com/~wenonah/hydro/al.htm

According to Dr. David Brownstein, author of Salt Your Way to Health, unrefined salt is

an excellent detoxification aid, as well as a provider of mineral nutrients in a naturally

bio-available balance. There are usually around 80 minerals and essential trace

elements in unrefined, organic salt. Soil grown food is lacking in many of these because

the soil has been depleted of trace elements and minerals. Some of the major minerals

included with unrefined salt are: Magnesium (a very essential metabolic agent),

calcium, potassium, and sulfate. Obviously, sodium is present also, but it comprises

only 50% of the total mineral content rather than the 99% sodium in refined table salt.

Regular consumer table salt, refined, sometimes has iodine added in order to promote

thyroid health. Dr. Brownstien has devoted a good deal of his practice and research on

thyroid and glandular health. He says there is less iodized salt now than before, and

the amount of iodine in iodized salt is insufficient for optimum thyroid health anyway.

Iodine is an important agent for glandular health, and it is also scarcely present in our

food anymore. Unless you eat a lot of seafood and roll the dice with mercury!

Dr. Brownstein strongly advocates the use of unrefined, organic salt with iodine

supplements, preferably a combination of potassium iodide and iodine. He maintains

that these two dietary items contribute largely toward optimum endocrine health,

which is vital for a strong immune system.

Unrefined salt has a distinctively different look from refined salt. It is usually too course

to be used in salt shaker. You may want to invest in a salt grinder. And it is usually not

very white. Off white is more common, even pink or gray for unrefined pure salt. The

extreme white of common household or commercial salt is a result of bleaching. But

buyer beware, some so called sea salts offered on line and especially in health food

stores are at least partially processed. Avoid sea salt that is too white and too fine as a

rule of thumb.

If you are very concerned about getting the purest available product, and you don`t

have anyone`s advice you can trust, look for "organic certification". Since salt is mined

or taken from salt water beds, organic has different implications than produce and

animal product organic requirements. But the standards are there and they are

strict. The two groups that certify salt as organic are BIO-GRO of New Zealand, and

Nature & Progresre of France.

You may come across an analysis of organic salt minerals, or a commentary on such,

that mentions fluoride as a constituent. But there are two types of fluoride. One,

Calcium Fluoride, is an element that occurs as a natural process over time within the

earth`s soil, rock, and water areas. This is the fluoride that originally was claimed as a

deterrent against tooth decay. Wikipedia notes that while all other fluorides are

dangerous for human consumption, calcium fluoride is not. And it`s Calcium Fluoride

that would be in any unrefined salt analysis.

The other fluoride, Sodium Fluoride, is a synthetic, poisonous fluoride. It has been used

as rat poison. It`s a waste by-product of the aluminum industry, fertilizer industry, and

nuclear industry. It`s their way of picking up a lot of easy bucks by selling it to

municipalities for their water supplies instead of suffering the expense of getting rid of

it. That`s the stuff that`s been going into our water supplies, causing health problems,

and assisting in the dumbing down of America. Either the dentists didn`t distinguish

between those two, or perhaps they didn`t even know there were two types of

fluoride.

It appears that organically produced, unrefined salt should be a healthy addition to our

diets. It offers bio-available, balanced minerals that aren`t naturally present in our food

chain. It does not contain the poisons of industry that are a part of refined salt. Yes,

too much of a good thing can be bad. But again, the sodium of refined salt and other

food additives is curbed best by eliminating processed foods, which contain several

toxic sodium sources as well as unrefined salt, from the diet. Dr. Brownstein`s advice,

using organic, unrefined salt with a little bit of iodine supplementation, seems like a

natural and economical way to boost one`s immune system.

Our Low Sodium Sea Salt has the perfect balance of potassium and sodium with trace

elements from the Red Sea and sea salt minerals from the Dead Sea. This unique

combination of Mediterranean sea salts gives NutraSalt™ its good salt taste and good

health with 66% less sodium than any standard table salt or sea salt. That’s why

NutraSalt is the Good Salt!

NutraSalt Low Sodium Sea Salt can be used in cooking, baking, and as a table sea salt.

Replace your high sodium table salt with our low sodium sea salt and enjoy the health

benefits today.

NutraSalt allows you to enjoy the exquisite flavor of Sea Salt while providing astounding health and wellness benefits. How? New health research has proven that our bodies require a perfect balance of potassium and sodium for optimal health. NutraSalt not only offers 66% less sodium content than other salt products, but it delivers the ideal balance of natural potassium and sodium in each serving as well.

Potassium plays a critical role in overall wellness. While the human body requires sodium to function, we know that too much sodium can lead to serious health risks. Natural potassium allows the body to regulate sodium levels by encouraging the kidneys to excrete excess amounts of sodium. The right balance of potassium and sodium can reduce the risk of high blood pressure, cardiovascular and kidney disease.

What is the difference between Salt and Sodium?

Common and regular sea salt is a combination of the two minerals, Sodium and

Chloride. Salt is comprised of 40% Sodium and 60% Chloride. One level teaspoon of salt

contains approximatly 2,400 mg of Sodium.

What makes NutraSalt different than other salts?

Not only does all-natural NutraSalt contain 66% less sodium than common Sea Salts

and table salts, but NutraSalt provides a perfect balance of sodium and potassium in

every serving – critical to maintaining good heart health.

What is the sodium content in a teaspoon of salt?

Salt is 40% sodium. Use this chart to calculate how much sodium you consume and

how much less sodium one consumes by using NutraSalt.

How is NutraSalt made?

All natural NutraSalt is harvested from the seas of the Mediterranean and crafted with

minerals from the Dead Sea for added health benefits.

What causes Hypertension?

There are several factors that can contribute to Hypertension, including:

• Aging. • Drinking more than 2 alcohol drinks a day for men or more than 1 alcohol drink a day for women. • Consuming too much sodium. • Being overweight or obese. • Having high cholesterol. • Not exercising. • Being under a lot of stress. • Eating a diet low in potassium, magnesium, and calcium. • Being insulin-resistant.

Two of these factors NutraSalt can provide a benefit – reducing sodium and providing potassium.

Potassium and Sodium: The Dynamic Duo

Potassium and sodium are essential for life. Molecular pumps that pull potassium into

cells and push sodium out create a chemical battery that drives the transmission of

signals along nerves and powers the contraction of muscles. Potassium and sodium

help the kidneys work properly.

They are important for energy production and fluid balance. And researchers are

beginning to tease out their roles in bone health.

Thousands of years ago, when humans roamed the earth gathering and hunting,

potassium was abundant, while sodium was scarce. The so-called Paleolithic diet

delivered about 11,000 milligrams (mg) of potassium a day, much of it from fruits,

vegetables, leaves, flowers, roots, and other plant sources, but well under 700 mg of

sodium. The scarcity of sodium is reflected in the human body's marvelous ability to

hold onto this substance.

Today, sodium is easy to come by, inexpensive, and abundant in our diets. The average

American consumes between one and three teaspoons of salt a day, or somewhere

between 2,500 and 7,500 mg of sodium, much of it hidden in processed or prepared

foods. That's far more than the scant 200 mg a day the body needs. It's a different

story for potassium. We average 2,500 mg a day, about half of the 4,700 mg minimum

recommended for adults.

In healthy individuals, the kidneys respond to excess sodium by flushing it out in the

urine. Unfortunately, this also removes potassium. If potassium levels are low, the

body tries to hoard it, which also means hanging onto sodium. Water follows sodium,

leading to an increase in the amount of water in the body and the volume of blood in

circulation. Blood pressure climbs, and the heart must work harder. Excess sodium

blunts the ability of blood vessels to relax and contract with ease, and may also over

stimulate the growth of heart tissue. All of these responses are made worse by low

potassium intake.

In some people, especially those with high blood pressure, heart failure, or impaired

kidney function, the kidneys hang onto sodium no matter what, further complicating

the picture. One way to flush sodium out of the body is by getting more potassium. An

interesting report from the Trials of Hypertension Prevention suggests that changing

the balance between these two minerals can help the heart and arteries.

Salt and Bones

Most of the focus on sodium and potassium centers on their effects on the kidneys,

blood vessels, and heart. But these minerals affect every part of the body, including

the relentless breakdown and buildup of bone. A diet high in sodium increases the

amount of calcium excreted in the urine. This loss is especially prominent when

calcium intake is low, as it is for so many Americans. Loss of calcium can contribute to

osteoporosis, the age-related weakening of bones.

One way to combat the problem is by taking in more calcium from food or

supplements. Getting more potassium, in the range of the recommended 4,700 mg a

day, can also help.

To be sure, there is more to bone health than sodium and potassium. Heredity, lack of

exercise, hormone levels (low testosterone in men, low estrogen in women), and a

dearth of vitamin D and vitamin K can also weaken bones. But it's good to know that a

positive change made for your heart is doing good things elsewhere in the body.

A Diet for the Ages

Our Stone Age ancestors consumed about 16 times more potassium than sodium.

Modern tribes of hunter-gatherers have similarly high ratios. That's a far cry from the

average American diet, which has about twice as much sodium as potassium. In a

typical example—bacon, eggs, and tomato juice for breakfast; a ham sandwich and a

soda for lunch; a bag of tortilla chips for a snack; and fettuccine alfredo, canned green

beans, and garlic bread for dinner — there are 1,600 mg of potassium and 4,100 mg of

sodium, for a ratio of 0.4 to 1.

One way to prevent or fight high blood pressure and keep the heart healthy is to boost

the amount of potassium you get while at the same time reducing your sodium intake.

(Note: Check with your doctor before boosting your intake of potassium. Although it's

a good strategy for many, it can be harmful to people with kidney disease or heart

failure, or those who are taking certain kinds of diuretics, or "water pills.")

The best way to get more potassium and less sodium is by eating more fresh fruits and

vegetables, beans, fish, homemade foods, and low-salt versions of prepared foods. You

can top the 4,700-milligram mark for potassium and stay under 800 mg of sodium. Add

in some exercise and, though you aren't living like people in the Stone Age, you might

have arteries as healthy as they had.

Real Salt, Iodine, and Radiation

The recent earthquake in Japan has affected millions of people directly and much of the world emotionally. Beyond the heart-wrenching images coming from Japan, damaged nuclear reactors have released radiation into the surrounding area, leading

to speculation that unusually high levels of radiation will soon follow weather patterns around the globe. As a result, many people are looking for ways to supplement their body’s supply of iodine, and several have contacted us here to ask if the iodine in Real Salt will help.

Iodine and Radiation

Your thyroid gland uses iodine to make hormones, so it tends to concentrate iodine whenever it is introduced into your body. One substance released during nuclear accidents like the one in Japan is radioactive iodine called I-131. Your thyroid can’t distinguish between natural iodine and I-131, so if you were to be exposed to nuclear radiation your thyroid could potentially stockpile enough I-131 to lead to cancer some years later.

The thyroid is particularly good at absorbing iodine, but if it is already saturated with iodine–say, from potassium iodide tablets or naturally occurring sources–it is less likely to absorb the damaged I-131. That is why the Japanese government issued potassium iodide, and it also explains why so many people the world over are suddenly interested in the supplement today.

Real Salt and Iodine

The trace amount of iodine found in Real Salt is not sufficient to saturate thyroid tissue with natural iodine and prevent the absorption of I-131. In fact, even artificially iodized table salt would be insufficient–you would have to eat so much you’d be sick. There are natural foods rich in iodine that certainly wouldn’t do you any harm — kelp is the iodine superstar, but yogurt, cow’s milk, eggs, strawberries, and mozzarella cheese are also high in iodine. (You can read more about the iodine in Real Salt.)

Chance of Exposure

The destruction in Japan is spectacular and visually arresting, so it’s easy for us to imagine the worst possible global scenario. But despite what you may have read in that forwarded email, experts agree that radioactive particles from the failing reactors will not reach the United States–not even the islands of Hawaii, which are far closer to the failing reactors than most of the country.

What Can We Do?

The United States has 104 nuclear power plants, and if you live within 20 miles of one you might consider stocking up on potassium iodide tablets. For most of us in America

and around the globe, though, perhaps the best thing we can do is donate what we can to ease the suffering of the victims of this horrible destruction.

Does Real Salt have the Iodine we need?

If you had been on a certain bridge in Sarajevo in late June of 1914, you might have

been unfortunate enough to witness the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. If

you were particularly savvy, you might have predicted that the assassination would

change the world forever–it was the spark that ignited the first world war–but you

probably wouldn’t have guessed that it would also change salt forever.

A few years later, the United States military noticed something about the young men from America’s Midwest: many of them were unfit for service because of enlarged thyroid glands. A panel established to determine the cause discovered that soil in the Midwest (and therefore much of the region’s population) had become iodine deficient. Without iodine we humans tend to develop goiter, and as any general knows, men with goiter make poor soldiers.

So a group of Very Smart People set about finding ways to supplement our diet with iodine. (We could have started eating more fish, seaweed, cow’s milk, onion, garlic, pineapple, or artichokes, but Very Smart People have always thought that relying on nature is old-fashioned.) Eventually, these Very Smart People discovered that potassium iodide could be added to table salt, and as long as they also added sugar (dextrose) to prevent the iodide from yellowing the salt, the population wouldn’t be able to tell much difference.

Unfortunately, another group of smart people has more recently examined the usefulness of iodized table salt and found it to be less effective than the Very Smart People had hoped. Dr. David Brownstein and others have discovered that the iodine added to salt is at best about 10% bio-available — which means that if you consume 100 micrograms, your body will only be able to use 10 micrograms. Iodine that occurs naturally in food is almost 100% bio-available.

I know, you’re thinking I’m dodging the question. Here’s the answer. Real Salt does contain naturally-occurring iodine, but not enough to satisfy the recommended daily allowance of 150 micrograms. Real Salt doesn’t provide the recommended daily

allowance of protein, either. Or fat. Because nature intended salt to provide our bodies with sodium chloride and trace minerals!

So, instead of using chemically-processed, unhealthy salt in order to get iodine, we like to stick with Real Salt and get naturally occurring iodine from other delicious sources like kelp, yogurt, eggs, strawberries, and mozzarella cheese. Yum!

Is High Blood Pressure Linked to Salt, or Sugar?

A certified nutritional therapist, Craig Fear, recently wrote a blog post we liked so well, we asked him if he’d like to share it on the Real Salt blog as well. If you’re into nutrition you’ll want to check out Craig’s website, and if you’re into being healthy (who isn’t?), take a few minutes to read this post!

Why Sugar Will Raise Your Blood Pressure More Than Salt

By Craig Fear, NTP – Certified Nutritional Therapist To salt or not to salt, that is the question.

According to your doctor, your government, just about every major health organization, and probably your mother (at least mine) salt will raise your blood pressure. This thinking is so pervasive that it’s taken as a fact by just about everyone.

It also sells A LOT of drugs.

I ended last week’s blog about bone broths with four tips to ensure a good supply of minerals in the diet. My last tip was to consume salt liberally. I then proclaimed that there is no connection to salt intake and high blood pressure.

OK, I lied.

I admit it. There is a connection.

But it’s not nearly as much as you think.

Let me explain why in a somewhat roundabout way.

Carbs and water weight As part of my nutrition practice I teach a 12 week group weight loss class. The program is called “Get at the Roots” because each week we discuss a different underlying cause of weight gain with steps to correct it. Class members learn to address their digestive issues. They learn to identify hidden food sensitivities. They learn how to correct fatty acid deficiencies, hormonal imbalances, brain chemistry deficiencies and many others.

However, the most important underlying issue is addressed in week 1. This is the ultimate foundation. Everything is predicated on this. And that is carbohydrate restriction. More specifically, refined carbohydrate restriction (notice I did not say calorie restriction). Class members learn right from the start that it is not how much they eat but what they eat that is most important. In week 1 we discuss the science of carbs and see how they’re broken down into sugar in the body. We then see how too much sugar in the blood is dangerous and how the body converts and stores sugar as fat.

We take a historical look at the evolution of the American diet in the 20th century and see the clear influence of industry with the rise of refined carbohydrates. We see a clear connection to this trend and the rise of chronic diseases in industrialized countries. We explore the bad science that has led to the idea that fat is bad. We dismantle the myth that fat makes us fat and we learn how vital it is to our body’s functioning. And we learn how fat and protein switch the body’s metabolism from fat storing to fat burning.

“Yeah yeah yeah, so what does this have to do with salt?!” you ask.

Generally speaking most class members lose the most weight in the first two weeks of the 12 week class. But they’re not really losing fat. They’re losing water. Why? Carbohydrates cause the body to hold on to water. When the water volume increases in our blood, the pressure in our blood vessels increase.

The same can happen when we consume salt.

However, only one of these will cause chronically elevated blood pressure. Let’s see which one is the true culprit.

Understanding Salt

Salt is composed mostly of sodium and chloride. We can’t live without either. Our blood, sweat and tears are salty. Sodium and chloride play vital roles in nerve conduction, muscle contraction (including the heart), digestion and blood pressure, to name a few.

As with everything, our body regulates their concentrations so they don’t get too high or too low.

Sodium’s concentration in our blood is maintained by water. The kidneys job is to maintain this concentration. Consume more salt and your kidneys will excrete it into the urine along with water to flush it out. Consume less salt and the kidneys will hold on to water to maintain the concentration.

So when we consume salt, the blood pressure goes up slightly as the kidneys work to maintain the right concentration. And vice versa. This has given us the belief that reducing salt in our diet will lower our blood pressure. Of course it does, but here’s the million dollar question:

Does it drop our blood pressure enough to resolve chronically high blood pressure?

And the answer is a resounding NO!

Reducing salt in your diet has a minimal effect on lowering your blood pressure. Because salt is so vital to your health, your body will hold on to it in your bloodstream so it doesn’t get too diluted. If you have high blood pressure, study after study has shown that a significant reduction of salt in your diet will only drop it 2-5 millimeters of mercury (mmHg).

Hypertension is defined as having a systolic pressure (top number) of at least 20 mmHg over normal and a diastolic pressure (bottom number) at least 10 mmHG over normal. Normal is considered 120/80 mmHg so hypertension is defined as being above 140/90 (Prehypertension is the range between normal and hypertension). Therefore, reducing hypertension by 2-5 mmHg via salt restriction when you’re already at least 20 mmHg over what is considered normal just gets you slightly less hypertension. This does not resolve hypertension.

To put it in perspective let’s visit re-visit the Weston A. Price Wise Traditions Conference.

The History of Salt On Saturday at the conference I saw Morton Satin speak. Morton is known as the Salt Guru and is the Vice President of Science and Research for the Salt Institute. Morton’s talk, “Salt Myths,” took on the concept that salt is bad for us and will raise our blood pressure.

Dissecting flawed study after flawed study, Morton reminded everyone that before the advent of refrigeration, foods were preserved and cured in salt and that contrary to popular belief salt has dramatically decreased in our diet since WWII. In fact, ‘sal’ is Latin for the word salt. In Roman times, sal-ad was traditionally meant to be vegetables and salt or a salty dressing. Similarly the word ‘salary’ also comes from the Latin ‘sal’ as Roman soldiers were paid in salt. Go to the “history of salt” page on Wikipedia. Here’s what the first sentence reads: “Salt’s ability to preserve food was a foundation of civilization.” If you read further, you’ll see that humans have gone to great lengths throughout history to secure salt. Empires have risen and fallen due to salt trade routes and salt production.

Furthermore, salt’s use as a healing remedy dates back thousands of years. Cultures throughout the world have found healing properties to salt water. Could this possibly be a reason so many of us are drawn to the ocean?

In fact, salt is so vital to your health, that not getting enough can have adverse health consequences including an increase in your likelihood of hypertension and cardiovascular disease, the very conditions we’re told are related to too much salt.

The True Culprit So if it’s not salt, what is it?

It seems like in everything I write, in all my public talks, in all my discussions about nutrition, I somehow find my way to this statistic:

The average American consumes 150 pounds of refined sugar per year.

We are so used to it in our diet that we don’t realize it’s relatively new historically speaking. Prior to industrialization, making refined sugar from sugar cane was a long and laborious process. The sugar industry was built on the back of the slave trade. Initially, only wealthy Europeans could afford it. This is also the first evidence we see of diabetes.

With the advent of industrialization in the 19th century, industry took over for slave labor and made the manufacturing more efficient. Throughout the 20th century, sugar became increasingly available to everyone as the food industry put it in everything. This is without question the root reason to our type II diabetes epidemic (chronically elevated blood sugar). This is the root reason to our obesity epidemic as the body stores excess sugar as fat. And yes, it’s the root reason to hypertension.

Hypertension is a condition of industrialized societies. Countless researchers including Dr. Price did not find hypertension in non-industrialized societies despite many cultures liberally consuming salt in the form of sea salt, sea vegetables and salt-preserved foods. Nor did they find rampant sugar consumption.

We know that hypertension goes along with obesity, heart disease and diabetes, the so called diseases of civilization.

Again, too many refined carbohydrates increase water in the blood thus increasing blood pressure. Refined carbs have no nutrients. The nutrients are stripped out in the refining process. As we’ve seen the body must maintain sodium in the bloodstream or significant health problems will ensue. Consider that an intravenous solution of salt water is the first thing given to ER patients.

So if the body is not getting sodium through the diet it must retain it. It will do this by retaining water in the blood vessels to maintain the concentration of sodium. Thus, blood pressure rises and thus we get hypertension.

And this is why most people lose the most weight in the form of water in the first two weeks on carbohydrate-restricted diets. This is exactly what happens in the weight loss program I teach.

And of course, class members blood pressure drops as well. Many stop their blood pressure medications.

This is just one of the many benefits that come with restricting sugar and processed carbohydrates. For others cholesterol comes down, creaky joints feel better, mood improves and so on.

What about the studies? You would be surprised just how many studies exist that shows no connection to salt and hypertension. So forget the studies. Study it in yourself. If you have hypertension, reduce your salt intake for two weeks and do nothing else (you’re probably already

doing this). See if that brings down your blood pressure significantly. If not, eliminate all sugar intake in the form of refined sugar and refined carbs for two weeks. See what happens. Please note there are some medical conditions that are can be exacerbated by increased salt intake such as kidney failure and congestive heart failure. Consult your doctor if you have a serious medical condition.

Sources of salt Of course not all salt is created equal. Most Americans use processed salt which is stripped of trace minerals and full of anti-caking chemicals such as aluminum which make salt easier to sift.

God forbid we might have to use real salt that doesn’t come out of matching porcelain salt and pepper shakers. Oh, the inconvenience.

Yes, Nature’s true salt, sea salt, forms clumps. It is also offers a wonderful supply of trace minerals which the body needs for so many biochemical processes.

There are many healthy sources of sea salt in health food stores. Many people have favorite brands for different reasons. I like Redmond Sea Salt which is mined from ancient sea beds in Utah. Others prefer Himalayan sea salt or Celtic sea salt.

Finally, the last question I get from many people.

How much salt is too much salt?

Dr. David Brownstein, a holistic doctor who specializes in treating thyroid issues and the author of Salt Your Way to Health recommends at least a teaspoon per day of unrefined salt. But don’t discount your innate intelligence! Innate intelligence communicates to you through your taste buds. If you’re craving salt, salt your food. You’ll know when you’ve overdone it.

What is Iodine?

Guide to Understanding Salt

What is Kosher Salt, and why all the Hype?

There are many kinds of salts available in specialty shops around the world.

However, when you go to the grocery store, you’re likely to have a choice of two:

ordinary table salt or kosher salt.

Kosher salt is different in two key ways from table salt: (a) it has larger, irregular

crystals with lots of surface area, and (b) it does not contain additives (like iodine) that

table salt usually has.

Table Salt and Kosher Salt

Very few recipes specifically call for kosher salt. For those that do, by all means use

that. However, you should always use table salt for baking as the recipes require more

precise measuring and a substitution would throw the flavor off.

Kosher salt is often recommended by TV chefs because it has a less intense and more

pure, salty taste and because it’s easier to pick up the crystals and toss them into the

pot!

(By the way, kosher salt is so called because of its role in the process for preparing

foods such as meats according to the Jewish tradition. Because it has so much surface

area and doesn’t dissolve as quickly as table salt, it can be sprinkled on meat to draw

out all extractable blood.)

Kosher salt is great on the rims of margarita glasses. It is the perfect salt to sprinkle on

your homemade pretzels or grilled artichokes.

Measuring

If you’d like to use it instead of table salt, keep in mind that (because of the larger

grains) measuring kosher salt is a little less precise than measuring table salt. Also, you

should note that it takes more of it to reach the same level of saltiness, since the

crystals are bigger. Usually, people use a ratio of 1.5:1 or 2:1 for kosher salt to table

salt. This can differ between brands, so be sure to check the side of the box!

Storing

It’s best to keep kosher salt in a jar or in a salt pig next to the stove; you’ll find that its

crystals are too big for a salt shaker. On the table, just keep some in a small, open

container or salt cellar.

The Difference Between Kosher Salt, Sea Salt & table Salt?

Secret Ingredients. We all love them and we all want to be in the know. So I’ll let

you in on a secret ingredient that professional chefs use all the time. Salt! No, not just any salt. They know which salt to use to bring out the best in whatever dish they are creating. There are all kinds of choices when it comes to salt but let’s take a look at the basics- Kosher, sea, or table salt.

The quick and dirty answer: Author of Cooking School Secrets for Real World Cooks, Linda Carucci explains the difference between kosher salt, fine sea salt, and regular table salt: “Kosher salt has about half the sodium of table salt or fine sea salt. When you’re seasoning to taste, you have more play with the kosher salt than table salt because the grains are bigger.” If a recipe specifically calls for “table salt” or “kosher salt” it is best to use what is called for, as a teaspoon of table salt is the equivalent of a tablespoon of kosher salt.

The in-depth answer:

Table Salt

Heavily processed to eliminate trace elements, table salt is mined from underground salt deposits and is bleached, heated and contains an additive, calcium silicate, to prevent clumping. Imparting a “sharper” flavor than kosher or sea salt, it’s fine crystals are considered saltier than kosher salt. Iodized table salt means that iodine has been added. When buying table salt I always recommend iodized (Read on to find out why.)

Kosher Salt Kosher salt can be made by compacting smaller granular flakes into larger irregular platelet shaped flakes or grown this way via the evaporation process. Minimally refined and sourced from either underground deposits or evaporated seawater, kosher salt contains less sodium ounce per ounce than table or sea salt. Kosher salt originally got it’s name from the Jewish practice of koshering meats. When applied to butchered meat, it’s larger flakes allow the salt to easily draw blood without over-salting the meat. These larger flakes also hold moisture in. That’s why it’s the perfect salt for meat. It keeps pork chops tender, steaks juicy, and chicken breast moist. See for yourself. Salt one chicken breast with table salt and another with kosher salt. The one with kosher salt will retain it’s moisture much better than the chicken breast salted with table salt.

Sea Salt Sea salt is harvested directly from evaporated seawater or underground resources. If any processing occurs it is usually minimal. Sea salts from around the world are coveted for their unique flavors, colors, and trace minerals. Sea salt can be costly so keep in mind that it’s flavor is lost in the cooking process and is best used after cooking or in applications that do not require cooking. Whether pink, gray, black or white, sea salts will impart various flavors depending on the environment from which they were harvested. Enjoy trying different kinds of sea salt over steamed veggies, on sliced tomatoes and salads, and around the rim of your favorite cocktail. If you’re looking for a reasonable priced, natural alternative to table salt I highly recommend Redmond Sea Salt for everyday use. (See next paragraph for further explanation.)

The importance of Iodine We can’t talk about salt without including iodine. Iodine is essential for normal thyroid function. In fact iodine deficiency is considered “the most common cause of preventable brain damage in the world.” Thus it is important to buy iodized table salt. If you prefer to use all natural sea salt then Redmond Sea Salt is an excellent choice. It is harvested in Redmond, Utah and is not processed or altered in any way. It contains trace minerals, including iodine (not as much as iodized table salt, however, Redmond Sea Salt claims it is more readily absorbed than the iodine we find in table salt) and can be found at many grocery stores.

Non-Iodized Salt Table salt that does not have iodine is good for neti-pots and gargles. I keep a container in my medicine cabinet for these occasions. Whether it’s on the rim of the glass of your favorite margarita, the finishing touch on your famous green beans or a sprinkle on top of those homemade caramels, salt can be the finishing touch that makes friends and family want to know your secret ingredient.

Ditch the table salt, not the sodium Table salt is mined from underground salt mines. It is then heavily processed, refined,

stripped of all its minerals except for sodium and chloride (NaCl), and subjected to anti-

caking agents like aluminum. Table salt is an acidic, inorganic substance; this means the

body cannot break the chemical bonds to utilize the sodium and it is not easily

excreted from the body. This leads to various health issues, is responsible for 100,000

deaths each year, and contributes to the "sodium is bad" mentality.

However, table salt (NaCl) and sodium (Na) are not synonymous. In fact, the majority

of Americans are deficient in the good type of sodium the body needs. True

organic sodium is essential, beneficial, and needed by our body in moderate amounts.

This type of sodium is found in fruits, vegetables, natural sea salt and soil. Sodium is

known as the "youth mineral" because it is associated with youthful, limber, and

flexible joints. The alkalinity of organic sodium helps neutralize acids that result from

stressful lifestyles and poor nutrition. Without adequate amounts of sodium, the body

will take minerals from its reserves, including the bones, to neutralize acid. Organic

sodium is essential for calcium absorption, digestion, bile production, fluid balance,

and the function of the brain, kidneys, liver, lymph, blood, spleen, gastric secretions,

cellular function, and metabolism. Unlike table salt, an excess of this type of sodium is

easily excreted from the body.

There are many health problems caused by an organic sodium deficiency including:

gallstones, kidney stones, hardened arteries, osteoporosis, arthritis, gout, brittle

bones, heartburn, acid reflux, gastroparesis, nerve problems, indigestion, headaches,

stiff or painful joints, abnormal pulmonary function, bacterial infections, poor memory,

diabetes, bloating, fatigue, restless legs, weight gain, and headaches, and more.

To prevent a deficiency of this important mineral, ditch the table salt and add sodium

rich foods to your diet. Foods highest in organic sodium include: celery, asparagus,

barley, red cabbage, carrots, coconut, okra, lentils, kale, strawberries, sesame seeds,

raisins, goat's milk, egg yolks, and pure (non-iodized) sea salt.

When using logic, it is clear. Organic sodium from food sources is not responsible for

poor health, as celery or any of the other foods listed above have not been used as

controls in the research and studies responsible for the negative sodium publicity. The

vast amount of health issues attributed to "sodium" are directly related to the high

amounts of table salt found in the processed foods most Americans consume. To

prevent these health issues, ditch the table salt, not the sodium.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/031608_table_salt_sodium.html#ixzz2ik5xnlLn

The Harmful Effects of Table Salt

The Center for Science in the Public Interest is a nutritional lobbying group and they claim that sodium chloride, common table salt, can be very dangerous to eat. They are so concerned, they are working to get the status of salt changed so that it can go from its current unregulated status to a status which the FDA has authority to regulate. Salt has the preservative characteristic of being a natural antibiotic. On a food item, it kills living bacteria and therefore impedes the decay process of that food. Salt causes excessive thirst because it pulls water from the bloodstream. These present the two most damaging effects on the digestive system.

Because salt is a natural antibiotic, it kills good bacteria in the body. As a substance that draws water, it interferes with the normal absorption of water which possibly leads to constipation and the accumulations of toxins in the intestinal tract. Most table salts are depleted of minerals the body needs and have additives that are harmful when ingested.

Salt is pervasive in American food products and people have begun to pay attention. Low-sodium diets have become so popular, many companies have paid attention and started offering reduced-salt options.

Natural salts, like "sea salt," are partially refined. But, they are becoming much more popular and are being sold as a table salt replacement. Other alternatives, Himalayan Salt and Celtic Salt are living substances which contain the vital minerals the body needs. Because your body fluids resemble sea salt, these salts are beneficial for balancing body fluids. Himalayan Crystal Salt™, a favorite of Dr. Group's, contains the minerals the body needs without the toxins found in common table salt.

The Health Benefits of Himalayan Salt

Balances blood sugar and acid levels and helps the body's cells generate electrical energy.

Natural antihistamine which regulates phlegm and mucus in the sinuses and nasal cavity.

Helps prevent osteoporosis, muscle cramping, and irregular heartbeat.

Promotes healthy sleep and intimacy patterns

Click Here to Read More About The Benefits of Himalayan Salt

How to Eliminate Toxins of Table Salt

Begin using Himalayan salt or Celtic Sea Salt, natural unprocessed salts.

Use alternative substances to flavor foods: Fresh herbs, lemon or lime juice, or Braggs™ Liquid Aminos (which contains essential and non-essential amino acids)

When dining out, try requesting NO SALT.

Regularly cleanse your colon of the toxins that build up.

Recommended Reading:

The Health Dangers of Table Salt Iodine in Salt: Why Is It Added? The Health Benefits of Himalayan Salt American Heart Association: Reducing Daily Salt Intake Recommended for Improved

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