Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine say healthy participants in a large government clinical trial who restricted their salt intake to less than 2300 milligrams were 37% more likely to die of cardiovascular disease. It was also stated that low sodium diets set the stage for diabetes by encouraging insulin resistance (A Pinch of Controversy Over Salt in the Diet, Newsday, 2/22/06).

This current scientific information goes against what many health care professionals have been telling us for the past century... and I completely agree with it. Salt is imperative to our health! Sodium helps carry nutrients into our cells, balances blood pressure and regulates many other bodily functions, too.

Unfortunately, both the article and the government study neglected one very important factor - the quality of our salt determines the quality of our health. Refined, iodized commercial table salt that has been stripped of its essential nutrients contributes to high blood pressure, thyroid disease, heart disease, osteoporosis, weight gain and cancer. And, most refined and packaged foods on the market today contain this unhealthy type of salt.

Unrefined sea salt on the other hand, contains an abundance of minerals and trace minerals that benefit health, regulate extracellular fluids and balance the body. We definitely need sodium, but we need good quality to improve our health and keep us properly functioning.

You can purchase unrefined, non-iodized, and naturally processed sea salt at any local health food store, Wild Oats, Whole Foods Market, Trader Joe’s, Gourmet Market or other specialty store.

To improve your knowledge and your health, read more about sea salt and other health-promoting foods in Chapter 6 of The Whole Truth Eating and Recipe Guide - Better Food, Better Health.

Salt is not really bad for you. A little sprinkle on your grilled chicken and stir fried veggies is great. What’s awful is the sodium that’s loaded into packaged foods to prevent them from rotting on the shelf. The good news is you can enjoy your salt in moderation. As long as you cook for yourself you’re probably not getting too much salt. Curious? Track your sodium using food labels for a week.

The primary studies that linked salt with hypertension were conducted with people who already had a tendency toward hypertension. For them, reducing salt intake dramatically reduced their hypertension. For the rest of us - and that's the majority of us - salt is not that big a deal.

Add Your Answer
It is important to recognize the difference between natural, unrefined, and mineral rich sea salt from highly processed, chemically stripped and bleached refined table salt.
What brought on this salt theory in the first place? STRESS.
Yes, managing that little thing we can't avoid called stress is challenging, perhaps stressful at times in itself. But the body is intelligent, and although you may not realize it, when the body is under stress, the adrenal glands (tiny glands on top of your kidneys) help to produce hormones in response. The more stress we have, the more work for these tiny yet important components of your endocrine system have to deal with.

What keeps the adrenals functioning. Well, to a large degree, electrolytes (Na" K" Cl", etc), also known as minerals. Long before we had vitamins, supplements, diets, and nutritionists, the body knew that a great source of minerals could be found in the salt from the sea.

In ancient times, salt was held as i highly valuable commodity, like gold or silver, and traded as such. That is where the word "salary" comes from. The root being "sal" or salt. Given to soldiers for services, salt was prized and treasured.

Maybe the body knew this, but we surely did not. Processing and refining salt takes out nearly all of the valuable and health benefiting components. Every wonder why you crave salty foods? maybe you need to replenish your minerals, or support your adrenals. They are working very hard these days.

So when you are stressed, the body reacts by producing cortisol (stress hormone from the adrenals). Cortisol can result in vasoconstriction of the blood vessels ( -> leading to hypertension) as well as constipation.
Combine this with a deficiency of magnesium in our diets (vaso-dialating) which helps relax our muscles and blood vessels which can be used up by the body during stressful times.. and no wonder why people started having higher blood pressure.

Now here's the catch. Did the chicken come first, or the egg? So people started having more stress, depleting their minerals and weakening their adrenal glands. The body reacted by telling us to consume more salt. However, instead of pinching some sea salt under your tongue or mixing it in a glass of water, we reached for salty potato chips, fried foods, and other unhealthy dietary choices which where high in sodium, but missing all the other good nutrients which balance the sodium and help us cope with stress. These bad food choices led to increase consumption of sodium, and placed more stress on our body.. leading to more cortisol.. a viscous cycle.

Instead of finding the underlying cause, the big picture to this situation, healthcare until recently just chose to look at the symptoms, or end results and eliminate possible culprits. This has led us to the confusion today of whether salt is good or bad for us. That is obviously too broad of a question. We need to consider what kind of salt first.

Does that make sense? Maybe. maybe not. I hope it does and look forward to other's responses.
Doc Rob