The Divine Grind

It's one of the biggest questions out there when it comes to health: Should I love or hate salt? The classification of "salt" is vast, and it encompasses a range of products that in some cases bare little resemblance, chemically, to one another. So it's important to get it straight: What is salt? Is all salt bad? Are some better than others? And should you avoid them altogether to be healthy? A self-proclaimed "salt lover," I have done my research. Some salt is plain old sodium-chloride, which actually has no nutritional value, and some salt actually contains minerals that are necessary for life. Do you know which kind you're eating and whether it's the "good kind"? For those who don't, let me see if I can help you save some time, confusion and unnecessary restriction on something that, in its greatest and truest form, is actually good for you! There are myriad websites and blogs dedicated to sharing the facts on salts: the chemistry, the origins, the uses, etc. But I am going to tell you what I use and love because it brings the flavors out of foods and it's healthy!

Salt has been around for millions of years and more, it's literally an ancient mineral that is critical to life on this planet. And it's misunderstood. I have heard time and again, "My blood pressure is too high, and my doctor says I have to cut out the salt." Or "I think I get too much sodium in my diet." I often wonder if the people sharing these statements really know what they mean by "salt" and "sodium." And then I have to go back and look at who is giving this advice. According to the National Institutes of Health, despite efforts to improve and expand the study of nutrition in medical school, "most graduating medical students continue to rate their nutrition preparation as inadequate," with most taking no more than 23.9 hours of nutrition courses, and some as few as 5 hours. And yet millions of people get their nutrition advice from their doctors. Don't get me wrong, in terms of truly life-saving and emergency medicine, I am so glad we have MDs. We have one of the best emergency medical systems in the world! But we are sorely lacking in preventative healthcare in this country; the US is one of the sickest of all developed nations. I shared this article with some of you last week on Facebook, but in a New York Times article from 2010, one MD exposed just how little he and his medical colleagues know about nutrition. Read to hear it straight from the mouth of a practicing MD. In other words, take the nutrition advice that your MD gives you with a grain of...salt. Himalayan salt, that is.

The "Bad" Salt: So okay, doctors are not entirely "wrong," but they are failing to share what they mean by "salt" and "sodium," and which salts are actually good for you, detoxifying, energizing, and necessary for life! What most people know as "salt," "table salt," or "iodized salt" is just excessively processed (heated often to over 1200 degrees F, which changes the molecular structure)--and sometimes bleached--NaCl. It can also contain trace amounts of processing chemicals. Table salt is devoid of nutritional value and, yes, burdensome to the body and its elimination system. Did you ever wonder why you wake up so swollen after eating chicken fingers or pizza? For every gram of NaCl you take in, your body needs 20 grams of water to process it, which means the body has to go into overdrive to pull water from the cells. High intake of this type of chemical salt, because it causes excessive inflammation in the body, has been linked to a whole host of diseases and conditions including high blood pressure and hypertension, arthritis, rheumatism, gout and kidney and gallbladder stones. So readers, before your doctor can tell you to cut out the "salt," go ahead and cut way back on this type of "table salt." Warning: a lot of processed foods, fried food, and food you get in restaurants are made with iodized salt; and in some cases, especially if you eat out a lot, it's unavoidable. But you can certainly avoid sprinkling extra table salt on your food when dining out, and you can only buy high-quality, natural salts like sea salt and Himalayan salt. Which brings me to the best part.

The Good Salts: Everyone has heard of "sea salt," which is a natural form of salt and does contain a lot of life-generating and sustaining minerals, but it can unfortunately also contain a lot of the pollutants that are now found in the oceans. What I choose for cooking and flavoring my food is Himalayan salt. Hundreds of

One of the Himalayan salt mines

millions of years old, from huge deposits high up in the Himalayan Mountains, Himalayan salt was left over from ancient seas and largely protected from modern pollutants. Himalayan salt actually contains 84 of the minerals and other elements found naturally in the human body in such tiny molecular form, that they are easy for the body to use. The mineral profile is strikingly similar, making Himalayan salt replenishing, revitalizing, and extremely healthy for the human body for many reasons. It has been linked to better sleep, less muscle fatigue and better muscle performance. It can regulate blood sugar, increase bone strength, control water levels in the body, and even improve the health and functionality of the sinuses (I know people who swear by pouring a salt and water solution through their nasal passages at the first signs of a cold; and I have been known to soak in a salt bath for relaxation and replenishment.) One of the most important things that Himalayan salt does in the body is balance the pH and create alkalinity, which helps prevent illness and disease (acidic environments are prime real estate for pathogens and actually promote disease.) I have also read that Himalayan salt actually aids digestion and the absorption of minerals, and is anti-aging! Who wouldn't want this kind of salt in their diet? I feel satisfied when I use a light sprinkling on Noëlle's roasted veggies, or when I serve baked goods to friends that contain even a little bit of Himalayan salt's life-giving minerals. It makes me smile to myself. And now that I have been eating sea and Himalayan salt for years, I can actually taste the difference if I use iodized table salt at a restaurant. It's like the difference between sweet 'n low and raw honey--clearly an artificial taste. But don't get me started on sweet 'n low :) I'll save that for another post.

That's it for tonight everyone. I hope you will all take this information to heart and make the choice to replace the bleached contents of your salt shakers with a little bit of pink divinity. When you go to your health food store to buy Himalayan salt, you may see different options. You can put the crystals in a grinder or buy them fine for a shaker. You won't be disappointed, and your body will thank you!

To your health and longevity!

Ms. Crunchy Chic