The salt paradox: Too much is not good but neither is too little
Reading time: 4-5 min
Salt. We are told for years that it is bad for us. Bad for your blood pressure, your heart, your kidneys. Eat less salt, is the advice – and we then bravely repeat it to each other. But is that actually true?
Spoiler: no. Or well, partly. Because there’s salt… and there is salt.
The intention is not to sprinkle salt in the wound but rather to explain for once why you need not fear salt itself – but may be alert to how much, where it comes from and what your body really needs.
Salt is not a poison. It is essential.
Salt is another word for minerals and zunder salt (=minerals) you die. It’s as simple as that. Your body needs sodium and chloride for all sorts of functions: your hydration, your nervous system, your blood pressure, your muscle function. And yes – even your heart is a muscle. Those who arrive in an ambulance with heart failure or heart attack are the first to be administered an IV of saline.
So the issue is not whether you need salt, but what quality of salt you ingest and in what context. Those two make the difference.
The problem is not that we eat salt. The problem is what it's in.
On average in the Netherlands, we ingest about 8 to 9 grams of salt per day. That’s more than the official recommendation (6 grams), but … most of it you really don’t throw on your food yourself.
It is in processed foods: ready-made sauces, soup from a packet, cold cuts, bread, chips, pizza. Truly everywhere is in it, besides sugar but I will talk about this another time. Salt is an inexpensive preservative and a basic seasoning.
This is where the well-known snag under the grass. Because those types of products often contain ook too little potassium, magnesium and other minerals needed to process salt properly. Add to that stress, little sleep and not drinking enough water – and then your body has a tough time with all that salt from the packets and sachets.
So it’s not the pinch of salt on your egg or the potatoes that ruins things. It’s the total package.
How much salt is too much and too little?
No two people are alike and depending on your lifestyle, diet and constitution (that which you have inherited from your parents), everyone can react differently. It is therefore difficult to give a standard for detoxification.
As you can imagine, when toxins leave the body it does not happen without a struggle. You will undoubtedly experience some discomfort in the form of weakness, fatigue, gastrointestinal reactions and possibly a slight headache. These symptoms become more pronounced when certain foods are also no longer eaten.
Therefore, it is a good idea to stop coffee, black tea, alcohol, soda, pastries, chips, white flour pastries, deep frying and sweets (including artificial sweeteners) the day before the detox.
If you stop eating these types of foods and you do the detox, you may temporarily start smelling stronger under the armpits, and urine and stool may also smell different. If you also stop dairy, red meat and pasta the day before, the chance of getting these symptoms is more than 75%.
Besides: one salt is not the other
Table salt (Jozo) is highly refined. Everything valuable for your body is (such as the other minerals) has been taken out. Wat remains is sodium chloride, With a little iodine or anti-caking agent added. Functional As a preservative and flavoring, but otherwise not particularly nourishing.
Unprocessed salt such as Celtic sea salt or Wadden salt still contains dozens of trace minerals. Think magnesium, calcium, potassium, zinc, copper, iodine. Minerals that your body desperately needs and that you won’t find in a jar of factory salt.
You even notice it in the taste: unprocessed salt tastes rounder, softer, less sharp.
What you need to know about microplastics in salt
Another current concern is the presence of micro and even even nanoplastics in salt. Research from 2019 found that 94% of table salt tested worldwide contained microplastics. Refined salt scored the worst in this regard. Salt from the sea generally contained fewer plastics than salt from mines, such as Himalayan salt.
While we don’t have a perfect world without pollution, we can make conscious choices. Choose unrefined, coarse sea salt that has been processed as little as possible.
But what about your blood pressure?
Good question. Sodium-rich salt increases blood pressure while potassium-rich salt (available as “dietary salt”) lowers blood pressure. Z out has an effect on your blood pressure – but not always as you think. In fact, there are major individual differences. Some people are sensitive to salt, others not at all.
Indeed, if your body is deficient in minerals, water or rest, your entire system becomes unbalanced. Especially if you only ingest refined salt, then salt can raise blood pressure. But turn it around – give your body what it needs – and that balance often restores itself.
Simply put, salt is rarely the root of the problem. Rather, it is a magnifying glass on an unhealthy lifestyle.
But what about your blood pressure?
It depends. How do you eat?
- Do you cook a lot of fresh?
- Do you leave out packets and sachets?
- Are you drinking enough water?
- Are you moving, sweating, stressed?
If you are pure eats and have an active life, then you can feel free to use a little extra salt. Especially if you for Celtic sea salt or Wadden salt goes. This helps your body retain fluids (useful on hot days or when exercising a lot), supports your nervous system and can even help reduce muscle cramps.
And yes – your head also benefits. Many people feel clearer , focused and stable when they have their minerals in order. Sufficient minerals from zout helps with that.
Summary:
- Salt is not the enemy. Processed foods, stress and mineral deficiencies are.
- Table salt = poor in nutrition. Natural salt = rich in minerals.
- Drink plenty of water and make sure you get other minerals as well.
- Do you eat pure? Then it’s okay to use a pinch of extra salt gladly even.
Unsure how much salt your body needs?
Everyone is different. Do you have symptoms such as fatigue, dizziness, low blood pressure, thirst or fluid retention? Then it pays to take a good look at your mineral balance.
Feel free to ask your questions – we are happy to think with you. Jhe body is not a machine. It is a smart, living system that communicates with you through thirst, hunger, discomfort or aches and pains ..
Literature:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9813175/ sea salt cleaner than land salt
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82RXDpCOBC8 refined salt contains more plastics
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(18)31724-0/abstract
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5328355/
