{"id":4631,"date":"2025-06-20T19:01:54","date_gmt":"2025-06-20T17:01:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vegaqura.com\/knowledge\/the-salt-paradox-too-much-is-not-good-but-neither-is-too-little\/"},"modified":"2026-06-25T10:56:02","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T08:56:02","slug":"the-salt-paradox-too-much-is-not-good-but-neither-is-too-little","status":"publish","type":"knowledge","link":"https:\/\/vegaqura.com\/en\/blog\/knowledge\/the-salt-paradox-too-much-is-not-good-but-neither-is-too-little\/","title":{"rendered":"The salt paradox: Too much is not good but neither is too little"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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The salt paradox: Too much is not good but neither is too little<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Reading time: 4-5 min<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Salt. For years, we\u2019ve been told that it\u2019s bad for us. Bad for your blood pressure, your heart, your kidneys. The advice is to eat less salt, and we dutifully pass that advice on to one another. But is that actually true? <\/em><\/p>

Spoiler: no. Or well, partly. Because there’s salt… and there is salt. <\/em><\/p>

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The point isn’t to rub salt in the wound, but rather to explain why you don’t need to be afraid of salt itself\u2014though you should be mindful of how much you consume, where it comes from, and what your body really needs. <\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Salt is not a poison. It is essential. <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Salt is another word for minerals and z<\/span>under salt<\/span> (=minerals)<\/span> You’ll die. It’s that simple. Your body needs sodium and chloride for all kinds of functions: fluid balance, your nervous system, blood pressure, and muscle function. And yes, your heart is a muscle, too. <\/span> Those who arrive in an ambulance with heart failure or heart attack are the first to be administered an IV of saline.<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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So the issue is not whether<\/em> you need salt, but what quality of salt you ingest and in what context. Those two make the difference. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The problem is not that we eat salt. The problem is what it's in. <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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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 <\/span>you really don’t throw on your food yourself<\/span>.<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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It is in processed foods: ready-made sauces, soup from a packet, cold cuts, bread, chips, pizza.<\/span> Truly everywhere is in it, besides sugar but I will talk about this another time. Salt is an inexpensive preservative and a basic seasoning. <\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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This is where the well-known <\/span>snag<\/span> under the grass<\/span>. Because those types of products often contain <\/span>oo<\/span>You may not be getting enough potassium, magnesium, and other minerals needed to properly process salt. Add stress, lack of sleep, and not drinking enough water to that, and your body has a hard time <\/span> with all that salt from the packets and sachets<\/span>.<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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So it’s not the pinch of salt on your egg<\/span> or the potatoes<\/span> that ruins things. It’s the total package. <\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\nHow much salt is too much and too little? <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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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. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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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. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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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. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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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%. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Besides: one salt is not the other <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Table salt (<\/span>J<\/span>ozo<\/span>)<\/span> is highly refined. Everything valuable <\/span>for your body is<\/span> (<\/span>such as<\/span> the other <\/span>minerals) has been taken out<\/span>. W<\/span>at remains is sodium chloride<\/span>, <\/span> With a little iodine or anti-caking agent added. Functional <\/span> As a preservative and flavoring<\/span>, but otherwise not particularly nourishing.<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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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. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>

You even notice it in the taste: unprocessed salt tastes rounder, softer, less sharp.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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What you need to know about microplastics in salt<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Another current concern is the presence of micro and even <\/span>even <\/span>nanoplastics<\/span> 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. <\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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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. <\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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But what about your blood pressure? <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Good question. <\/span>Sodium-rich salt increases blood pressure while potassium-rich salt (available as \u201cdietary salt\u201d) lowers blood pressure. Z <\/span>out <\/span>has an <\/span>effect on your blood pressure<\/span> But not always the way you might think. There are, in fact, significant individual differences. Some people are sensitive to salt, while others aren’t at all. <\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Indeed, if your body is deficient in minerals, water or rest, your entire system becomes unbalanced.<\/span> Especially if you only ingest refined salt, then<\/span> Salt can raise blood pressure. But if you turn it around\u2014give your body what it needs\u2014that balance often restores itself. <\/span><\/span><\/p>

Simply put, salt is rarely the root of the problem. Rather, it is a magnifying glass on an unhealthy lifestyle. <\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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But what about your blood pressure? <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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It depends. How do you eat? <\/span> <\/span><\/p>