Salt is necessary for flavor in dishes but also for good health. Salt helps us balance electrolytes, fluid balance and hydration plus much more. So, what are the healthiest salts?
The Healthiest Salts & Their BenefitsβIn this article, we touch on the importance of salt in our diet and which ones you should use in your diet and always keep at home. No salt or too low salt is as dangerous as too much salt in your diet = a.k.a white table salt especially. Without sodium, your body cannot function properly - in fact, did you know that sodium is the 3rd most vital element your body needs (besides oxygen and water) and potassium is the 4th. Sodium helps the body maintain fluid balance and it also helps your digestive tract (intestines) absorb the nutrients from food. Humans as well as animals and many plants depend on salt for optimum health and longevity - it is fair to say that salt is an essential element for all life on the planet. This should tell you why since the beginning of time salt has been valued so much - even cavemen used salt for consumption and for other purposes like preserving food, curing, cooking, for healing wounds (as an antiseptic) and even for trading with other nomadic tribes, empires and other countries. Salt was so valuable that it was used as a trade currency. With the increase of population growth and global trade of food items, salt's importance in our lives and for our survival became even more undeniable since salt became one of the most widely used food preservatives globally. It was the ancient Egyptians who realized that salt had great food preserving properties - sodium is a powerful anti-bacterial mineral and is excellent for drawing out (and keeping out) bacteria from the food. Not only that, salt is the only rock that we eat and the importance of salt can be seen in shaping revolutions like the Gandhi Salt March in India, also called as Dandi March which was a nonviolent protest between March and April 1930. This march was a protest against British rule and its tax on salt. This march was accompanied by 60,000 people and covered 240 miles and ultimately led to India's independence in 1947 - all because of salt! Salt has been a center of both revolutions as well as warfare and because governments realized the importance of salt, they started taxing salt. Humans have used salt as far back as 6050 BC. The word 'salt' came from sal (Latin) and hals (Greek). Salt's chemical formula is NaCl which is sodium chloride with 60.663% elemental chlorine (Cl) and 39.337% sodium (Na). The mineral form of salt is called halite or rock salt or even referred to as common salt. The greatest source of salt is seawater. Not only is salt essential for the human body but salt is has been also used since centuries for ceremonies and beauty rituals. Salt symbolizes purity and therefore has been part of religious rituals since time immemorial. With salt being essential for our health, then what is the problem with the 'salt' that we eat in modern times? 'Salt' is not the problem but rather... - 1. It is the white toxic table salt that is bad for health - table salt also contains anti-caking agents, dextrose, bleach, artificial forms of iodine plus not to mention it also contains high levels of sodium which have been linked with high blood pressure issues, heart disease, stroke and can lead to many other cardiovascular issues. The anti-caking agents used in table salt to prevent it from clumping are usually loaded with aluminum which we now know can accumulate in the brain and can lead to Alzheimer's plus aluminum is carcinogenic (cancer-causing). In short, white table salt is nothing like the salt or salts that Nature intended - it is cheap, processed and therefore you should stay away from it as much as possible. 2. The amount of (toxic) table salt that you consume in your diet via processed, frozen or junk foods or say, during eating out or when you do delivery for restaurant orders and snacks like chips, restaurant made French fries, frozen hash browns, store bought 'salted' nuts and seeds, 'salted' peanuts or peanut butter and so on are the reasons why people end up consuming too much white table salt and this leads to excess sodium in their body. 3. The other important factor is the lack of other minerals in your diet because when other minerals are lacking like potassium, then sodium will be imbalanced and you will blame the 'salt' when in reality it is your eating habits of processed or outside foods and lack of nutrients in your diet (esp. other minerals). 4. Last but not least, the other healthy, medicinal salts (unlike the white table salt) are actually very low in sodium plus they have a very good mix of other minerals like magnesium, iron, calcium, etc. So, let's talk about some good salts that you should be using and can buy right away. Note - Not everyone will have access to these salts in their country so in that case, just choose the best ones that you can get and start using them in your cooking, drinks, etc. plus completely take out the white table salt from your diet...forever. Buying and using unrefined salts in your diet can be transformative for your health - unrefined salts have trace minerals that boost our health and vitality. Top 5 Healthiest Salts - 1. Indian Black Salt - For those who have been with me since long, you already know why this salt is so good and that I use it often in my recipes especially lentils during the summer. This salt IS medicinal and has been used in India since centuries for both culinary as well as Ayurvedic treatments - yup! Country of Origin - India Rich in - Sulfur (that egg-like smell), iron, calcium, magnesium, has very low sodium, rich in antioxidants, cooling to the body so best to use in summer months. Benefits - excellent for maintaining blood pressure (esp. high bp), excellent for hair, skin and nails, helps with digestion and bloating, helps the liver produce bile, detoxifies the body, helps respiration and purifies the skin. Great for weight loss diet. Great for bone health. Recipes - Great for chutneys, lentils, chaat (savory small snacks), salad, fruits, raita (Indian yogurt), veggies and beans or curries. 2. Himalayan Sea Salt - This salt has a beautiful light to dark pink color due to the trace minerals in it. It is found deep within the ancient Himalayan Mountains salt mines in Pakistan. Himalayan sea salt is considered to be one of the purest since it is mined from ancient sea beds that are void of chemical pollutants. Country/Region of Origin - Himalayan Mountains in Pakistan (specifically Khewra salt mines in Pakistan) Rich in - Excellent in rich mineral profile including calcium, magnesium, copper, iron, zinc, chromium, potassium, etc. Rich in antioxidants. Himalayan salt has over 85+ minerals. Benefits - excellent for blood pressure & blood circulation, gets rid of excess water from the body thus reducing bloating and water retention thus helps in reducing edema, swelling and cellulite, great for digestion and weight management, helps muscle cramps, reduces inflammation, detoxifies the body and great for bone health. Himalayan sea salt also helps to balance the pH in the body. Has over 85+ minerals hence making it a great source of electrolytes and is also excellent for skin scrub as it detoxifies the skin and softens the skin texture. Recipes - Works great for ALL types of recipes and cooking - just substitute the same amount of this salt in place of white table salt. 3. Celtic Sea Salt - Celtic salt is known for being rich in moisture, is less processed than other salts and is rich in trace minerals including magnesium, calcium and potassium. Excellent salt for hydrating your body from inside out - Celtic salt is known for exceptional hydrating properties and boosting the hydration of the cells. Celtic salt comes from salt beds near the clay lining of the sea thus giving it the light grey color. Celtic salt is also called the 'grey salt' or 'sel gris'. Celtic salt comes directly from the sea shores and is abstracted from the sea water using traditional methods. Celtic salt is considered the most 'moist' salt due to this reason. Celtic salt can be coarse or fine ground. Country of Origin - France; Celtic salt is considered as the French sea salt and is sourced from the Celtic sea. Rich in - Celtic salt is rich in 82+ trace elements and minerals like calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, and more and is super rich in electrolytes. Celtic salt also contains 3 types of magnesium - magnesium bromide, magnesium sulphate and magnesium chloride. (Check out Barbara O'Neill's videos). Benefits - Excellent for muscle cramps, neuropathy, muscle soreness, for glowing radiant skin from inside out due to higher level of hydration, for better sleep and improved energy due to magnesium, for stable blood sugar and bp. Helps reduce pain and swelling in the body. Great for bone health. For those with chronic high blood pressure, Celtic salt is even better than Himalayan sea salt since the sodium content is even lower plus it is higher is potassium. Celtic salt is also great for digestion and for preventing leaky gut syndrome. Another benefit of Celtic salt is that it has an absolutely wonderful taste - intense 'salty' taste so you need very little to add flavor to the recipes. Give it a try if you haven't but make sure to start with LESS at first. Recipes - Goes great on veggies and fruits. Can be used in cooking recipes like curries, beans, etc. Can be used as a finishing salt. Drinking water with a grain or two of Celtic salt is a great way to really hydrate your cells - the Celtic salt will help open the cells and help in getting water plus magnesium in your cells. Plus, within a week or two, you will see glowing, radiant skin on the outside. Another way is to put a grain or two of Celtic salt on your tongue and once it dissolves, you then take a glass of water 4. Redmond Salt - Redmond salt is sea salt that is unrefined, pure, unprocessed ancient salt from seabed in Redmond, Utah. This salt also goes by the name 'Real Salt' and that is because the only company that sells it, sells it unrefined. Country/Region of Origin - Redmond, Utah, U.S.A Rich in - Redmond salt is rich in calcium, iron, magnesium, sodium, potassium, and of course many other trace minerals with over 60 minerals present in this salt. It is another excellent choice for electrolyte balance just like the above salts. Benefits - Redmond salt helps with proper hydration, muscle cramps, muscle soreness, aches and pains, nerve impulses, is great for digestion and since it is unrefined, it does not raise blood pressure due to its rich mineral profile. Recipes - Redmond salt is much less intense in taste than the Celtic salt. Redmond salt has a slightly sweet, very subtle, mild taste so it is great to keep on your dining table or kitchen table to add or sprinkle directly on your meals. It also goes great in all savory recipes and can be used for baking, 5. Seaweed Salt (Amabito no Moshio) - Seaweed salt (Moshio) originated in Japan where seaweed is combined with sea salt and hence the name Moshio (mo - seaweed and shio - salt). This salt has been in origin since the 3rd - 7th century where a salt making method called 'moshio-yaki' meaning moshio firing was used in making of the salt. To make this salt, seaweed is dried out first, then the salt crystals formed on the seaweed are collected and boiled in seawater until it all crystallizes again - the seaweed salt is then formed and packed. This salt has a beautiful beige color due to the brown color of the seaweed hondawara (Sargassum fulvellum) though other seaweeds like kelp may also be used by individual sellers. This salt has that mild salty flavor along with a taste of umami. Country of Origin - Japan Rich in - This salt is rich in iodine thanks to the seaweed content, magnesium, potassium, calcium, and many other trace minerals found in sea salts. Benefits - This salt is rich in trace minerals plus it has iodine as well. Another aspect of this salt is that it is low in sodium due to the lower salt content. Recipes - It is said this salt will go well with rice dishes, rice cakes, noodles, soups, marinades, dressings, tofu and even sweets. This salt can be used as a finishing salt as well as the main salt while cooking recipes. Note - When buying this salt for the first time, buy a small bag as it may not be to everyone's liking. This salt is slightly sweet, bitter and umami with mild salty notes. Experiment with it both as cooking salt and as finishing salt till you know how you prefer to use it. You may use a little bit of this salt along with your other regular salt in cooking recipes until your taste develops for this salt. Final Notes - 1. Note that these salts (except #5) do not come with iodine unlike the white table salt that has synthetic iodine added to it. 2. Also, all salts, no matter how good they are with respect to the benefits they offer, must be taken in moderation which basically means using them for cooking or sprinkling or drinks but nothing excessive. 3. The best option to get the benefits of all these salts is to add them in a salt bamboo container or cellar at equal ratios and that way you enjoy the benefits of all of them daily. Ref. (1). Ref. (2). Ref.(3).
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