The Single Deadliest Ingredient in Your Pantry?

Is salt the same as sodium?

Sodium content varies with the type of salt you use and most people are not getting their sodium from a salt shaker.  It's estimated that 77% of the sodium in our diets comes from restaurant and packaged foods.
According to Paul Pitchford in his book "Healing with Whole Foods," typical refined table salt that you buy in the supermarket is about 99.5% sodium chloride and the balance is composed of chemicals to prevent caking, as well as potassium iodide to prevent goiters and sometimes sugar to stabilize the iodine.
In a teaspoon of that salt, there are about 6,200 mg of sodium chloride and of that amount, 2,400 mg are sodium. That is about the maximum recommended daily amount of sodium for a healthy adult according to the CDC and well in excess of the 1,500 mg limit recommended for 70% of the population.
Pitchford estimates that the average American takes in 17,000 mg of salt per day or about 3 ½ teaspoons of highly refined table salt.

Is sodium or salt essential for good health?

Sodium is essential to maintain the balance of fluids in your body, transmit nerve impulses and stimulate the contraction and relaxation of muscles. Too little sodium can lead to dehydration and symptoms of weakness and nausea as well as muscle cramps.
Refined table salt has no benefits independent of its sodium content and its iodine content, if iodized. However, pure unrefined salt is another matter.

Unprocessed whole sea salt can have 40 to 57% less sodium than processed table salt. In addition, it contains up to 60 trace minerals which, according to Pitchford, give it a profile most similar to that of our own blood. Those minerals are important for the formation of vitamins, enzymes and proteins in the body.

Keep in mind that salt is not the only source of sodium.  Pitchford lists the major alternate dietary sources of sodium as eggs, seafood, meats, kelp, seaweed, beets, turnips, Swiss chard, spinach and parsley.
What does this mean for you?  Although the link between blood pressure and sodium has been challenged, there is still no benefit to eating high sodium processed foods.  Instead, try to increase the amount of whole natural sodium rich foods in your diet.

The most important thing to do is replace that table salt with a high quality unbleached natural sea salt.  Unrefined sea salt will have some color to it – grey, pink, yellow, brown, etc. – depending on its source and its mineral content.  Good choices to try are Celtic Sea Salt or Himalayan Pink Sea Salt.

Posted on: Saturday, December 1st 2012 Margie King is a holistic health coach and graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition®. www.NourishingMenopause.com.