Salt
Water and salt form the building blocks of life. Over millions of years, life has evolved from our earth’s salty oceans, with the human body being composed primarily of water and salt. Salt provides our body with sodium and chloride which are essential for life, and our bodies can’t produce either of these minerals themselves. The sodium in pure, natural salt is effectively utilised and regulated by the body, unlike the sodium in processed table salt which burdens the body and is linked to many health issues.
The importance of salt for hydration
Salt is a key player in maintaining the fluid balance both inside and outside of the body’s cells. Drinking water is essential for hydration, and water intake should balance the amount your body loses from urination, respiration and perspiration. Perspiration also excretes electrolytes from the body, and salt is our body’s main type of electrolyte. It plays a major part in maintaining blood pressure and fluid balance in cells, so consuming salt is important for restoring electrolytes.
Salt’s essential minerals
The minerals and trace elements contained in salt are vital for our body’s optimal function, with all of its complex and interrelated processes.
Magnesium is an essential building block of many of our body’s processes, including healthy heart function, immune response, brain and nerve function, blood pressure, energy production and regulation of over 300 essential enzymes that function within our cells. Magnesium also plays a role in balancing fluid and sodium-potassium levels in the body.
The balance of sodium and potassium is important for good cardiovascular health. Salt contains potassium that serves as an electrolyte in the body. When there is an imbalance of sodium and potassium, the body retains water in an effort to maintain fluid levels which increases blood pressure and impacts heart health.
Iodine regulates the production of hormones that have an effect on an immense number of the body’s systems: metabolism, bone and tissue development, brain function and the production and utilization of energy.
These primary minerals, as well as the dozens of other trace minerals present in salt, are critical for our health. Our deficiencies in these various minerals contribute to many of the illnesses and diseases we’ve become familiar with: heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, poor cognitive function, hormone imbalances, skin conditions, muscular aches and joint pains. Salt is an incredibly simple and powerful tool for creating and maintaining our health and wellbeing.