Salt Phobia; The Truth Is Out There

[cyberobb99]

Walt mentioned in another thread the likely high salt content in Willie's canned soup. "Not less than 700-800 mg per serving" was his warning. And that warning is very much in line with what the federal government, the FDA, the CDC and others have been saying for years... "Too much salt will kill you. Keep it below 3 grams per day!"
Well let's take another look at this issue, because it seems that there is mounting evidence that what we're being told is way off base. First, a little general history....
Salt was being heavily scrutinized in the 60's and 70's for it's possible role in health issues. In the early 70's a study was published showing a causality link between high salt intake and increased blood pressure in rats. The news got out...salt was a villain. But wait..... That study, using dietary levels of salt equivalent to 200 grams a day in humans did not identify ANY other possible factors in either diet or lifestyle of those rats. Gang...that's 7 ounces a day in adult human terms. Can you even imagine eating nearly half a pound of salt a day? I can't..... And most salt intake warnings are based on at least part of that study.
Now jump forward 35 years. More tests are being done on salt intake, and more is being learned about the salt that we eat. Historically, salt usually comes from dried seabeds and deposits above or below ground. Around 100 years ago companies like Morton leaned that if they heated salt up to 1500 degrees that they could cook virtually everything else right out of that salt, leaving pure sodium salt. Add in some anti-caking agents, and later some iodine, and you have the salt that most people in industrialized nations use. Modern researchers realized this and began to study "table salt" as well as "sea salt" as separate objects of study. Tests done over a period of years began to show some interesting things.... for example, it now appears that the level of safe salt consumption is roughly 7 times higher than the government recommends. Not only that, but it also looks like the culprit in the negative affects of salt intake is potassium deprivation, not the presence of sodium chloride, per se. You see, when you have an excess of salt in your system you body combines sodium chloride molecules with potassium molecules to dispose of the excess. Potassium is crucial to your body as a component in, among other things, heart rates and BP levels. As a result, we're now learning that i you have a high sodium salt intake level that it can be mitigated by an increased dietary potassium level. you can get it by eating lots of fruits, nuts and veggies...oh yeah...and sea salt! That's right...many sea salts like the pink salt I use have naturally occurring potassium in them.

Here are some links to some articles you may find of interest....particularly the ones that blame LOW salt intake for significant health issues!

www.menshealth.com/mhlists/food_myths/Salt_Causes_High_Blood_Pressure.php

www.huffingtonpost.com/jacob-teitelbaum-md/salt-health_b_903673.html

rense.com/general65/salt.htm

[Deleted]

We only use sea salt in our food at home. Most everything I eat from any source other than fresh food tastes very salty to me.
Bananas are a good source of potassium. I'm eating two right now!

[Deleted]

Robb, where do you get your pink salt from?

[Coaltrain]

Jan 22, 2013 14:38:14 GMT -5 @chadgristlethrob said:

We only use sea salt in our food at home. Most everything I eat from any source other than fresh food tastes very salty to me.
Bananas are a good source of potassium. I'm eating two right now!

While your watching your salt, you also need to watch your sugar. Especially if your Diabetic. Bananas are high in sugar and diabetics are usually restricted to no more than 1/2 a banana a day.
I found this link and it is quite helpful.

www.sugarstacks.com/fruits.htm

[Coaltrain]

Personally, I live on a low fat, low carb, low sugar diet. No processed foods. Even have an herb collection of about 30. Make that 31. I have a lavender plant growing in my green room. Cleaned out the cabinets of all the junk a couple of years ago.

[Deleted]

Jan 22, 2013 14:43:02 GMT -5 Coaltrain said:

Jan 22, 2013 14:38:14 GMT -5 @chadgristlethrob said:

We only use sea salt in our food at home. Most everything I eat from any source other than fresh food tastes very salty to me.
Bananas are a good source of potassium. I'm eating two right now!

While your watching your salt, you also need to watch your sugar. Especially if your Diabetic. Bananas are high in sugar and diabetics are usually restricted to no more than 1/2 a banana a day.
I found this link and it is quite helpful.

www.sugarstacks.com/fruits.htm

None of us drink soda at all and we consume very little sugar except in the form of quality high cacao dark chocolate (and gatr's favorite cookies of course) and the occasional ice cream.
Always avoiding high fructose corn syrup.

[cyberobb99]

Jan 22, 2013 14:39:19 GMT -5 @chadgristlethrob said:

Robb, where do you get your pink salt from?

I've got some local stores that sell it, but it can be pretty expensive. Believe it or not, Marshall's/TJ Maxx have some specialty food items in their stores where I recently have been buying it for only $4/Lb.....far cheaper than anywhere else! I also use regular sea salt and Kosher salt. Asian grocery stores can be a good source for bags of sea salt. I NEVER buy it from regular grocery stores.

[Deleted]

Jan 22, 2013 14:56:23 GMT -5 cyberobb99 said:

Jan 22, 2013 14:39:19 GMT -5 @chadgristlethrob said:

Robb, where do you get your pink salt from?

I've got some local stores that sell it, but it can be pretty expensive. Believe it or not, Marshall's/TJ Maxx have some specialty food items in their stores where I recently have been buying it for only $4/Lb.....far cheaper than anywhere else! I also use regular sea salt and Kosher salt. Asian grocery stores can be a good source for bags of sea salt. I NEVER buy it from regular grocery stores.

Very good, sir. Thank you.

[Walter]

Jan 22, 2013 14:28:18 GMT -5 cyberobb99 said:

Walt mentioned in another thread the likely high salt content in Willie's canned soup. "Not less than 700-800 mg per serving" was his warning. And that warning is very much in line with what the federal government, the FDA, the CDC and others have been saying for years... "Too much salt will kill you. Keep it below 3 grams per day!"
Well let's take another look at this issue, because it seems that there is mounting evidence that what we're being told is way off base. First, a little general history....
Salt was being heavily scrutinized in the 60's and 70's for it's possible role in health issues. In the early 70's a study was published showing a causality link between high salt intake and increased blood pressure in rats. The news got out...salt was a villain. But wait..... That study, using dietary levels of salt equivalent to 200 grams a day in humans did not identify ANY other possible factors in either diet or lifestyle of those rats. Gang...that's 7 ounces a day in adult human terms. Can you even imagine eating nearly half a pound of salt a day? I can't..... And most salt intake warnings are based on at least part of that study.
Now jump forward 35 years. More tests are being done on salt intake, and more is being learned about the salt that we eat. Historically, salt usually comes from dried seabeds and deposits above or below ground. Around 100 years ago companies like Morton leaned that if they heated salt up to 1500 degrees that they could cook virtually everything else right out of that salt, leaving pure sodium salt. Add in some anti-caking agents, and later some iodine, and you have the salt that most people in industrialized nations use. Modern researchers realized this and began to study "table salt" as well as "sea salt" as separate objects of study. Tests done over a period of years began to show some interesting things.... for example, it now appears that the level of safe salt consumption is roughly 7 times higher than the government recommends. Not only that, but it also looks like the culprit in the negative affects of salt intake is potassium deprivation, not the presence of sodium chloride, per se. You see, when you have an excess of salt in your system you body combines sodium chloride molecules with potassium molecules to dispose of the excess. Potassium is crucial to your body as a component in, among other things, heart rates and BP levels. As a result, we're now learning that i you have a high sodium salt intake level that it can be mitigated by an increased dietary potassium level. you can get it by eating lots of fruits, nuts and veggies...oh yeah...and sea salt! That's right...many sea salts like the pink salt I use have naturally occurring potassium in them.

Here are some links to some articles you may find of interest....particularly the ones that blame LOW salt intake for significant health issues!

www.menshealth.com/mhlists/food_myths/Salt_Causes_High_Blood_Pressure.php

www.huffingtonpost.com/jacob-teitelbaum-md/salt-health_b_903673.html

rense.com/general65/salt.htm

Good stuff, Robb.

[cyberobb99]

Thanks, Walt. I'm certainly not critical of your warning about salt since it was based on years of warning about he dangers of high sodium diets, but I'm starting to read articles even in places like Reader's Digest and Costco magazine that are bringing the common view into question. I guess we need to take all those government warnings with a grain of salt.

[Walter]

Jan 22, 2013 15:34:41 GMT -5 cyberobb99 said:

Thanks, Walt. I'm certainly not critical of your warning about salt since it was based on years of warning about he dangers of high sodium diets, but I'm starting to read articles even in places like Reader's Digest and Costco magazine that are bringing the common view into question. I guess we need to take all those government warnings with a grain of salt.

Boom-Boom, Tssss!!!!
Tell your friends, folks...Robb's here all week!

[oujour76]

Jan 22, 2013 14:28:18 GMT -5 cyberobb99 said:

Walt mentioned in another thread the likely high salt content in Willie's canned soup. "Not less than 700-800 mg per serving" was his warning. And that warning is very much in line with what the federal government, the FDA, the CDC and others have been saying for years... "Too much salt will kill you. Keep it below 3 grams per day!"
Well let's take another look at this issue, because it seems that there is mounting evidence that what we're being told is way off base. First, a little general history....
Salt was being heavily scrutinized in the 60's and 70's for it's possible role in health issues. In the early 70's a study was published showing a causality link between high salt intake and increased blood pressure in rats. The news got out...salt was a villain. But wait..... That study, using dietary levels of salt equivalent to 200 grams a day in humans did not identify ANY other possible factors in either diet or lifestyle of those rats. Gang...that's 7 ounces a day in adult human terms. Can you even imagine eating nearly half a pound of salt a day? I can't..... And most salt intake warnings are based on at least part of that study.
Now jump forward 35 years. More tests are being done on salt intake, and more is being learned about the salt that we eat. Historically, salt usually comes from dried seabeds and deposits above or below ground. Around 100 years ago companies like Morton leaned that if they heated salt up to 1500 degrees that they could cook virtually everything else right out of that salt, leaving pure sodium salt. Add in some anti-caking agents, and later some iodine, and you have the salt that most people in industrialized nations use. Modern researchers realized this and began to study "table salt" as well as "sea salt" as separate objects of study. Tests done over a period of years began to show some interesting things.... for example, it now appears that the level of safe salt consumption is roughly 7 times higher than the government recommends. Not only that, but it also looks like the culprit in the negative affects of salt intake is potassium deprivation, not the presence of sodium chloride, per se. You see, when you have an excess of salt in your system you body combines sodium chloride molecules with potassium molecules to dispose of the excess. Potassium is crucial to your body as a component in, among other things, heart rates and BP levels. As a result, we're now learning that i you have a high sodium salt intake level that it can be mitigated by an increased dietary potassium level. you can get it by eating lots of fruits, nuts and veggies...oh yeah...and sea salt! That's right...many sea salts like the pink salt I use have naturally occurring potassium in them.

Here are some links to some articles you may find of interest....particularly the ones that blame LOW salt intake for significant health issues!

www.menshealth.com/mhlists/food_myths/Salt_Causes_High_Blood_Pressure.php

www.huffingtonpost.com/jacob-teitelbaum-md/salt-health_b_903673.html

rense.com/general65/salt.htm

Good articles...thanks.

[cyberobb99]

Well Coaltrain, the discussion of the use of sugar and artificial sweeteners is a conversation for another thread.....and one well worth having. I do use corn sweetener on occasion for specific purposes but don't normally use it. In fact, make my own root beer and lemonade for softdrinks, and if I want a cola I usually have a Pepsi Throwback.

[Coaltrain]

Jan 22, 2013 21:02:59 GMT -5 cyberobb99 said:

Well Coaltrain, the discussion of the use of sugar and artificial sweeteners is a conversation for another thread.....and one well worth having. I do use corn sweetener on occasion for specific purposes but don't normally use it. In fact, make my own root beer and lemonade for softdrinks, and if I want a cola I usually have a Pepsi Throwback.

Great idea!!