What you ever wanted to know about SALT

but didn't have the right to know....

Everybody knows about NaCl, that is the common salt. We use salt
nearly everywhere and for every purpose. Far the days when salt was
an expensive good, worth its weight in gold. Cities had salt in their
names (in Germany every city with the suffix HAL or HALL was a site
where people had found salt ie. Bad Reichenhall) and the Pope in
Italy did fight wars because of the taxes on salt, and guess why you
get paid your salary at the end of the month...

But why we eat so much salt today?

One would say: because it makes the food taste better, because it is
necessary for the consumption.
What is true is, that salt is in first line a cheap conservant.
Anyone of you is recalling probably the stockfish, a tipical food
conserved in salt.

However how come that people consume more and more salt, and what
is the right level of salt consumption?

In reality the consumption of salt good for our health is about 40%
lower than the current level.
In particular fast food chains and processed food are the main
responsables for this excessive intake. This overcharge in salt is
virtually ... killing you. No, it is not healthy at all. It is
responsable in important measure of hypertension and kidney diseases
and its effect is cumulative in time. The longer you eat salty chips
and processed food, the more hamburger, the more your cardiovascular
system suffers.
The industry often arguments that salt has to be as much as it is
currently, because of consumer preferences. With other words people
like it salty and want to eat this way. Far from it to tell the
truth.

A life without salt?

No, not without but it would be possible to lower salt consumption
of 40 percent and ... provided you would do it slowly: nobody
would notice How come? Salt is part of a nice example of vicious
circle. The more you eat salted food the more your saliva
contains...Na (sodium). The more sodium contains your saliva the more
you have the impression that the food tastes fade. You will therefore
highten the intake. And that of course will lead to a higher level of
sodium in your saliva. With the time you reach a plateau (we are not
eating pure salt) but this plateau is much too high for our
body. The reason for this disfunction of our physiology? It
is not a bug..IT'S A FEATURE In fact since salt was in
our evolution a very rare but necessary mineral, the individuals
where selected in order to make them instinctively highten the intake
of salt. To search it actively, making it pleasurefull for us. In
fact, after a hang-over we will have a strong tendency to eat salty.
Alcohol leads to loss of unconcentrated urine (that means you are
going to pee much more, just to be clear) and the latter contains ...
a lot of minerals and salt.
As a result we "feel the need for salt".

How to get off the track?

Salt junkies without hope? No way. There is an easy way out. Try to
lower the use of salt in steps week by week for at least one month.
Avoid processed food. Hold the line everytime you feel that the food
begins to seam fade. Wait a few days on the same level, you will see
your taste turns normal (the saliva, remember?) and you can lower
another bit. You can lower up to 40 percent your current level, you
will have the very same taste and... feel better. And then do the
try. What you did eat normally (hamburger, chips or what ever) try it
now. It will feel horribly oversalted. Because now you are on a
healthy level of salt. If you continue to eat salty this effects
vanishes when your saliva turns to regime (and your health turns down
again).

So why they continue put so much salt in our food??

because it makes them rich, it is that easy The salt
industry is very "active" for using a euphemism in lobbying for
maintaining high levels of salt in food and to avoid public health
legislations to lower salt intake. They go very far (remember a few
years ago what happened to the ones quoting that tobacco kills.
Generally they lost their jobs, they marginalized these people and so
on and so forth).

So, if public awareness is low, that does not mean
that you cannot stand up and take a choice for yourself. The next
time you cook, try to lower consciously the amount of salt, use
spices instead of salt, eat less processed food. By growing older you
will "hear" a big "thank you". It will be your cardiovascular system
and your kidneys telling you.

It is your choice. And enjoy your meal

wow thats interesting
and makes you think

Great write up.. and food for thought.

you know soooooooooooooooooo many things!!!!!
you can teach me all your knowledge one if you want to do
it!!! hugs