So what’s the deal with salt?

Does it cause high blood pressure, dehydrate the body, increase hydration, or support the body during times of stress?

Yes. All of the above.

If you want salt to work to your advantage, you have to select the right type of salt and use it appropriately.

Table Salt vs. Sea Salt
These two foods each have a unique chemical makeup, and consequently, they react very differently in the body.

Sea salt is the whole form of salt. In addition to sodium chloride, it contains accessory minerals that enable it to be utilized by the body properly. This beautiful blend of minerals has been valued for centuries by different cultures due to its medicinal qualities.

Table salt is simply sodium chloride. It has been stripped of the additional minerals that naturally occur in salt. The body struggles to process this isolated nutrient. Ingesting table salt can exacerbate imbalances, like dehydration and high blood pressure.

There are multiple benefits of ingesting sea salt beyond it enhancing the flavor of food, which is a huge perk in my book!

1. Improve Hydration:
Water should naturally be rich in minerals, which help the body to absorb water. Unfortunately, when water is treated, many of those beneficial minerals are stripped out. This makes the water less hydrating than it would be in its natural state. If you find that water flushes through you quickly, adding a small pinch of sea salt to your water will enable your body to better utilize that water therefore enhancing hydration.

2. Normalize Blood Pressure:
High blood pressure can be caused by a variety of underlying issues, but dehydration is a common cause. Decreasing diuretics, increasing water intake, and ingesting sea salt to enhance water absorption are all simple yet powerful ways that I have helped dozens of clients to reduce their blood pressure naturally.

3. Provide Nutritional Stress Support:
When the brain and body are stressed out, the adrenal glands burn through minerals and salt quickly, depleting the body’s reserves. In response to that imbalance, salt cravings spike so that you will replenish diminishing supplies. Therefore, listen to your cravings. Ingesting a bit more sea salt (and mineral rich foods, like vegetables) during stressful seasons is very supportive to the body.

Keep It Real
As you’ve heard me say before, go for the real food and pass on the processed alternative! Salt follows that same rule. Have fun spicing up your life!