Good Salt, Bad Salt and High Blood Pressure - Which Salt is Best?
Good Salt and Bad Salt
Eating too much salt increases blood pressure. We should all aim to eat less of it. Yet there’s a difference between what could be considered good salt and bad salt.
Up to 3/4 of the salt we ingest is already in prepared foods we purchase at the store – processed meats and canned goods in particular. As such, you can virtually eliminate salt in your diet by cooking with basic unprocessed foods – meat, vegetables, fruits, grains, etc.
But you still need some salt! Salt is a vital element that helps regulating water retention around cells. A study has shown that those with the lowest amount of salt intake had a 20% higher risk of suffering heart attack or stroke.
As usual, it’s good to take an attitude of everything in moderation. So you can have some salt but not too much. Around 1.5 grams of salt a day is considered a healthy intake.
However, keep in mind that not all salt is the same.
The white table salt most of us were brought up on has been highly refined and processed, which means all its nutrition is removed and we’re left only with sodium chloride.
Sea salt harvested in the age-old traditional method maintains all the natural nutrients your body will love you for.
Why sea salt is better for you than refined table salt
In the words of Kevin Riley (author of popular blood pressure guide, Get Natural!):
Celtic sea salt has gained fame in the culinary world … treasured as one of the finest condiments. You should be using this wonderful salt in your kitchen … and on your table. It is unlike other salts … much more than just sodium and chloride – it is rich with minerals and trace elements.
This natural sea salt is harvested from acres and acres of preserved pristine marshes … off the northwest coast of France. The salt flats are large pans of grey clay, into which the seawaters of the Atlantic are channeled. There the sun and wind evaporate the water … leaving a mineral-rich salty brine.
The salt crystals that form … pick up a light grey color from the clay mud. The clayionizes the salt – making it richer in healthy electrolytes. Celtic sea salt is carefully harvested using ancient Celtic methods. Only wooden rakes are used to gather the salt by hand … no metal ever touches the precious salt.
The final product is a nutritious unrefined sea salt … with a pleasing light grey color … slightly moist … and delicious. This wonderful salt can be used in all your cooking – it tastes fantastic sprinkled on garden-fresh tomatoes.
Enjoy the healthy salt that was collected by the early Celts … and keep your body’s electrolytes in balance.
– Get Natural! Drop Your Blood Pressure
photo by Jean-Christophe, flickr.com
The most well known Celtic Sea salt is Sel de Guerande harvested on the northern shores of Brittany.
Look for it in your local health food shop, but if you can’t find it locally (or a good equivalent), you can buy it on Amazon:
Sel de Guerande – Amazon.com
Sel de Guerande – Amazon.co.uk
Lower your blood pressure naturally (for less cost)
In addition to natural sea salt there is actually a large choice of affordable natural ingredients that lower blood pressure. Many of these spices, herbs, berries, fruits, grains, vegetables, meats and drinks are available in local stores.
Of course there are other factors beyond diet (like fitness and stress) that affects your blood pressure. So the best way to lower your blood pressure without drugs is to apply a broader approach – covering all causes and cures with natural home-based remedies.
The guide contains simple and proven strategies for lowering your blood pressure and keeping it low through easy, effective and enjoyable changes in lifestyle.
Good salt and bad salt: some references
Read more about good salt and bad salt and blood pressure here:
Overview of clinical studies into salt and health:
It’s time to end the war on salt (Scientific American)
Debunking the salt myth (Mercola.com)
What America can learn from the UK’s massive sodium experiment (The Washington Post)
On health effects of different kinds of salt:
Is salt really the villain it’s been made out to be? (Mercola.com)