I think that we can agree that salt is an essential mineral for healthy body function, but for years we have been told that our society eats far too much of it, mostly due to all the processed convenience food we eat. We have been told it is linked to high blood pressure and cardio vascular disease. This guidance has been provided as a blanket statement to everyone for years, but as studies continue, it is being proven that this guidance no longer holds water.
For a simple explanation of why, check out this article from Dr. Mercola titled Surprise! Everything you have been told about salt is wrong! This article is very easy to read and tells us that:
- a high salt diet will not increase your risk of heart disease. Correct potassium to sodium balance is where the risk comes into place.
- salt doesn’t increase thirst, it actually has a larger effect on hunger.
- eating a whole food diet will ensure a more appropriate sodium to potassium ratio
On a low carb ketogenic diet, metabolizing fat causes you to drink and excrete more water and salt, making it important to ensure you have salt (sea salt or pink Himalayan salt) as part of your diet. Here is an article from Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt called Should you eat less salt – or more? that links to some interesting articles and studies on how important salt is in our diet.
So unless your doctor has a reason why you shouldn’t, go ahead and sprinkle that salt on your meal. You are making it delicious and improving your health!
