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What do you know about salt?
It’s on every restaurant table, we use it to season most of our food recipes, and yet we know so little about it. We know what it tastes like. We are told that using too much salt is bad. Yet, we are also told that using too little salt is bad.
Did you know that there are two different types of salt? Refined salt and unrefined salt. Refined salt is the white salt that you see most places. It is perfect in color, grain size, and pours neatly from a bottle. However, it also contains no minerals.
Unrefined salt is different. It comes in different colors like gray or pink. The grain size is varied and can sometimes stick together. It is imperfect from the view of how it looks and functions. However, unrefined salt contains over 80 essential minerals.
After gaining this new understanding about salt, I quickly decided to switch up my salt preferences. After all, unrefined and refined salt taste the same. I now prefer to use Celtic Sea Salt or Himalayan Pink Salt so I can access the wonderful health benefits along with the same salt taste.
I do want to mention that because unrefined salt can stick together, you may want to invest in some salt shakers that have bigger holes in them to let the salt come through easier. For example, I use these salt and pepper shakers because they have adjustable holes for different sized salt grains.
Unrefined salt can strengthen your immune system and your hormonal system. Refined salt does neither. Unrefined salt supports the thyroid and adrenal glands.
I discovered the importance of unrefined salt after discovering my autoimmune thyroid disease (Part 1: What is Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis?) and learning to put it into remission (Part 7: Healing My Leaky Gut Stopped Hashimoto’s).
After knowing these differences in the nutritional profile and yet having the same taste- why would you use anything else?
WHAT ABOUT SALT?
Most commercially refined salt is harvested from salt mines as brine. Brine is a highly concentrated solution of salt and water that is generally treated with chemicals (sulfuric acid and/or chlorine) to remove the mineral content of the salt.
Once the minerals are removed from the solution, it is heated and compressed under high pressure to evaporate the water. Refined salt contains anti-caking or conditioning agents and usually even contains dextrose (refined sugar) to stabilize iodide in the salt.
One of the reasons this process is done is to give salt a longer shelf life and to make it a “cleaner” (ie. uniform grain, color, and pour) product for the consumer.
Salt in its natural form, unaltered by man, is referred to as unrefined salt. One example is unrefined sea salt – also known as Celtic Sea Salt. Another would be Himalayan Pink Salt. Unrefined salt contains all the natural elements that are essential for life.
Unrefined salt is not exposed to harsh chemicals or processed mechanically. It will have minerals and elements that are associated with is origin. Unrefined salt is easily used by the body and contains a full profile of minerals that are essential for maintaining optimal body function.
The minerals in unrefined salt are what give the salt its color and the mineral profile in unrefined salt changes based on its origin. This also has an impact on the color of the unrefined salt.
In the case of Celtic Sea Salt for example, the salt is harvested by channeling ocean water through several clay-lined ponds. Then, the wind and sun evaporate the ocean water which leaves a mineral rich brine.
Salt farmers gather the brine with wooden tools as salt crystals begin to form. This is almost the very same method of gathering salt as the ancient Celts used over 2,OOO years ago.
HOW SALT FITS INTO OUR WORLD
Our westernized culture is seeing more people who are deficient in vital nutrients due to poor choices of food consumption. In our world, we are surrounded by processed food and it is easy to eat what tastes good without a thought to the poor nutritional value.
Our bodies are designed to absorb nutrients from food in order to perform optimal body functions. These nutrients include vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and fatty acids. If we don’t start paying attention to what our bodies need then these processes begin to suffer.
Is it any wonder that we are getting sicker while our healthcare bills skyrocket as a society? It is time to pay attention. Small changes, such as the type of salt we use while cooking, can have a big impact on our functional being.
Are you willing to make this small change for your health? The old saying is true.
We are what we eat.
I Refuse To Bribe You.
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