Salt and salt’s effects on the body are very misunderstood, misinformed, and just missed pretty much altogether in the modern diet, and by many health-conscious diet researchers. Too many Americans armed with the dis-info, go under-salted or use toxic stuff instead miracle stuff.

Salt is an essential mineral – you need it! That does not stop the thousands of directives out there full of regurgitated, health hate saying to cut salt out at all costs!

The salt scare started more than a century ago when French doctors reported without actual test data, that six of their subjects had “high blood pressure, from too much salt, and were at risk for heart disease because of it.”

The way we do these tests, then and now in itself is curious and no one has really had any accurate or conclusive evidence that salt in fair doses is the cause of any lack of health or health risk.

The idea escalated in the 1970s when Brookhaven National Laboratory’s Lewis Dahl claimed that he had conclusive evidence that salt causes hypertension: he induced high blood pressure in rats by feeding them the human equivalent of 500 grams of sodium a day.

Again, curios testing method here, and according to certain scientific papers, all of these recommendations are criticized claiming that we really only learn that 500 grams of salt is too much for human consumption.

Athletes, know that with the calf cramp sodium consumption is the answer. Runners and marines who need to put out lots of out put, take lots of salt in, like salt pills.

Sodium is a superconductor of electric energy in water, which alone does conduct electricity, but not nearly as well as it does with salt.

This dynamic sodium/salt functionality is not considered in modern dietary guides, but sodium nonetheless plays a significant factor in human movement, and internal system communications.

( salt + water ) = hydration & connectivity – ( heat + output )

On intermittent fasting cycles  I will do salt pinches on the hour and water on the half until I start eating. I would measure out three grams of salt to cook with, and I will pinch a few more times right before the night workout session.

Between 4 to 12 grams of additional sodium is how much I want to take in, per day.

Some Keto diet journals recommend 5-7g sodium daily.

And, just think about it you can jump in the ocean all day swallow gallons of ocean water which is very salty, and your fine.

I have been doing this now for a while and agree with the 2014 English Journal of Medicine Urine Study, that originally recommended the 3 – 6 gram amount to be the correct median amount for optimal performance and stable body maintenance.

Of course the user should toggle this up and down a bit based on strenuous activity – and mineral is hopefully taken before, after and during the activity as needed.

Our movement is a series of electrical pulses, and those pulses need salt to connect. The less salt the slower the movement, the less hydrated the body and the more tired the overall system and mind.

Speaking of keto, Dr. Phinney, along with his brilliant studies in the meat diet, and his fathering of the ketogenic diet, has found out what Native American’s seem to have known for quite a long time. He recommends a higher sodium intake for everyone, especially nutritional ketosis practitioners who he says will find fuller balance with the added consumption.

He says that athletes can take one gram of salt prior to exertion in order to support the activity. He concludes the current salt recommends, are insufficient and will lead to health problems. We will talk about that again in a moment.

Our bodies rely on salt to keep proper bone density, proper circulation and stabilized blood sugar levels. The thing is processed, refined table salt is actually a poison because its been stripped of all nutrients and chemicals have been added. So this salt will make you sick.

Let’s take a moment and check out some of the best salt we can ahold of.

SALT RANKINGS

1. Utah Red Salt

Compared to Himalayan, Celtic, Tibetan, Malaysian, French, Hawaiian, Irish, and marine sea salts, real salt means fewer food miles, ethical labor standards, and sustainable practices along with its addictive sweet-salt taste.

The only American Pink and Black Salt. Mined in Utah since 1958 from an ancient seabed protected from modern pollution.

The bucket is a new product but the bags have been around a while, and have over 2k satisfied reviews. The unique blend of minerals found in this USA salt, is one of the higher denser spectrum of minerals in any salt.

One user said, “I’d say for how long it’s lasted it’s one of the best deals for the money.” Another of the 200 solid five star reviewers “it works great for fermentation applications. ” Another called it,  “the best tasting salt.”

Ships free, built and stocked to last.

2. XLarge Himalayan Salt Rocks

Salt chunks in 10 Lbs Bag. 100% Authentic, pure natural rock salt with 84 trace minerals . 1 .5 to 2.5 inche X-Large chunks of rock himilian salt.

You know at this chunk size its the real deal.

Great price ! Order two to get the free shipping!

3. Celtic Salt

This is a great salt for the cupboard. Amazon Choice product with over 1500 happy customer reviews.

Great price for the 1lb bag.

Authentic, with no additives, and a great long-term company reputation.

Sourced from the Celtic seas, this salt mineral here is can be a great mineral have, and this salt has a great taste too!

This is all-around salt you can use for cooking or whatever, supplying the body with over 74 vital trace minerals & elements.

One customer said, it did help them balance their high blood pressure. Another mentioned it tasted much better than the salt they previously used.

One did mention they felt the iodine levels were a bit low. This is why I recommend getting a few salt sources, and having a salt diversity. After a while you will know which salts are best for taste and which have the most powerful mineral and iodine basis.

3. Rapid Rehydr8

This is a good product to have in the gym bag or rucksack.  Could be especially important to a run kit, it would be for me that is for sure.

“FINALLY ELECTROLYTES THAT ELIMINATE PAINFUL LEG CRAMPS FAST!!”

If endurance runners lack the confidence to finish off a race because of leg cramps, then they are going to love what our electrolytes will do for them. The reviews for this product confirm the electrolyte supplement is first class in eliminating leg cramps.

Over 700 people are very happy with this product.

One customer said that he has a medical condition that causes his blood pressure to suddenly drop. To help prevent this, He takes Rapid Rehydrate capsules along with large quantities of water. He also takes a couple at bed time to help hold onto that water through the night. He is very happy with the results.

A boxer from Hawaii reported that his intensive training in the hot humid client used to give him cramps right after training, but not anymore. He takes the product on a regular basis now.

It is stocked with magnesium calcium and vitamin D also. Great formulation.

Consumer tip: Grab two bottles, or some serrapeptase with the salt, since the one bottle of 120 caps is just under Amazon’s free shipping order minimum.

4. 5 lb of Himalayan sodium chloride rocks

The pure rocks of the Himalayan salt formations are able to clean toxins from the air. This food grade, has to be pure because of medium rock size, is the best most direct, less touched source of the important mineral and for this along with 120 very high reviews of the order we have suggested it as a must have.

We however our pro nutrition team recommends with salt, like we do with coconut oil, that 5 different sources be ordered and on hand in the household.

Extremely well priced for what you get from a company who cares so much to bring us the valid product free of contaminants.

Consumer tip: This salt is so well priced you should order a few others not just to fulfill NDdiet diversity requirements but to get the free shipping!

5. Himalayan Pink for Cooking

If your looking for a Kosher option we recommend this one, broken down to a great size ready for cooking.

6. Himalayan Scrub

Nearly 200 thousand happy customers with this collagen / stem cell infused salt scrub. The topical salt solution. The protein charged salt scrub has proven popular and effective.

One consumer said that it was ” The best exfoliator you will ever find!!!!! Worth every penny! SO HAPPY I BOUGHT!” Another said, ” The best exfoliator you will ever find!!!!!

Topical treatment is smart. If the largest (skin) organ on the body is working to repair, that take away from athletic and other performance. Help it out. Also consider coconut oil.

Application tip: This topical and others like it, including coconut oil is best spread and most effective when mixed with a little water.  I personally shower use what I am going to use, and then air dry or towel dry or sun dry or whatever.

7. Epsom Salt 19lb

This bath soak sodium chloride is great if your training hard. It can really help keep athletes ready to train hard again tomorrow.

3000 happy customer reviews. Very well priced with free shipping.

Epsom salt can be a powerful fertilizer to see the garden flourish. Epsom salts work for plants and are a completely natural and cost-efficient way to give them that extra boost. Throw some on the lawn, the shrubs, and around in the garden to see how it works for you.

A recent review said, “5.0 out of 5 stars A must for calming the nerves and relaxing the muscles!”

8.  Dead Sea Salts

These high mineral salts are for bathing only. Another salt source is another spectrum of minerals and trace elements.

We say here, get as diverse a spectrum as possible with performance needs such as salt.

9. Salt Inhaler

I am a big fan of treating every little part of the system. For example pollution, brake dust, whatever else can warrant lung treatments.

I am a big fan of the steam room with coconut infused water. It work wonders on my lungs. There is a way to do it with a home steamer , a standard pot, etc.

This could be a good tool, to quick and easy do a treatment while brushing your teeth or using the service.

9. Salt Lamp

1200 happy customer reviews for this salt lamp. Hand made with 100% salt rock from the Himalayans.

Has a neeem wood base.

Has a dimmer switch.

Makes the perfect gift. One customer review said, “I have 3 of these lamps and they create the most soothing atmosphere…it is amazing!”

I personally think they do set a great atmosphere. They also help remind us to think about our salt management for the day.

10. Sherpa Pink

Over 1200 happy reviews.

x. Sodium Chloride World History

I always say if there is possibly a real history on something available, that history is important. I found this guy did a Salt World History, and surely important perspective and use, or a few nice dots too connect will be found within the pages.

SALT BENEFITS

Rinsing with saline promotes human gingival fibroblast wound healing in vitro. Treating gum disease with saline rinses appeared in China as early as 2700 B.C. [1,a]

Significantly helped treat and prevent strep throat in school children, showing large differences from placebo students. [2]

I try to say with all this stuff we each are different we have different outputs and salt losses each day with different weather and activity patterns. We have what they call a salt appetite, and this is something that drives in all animals.

Try to know when you need more and definitely try not to go too high. [3] I would say 10g is a good limit starting out.

“Sodium Chloride Inhibits the Growth and Infective Capacity of the Amphibian Chytrid Fungus and Increases Host Survival Rates.”

The amphibian chytrid fungus batrachochytrium dendrobatidis is a recently emerged pathogen that causes the infectious disease chytridiomycosis and has been implicated as a contributing factor in the global amphibian decline.

Since its discovery, research has been focused on developing various methods of mitigating the impact of chytridiomycosis on amphibian hosts but little attention has been given to the role of antifungal agents that could be added to the host’s environment.

Sodium chloride is a known antifungal agent used routinely in the aquaculture industry and this study investigates its potential for use as a disease management tool in amphibian conservation. [4]

Salt is a great preservative. Recently a 30% sodium chloride solution was determined to be effective in the preservation of anatomic specimens previously fixed in formaldehyde. Valuable information and alternative for medical and veterinary workers. [5]

It is safe to use for de-icing and has no adverse effects on nearby plants. [6]

SALT SIDE EFFECTS

Science wonders if salt is related to the 1 billion suffering hypertension. [x]

Too much will certainly hurt you, it will be hard to accomplish that if you have the right salt. Most importantly the wrong salt source will definitely hurt you.

A salt source diversity is best.

SALT EXPERIENCE

The only sodium chloride that should be vilified, is the fluoridated salts, and why table versioned products have popped dirty for fluoride so often is curious. None the less several popular shelf models have regularly tested positive for the chemical. Again we simple have a food sourcing issue here. Commonly monosodium glutamate is another version that often will be higher volume than other salts in the home sized buys, which is sort of an interesting concentration for human consumption, being that the substance is usually in small amounts of things like cheese, and tomato naturally.

Not unlike all other elements, in the Nutritional Diversity genre of diet plans, a salt diversity would prove most complete. Himalayan sea salts have become popular, but I would heavily suggest that a good sodium diversity of four to ten differently sourced salts, would act as a superior support formula. I would say to mix them all up and pinch them and use in cooking, throughout the day to the sum of around 3 to 8 grams depending on activity. I do believe that 11 grams of salt in one particular well-planned day, could have a very valuable place in an athlete’s diet, and gut health. Rock salt minerals make the difference in health and happiness for the goats at the Nutritional Diversity Study site in Costa Rica. These are bulk salts from the feed store, and they would likely do the trick for us too. Epsom salts, sea salts, and lake salts are all fine, as long as fluoridation or chemical processing is not part of the product.

Salt plays a large role in the digestion and uptake of proteins and other nutrients. Salts being conductors, are in the right translators of messages, and energies, are necessary for individually intelligent life forms to get around.

Sodium is a chemical element on the chart as Na (from Latin natrium), which is considered a reactive metal alkali.  The vital to life mineral is the sixth most abundant mineral on the earth’s crust. We get most of it from salt (sodium chloride), as it is always fused within larger minerals and sodium metal was first extracted only 110 years ago, and it must be constructed with compounds.

A modern college kid can tell you they were bulletproof in the college years able to down copious amounts of alcohol and pizzas with little physical damage. Some attribute this to age. I know that it was Top Ramen noodles loaded with sodium.

Mainstream health information vilifies salt and lots of other healthy things, and many serious athletes today, cause themselves to struggle with salt deficiency. This is not necessarily bad training, though surely they would love to know that but upping their salt level they pull water into the arteries and increase vital operative blood pressures and vital activity in that blood.

While there are plenty of operations and treatments for sports and health, even spirituality that calls for a temporary cleanse of salts, purging, and pause from salt consumption, for normal operations and certainly athletic performance ones; get a good amount of salt in.

There are some indications that suggest pinching the mineral, also saliva dissolution prolongs activity through water retention and easier systematic communication as I noted earlier. In the sun, under heavy workload, one benefits from constant sodium dissolved in the mouth, at times when water is not ingested.

Surely persons can reach an over-salting, known best an effect of being stranded at sea. This becomes a risk with days and days of high salt ingestion with no groundwater ingestion and the condition is complex. Aside from being stranded at sea, or ignorance of how to create a well and a filter, one should not experience this.

The athletic gut flush many times especially for high school athletes, is a few tablespoons of salt, at once, preferably Epsom in this case, in  1L water. Don’t leave the house for six hours.

The final answer on sodium is that the FDA and many other health recommendations are wrong about sodium and saluable fats, and that finding your optimal self-state, through cleansing, nutrition, and exercise is finding the answer to questions, like “how much is right for me?” Through knowing ourselves and also through blood work, and dedicated experimentation this can be narrowed to the general idea that will change with output need and diet selection. I myself am able to tell when I need more salt, and through lots of study and practice have many other toggle switches at my disposal, that I understand well to use throughout my life journey. Through this knowledge and understanding comes certain freedom that I wish all Nutritional Diversifists to obtain.

A 2014 English Journal of Medicine Urine Study, found results convincing that 3 to 6 grams of sodium intake per day was optimal, and that above or below this, resulted in an ‘at risk state of health.’ The study concluded strongly against recommendations to lower salt and sodium intake.  Dr. Phinney the founder of the ketogenic diet, has discovered that many of the negative effects experienced by newbies to keto can be solved by simply upping salt uptake to an adequate level. An interesting trend developed where those who pay attention to diet information and their health, were all mostly convinced that the lowest possible salt intake was best. Serious dieters can simply measure out the 3 grams, and Nutritional Diversifist dieters can go through the motions with salt, and test to see where they feel best and at what levels in which places, this factor would change barely with things like heat and humidity, excursion, output and closeness to the ocean. When I am full swing in Nutritional Diversity dieting, doing ten-hour days in the tropical sun on a farm I take in more water, more salt, more food material, and sleep a deeper sleep, to wake up an easier wake, and it is all good.

Ask a Marine, or Soldier who works out in the sun, having to exert a lot where lives depend on the performance he or she can tell you all about the need for salt pills, salt and its effectiveness to cure certain fatigue, and support more activity.

The type of salt is going to be very important. We don’t want refined or table salt.

Big rock salt, from Himalaya, or gray or specialty salt market stuff seems to be the best on the market today.

SALT DISCUSSION

RELATED MATERIAL

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Simply give me the best sodium chloride.

Originally Published on: Nov 13, 2019