For years the idea of cutting back on our salt intake hasn't felt right to me. Salt is a traditional food! And besides, how many thousands of years has it been used as a natural preservative?! I've even heard rumblings of how some people with blood pressure issues can eat unrefined, mineral-rich sea salt without problems. We salt our food liberally around here, along with eating plenty of those demonized-but-oh-so-delicious AND good for you saturated fats, and we're rarely sick, feel great, and are full of energy.
Then I came across the following New York Times article that finally took on the “lower your salt intake” mentality and couldn't wait to share it with you! It was no surprise to see that it was written by Gary Taubes, the guy known for taking on other mainstream health topics and turning the “well-known” facts upside down.
First: Here's where to find unrefined good-for-you salt!
Here are a few excerpts from the article:
“Salt consumption is said to raise blood pressure, cause hypertension and increase the risk of premature death. This is why the Department of Agriculture’s dietary guidelines still consider salt Public Enemy No. 1, coming before fats, sugars and alcohol. It’s why the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has suggested that reducing salt consumption is as critical to long-term health as quitting cigarettes.
And yet, this eat-less-salt argument has been surprisingly controversial — and difficult to defend. Not because the food industry opposes it, but because the actual evidence to support it has always been so weak.”
“While, back then, the evidence merely failed to demonstrate that salt was harmful, the evidence from studies published over the past two years actually suggests that restricting how much salt we eat can increase our likelihood of dying prematurely. Put simply, the possibility has been raised that if we were to eat as little salt as the U.S.D.A. and the C.D.C. recommend, we’d be harming rather than helping ourselves.”
“When several agencies, including the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration, held a hearing last November to discuss how to go about getting Americans to eat less salt (as opposed to whether or not we should eat less salt), these proponents argued that the latest reports suggesting damage from lower-salt diets should simply be ignored.”
Read the full article: Salt, We Misjudged You
More you might like:
- Healthy Fats & Oils – Learn the Truth!
- The War on Salt: 5 Easy Rules for Salting Your Food – a guest post from last summer
- My original post on mineral-rich sea salt
Photo, Creative Commons 2.0
mgw says
Late, but perhaps still helpful:
My current favorite salts are Bragg’s Aminos and Red Boat Fish Sauce. Another favorite form of salt is the Korean roasted salts. These salts are a fine powder and suitable for application at table. The culinary grade of roasted salt (roasted 3 times) is easily available on the shelf at any Korean grocer (known as “bamboo salt”). The traditional therapeutic grade (roasted 9 times) is available at http://www.tibetangold.com. For iodine I use Lugol’s Solution mail order from http://www.xenexlabs.com. Dr. David Brownstein’s blog covers iodine very well, a respected expert: http://www.drbrownstein.com I would not rely on iodized salt as an iodine source; I understand that commercial salt is superheated (iodized or not) and becomes ceramicized & not easily assimilable & does not even fully dissolve. Individual results vary of course. Myself I had a holacious blood pressure spike when using Celtic salt daily, convenient when I broke my ankle. Easily remedied by stopping. Fortunately I have no medical qualifications. There are a few decades of interesting dialog concerning salt & assimilable minerals at http://www.subtleenergies.com.
Commenter via Facebook says
Kelp is a high in natural iodine. Other sea vegetables are good sources of iodine as well.
Commenter via Facebook says
What foods provide sources of iodine? I bought iodized sea salt for the table, but I cook with the unrefined coarse stuff (different varieties). I never worried about my salt intake (or iodine for that matter), I don’t have high BP, but then my parents came to visit and apparently they use roughly TEN TIMES the amount if salt I do… I don’t know if they are just used to it or your taste buds really do go as you get older, but at that moment I realized just why a physician might tell someone to cut back on salt…
Commenter via Facebook says
First, I don’t think I get enough iodine through natural sources because I’m not eating a lot of seafood–this is in reference to your article. That said, I’ve been using Celtic sea salt for years and my BP is fine. I eat it uncooked and cooked! I try to limit processed food and iodized salt which I think is heavily processed. I don’t think real food makes you sick. I think there is something else probably going on. Maybe you do need iodine, but I would get it from a different source than through salt. Besides, once you get used to Celtic salt you realize how much better it is! (Do I sound opinionated or what???)
Commenter via Facebook says
I know that Real Salt says that it has iodine but the FDA makes the package say “not a source of iodine” because they don’t ADD iodine. this question from a fellow reader definitely interests me, because we have to watch my husband’s blood pressure carefully even on a healthy diet, largely due to his genetics. (on an upside, increasing his potassium i.e.2 bananas every day has been helpful so far)
Commenter via Facebook says
Iodized salt makes my throat (I’m assuming its my thyroid) feel strange. Not painful just weird. Fish/seaweed etc don’t do it though.
Commenter via Facebook says
I have a question about this as I have noticed my BP creeping up in the last 2 years which seems to coincide with when I thought I would be “good” and not use iodized salt anymore. I started buying only “sea salt” and also Celtic sea salt. I am 45 so it also might be that I getting older, too, but one time in particular after (I think) I put some un-cooked Celtic sea salt on my dinner I had, what I think, was a BP spike. I was nauseous, dizzy, felt gross and eventually threw-up. All that I could think of that was different was the Celtic sea salt, which I have read needs to be cooked and not just sprinkled on food (?). I am now back using only reg. iodized salt to see if that might be part of my BP problem and also taking suppliments with iodine. Anyone have any thoughts on this?
Commenter via Facebook says
I started taking iodine tabs and started having pain in my kidneys. They say kidney failure is a side effect from too much iodine. So what do you do?
Commenter via Facebook says
Hmm, I wonder if I should worry about iodine. We use Real Salt.
Commenter via Facebook says
I love those shakers! Too cute! Can you tell I have 2 boys?
Commenter via Facebook says
we use non-iodized salt but I’ve recently started taking a kelp supplement. while we eat seafood and an unprocessed WAPF diet, I question whether we still are getting enough iodine…..
Pavil, the Uber Noob says
Since Real Food cannot be mass produced, just learn to avoid being fed by Wall Street.
BTW, your salt link probably doesn’t work as expected.
Ciao, Pavil
Ruth says
Dont forget to make sure it has iodine unless you are allergic to iodine. One time we got the non idolized salt and my husbands blood pressure shot up dangerously high, a blood vessel in his eye popped. The doctor said it was because iodine helps regulate blood pressure. We use the iodized sea salt
KitchenKop says
Most people get plenty of iodine from other foods in their diet, though. We don’t use iodized sea salt.
Kelly
Kathy @ Granny's Vital Vittles says
If you eat a real food diet devoid of processed food there is a good chance that you are not getting enough salt in your diet, doubly so if you live in a hot climate. Eat as much real unprocessed salt with your food as you like … eat to taste. Also wanted to add that I find real sea salt helps quite a bit with inflammation and allergies, just a teaspoon or so with a glass of water can be far more effective at reducing itching, sneezing and swollen sinuses than decongestants and antihistamines are!
Adele Culp says
A friend introduced me to a wonderful mineral salt a year ago. She buys 30lb bags a few hours away and shares 1 lb with me. I love it. It is called Redmond’s RealSalt. It actually comes in a variety of sizes and from a number of online vendors. Check it out. Everyone who tries it wants some. It is the best salt I have ever had.
leigh says
Mortin Satin w/ the Salt Institute, Critiquing the USDA Dietary Guidelines:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfDbJ2nsBmo&feature=relmfu
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Bonnie says
Keep in mind those that have kidney disease or failure should be a low salt diet. The increase of salt cause water retention which could lead to water around the organs like the heart and lungs.
Nicole says
Don’t the cells in our body have a percentage of salt in them??? So we need salt to replenish them, I reckon??!!
[email protected] says
https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/22/going-to-the-fat-farm-with-dad/
check out my blog about my salt allergy. I must be that 20 percent.
Thanks I really enjoyed the post.
Stanley Fishman says
I am fairly certain that the sodium in processed foods is highly refined, and bears very little resemblance to the salt humanity has eaten for most of history. If this sodium causes problems, I suspect it is because of the unnatural form it is refined into.
For myself, I eat all the unrefined sea salt I want, and I will add a teaspoon of this to a glass of warm water, once or twice a day. I feel better and more energetic when I do this. Cannot recommend it for anyone else, as I am not a medical professional, but it works great for me.
The consequences of not getting enough salt can be horrible, including death.
mgw says
Y’all might also enjoy Dr. Micozzi’s
“Getting off the sodium obsession”
https://drmicozzi.com/dispatch/ddp_20120926.htm
Best wishes,
Laura @ Stealthy Mom says
Salt is not the bad guy.
The problem is the EXTREME amount of sodium that people take in when they live on processed foods. Starting semi-homemade meals with a can of creamed soup does not help, either. Processed cheese has three to four times the sodium of cheddar; funky mystery-rolls of ground beef need salt to cover the weird taste. A can of V-8 has The government pushed “reduced sodium” instead of “cook for yourself” due to powerful Big Food lobbies.
If you make your own food, staying within the 2400mg (1500mg for some) is easy-peasy. Cooking from scratch with fresh, natural ingredients, you will use less sodium without thinking about it. Sprinkling some on top of something can even reduce your intake because it takes a few grains on your tongue to get the same zip as the a quarter teaspoon in a slice of takeout pizza.
My husband had a mini-stroke a year and a half ago. He is lean, fit, doesn’t smoke, and was towing the kids in the bike trailer when the TIA happened. Genetics is a factor with his case, but we seriously lowered his blood pressure through diet. Cutting out processed foods leads to reduced sodium and added opportunities to sneak in a little flax here, a handful of oats there…
Laura @ Stealthy Mom says
(Thanks to the kids for pressing “send” before I was done a sentence. That’s okay; I said lots.)
Jenny says
My personal rule is ” If the Government, the American Medical Society, a doctor, etc says it, do the exact opposite !” Yes, I use common sense, but am finding more and more that the above groups should just be ignored. Sad, but greed, power, “the love of money” corrupts and boy does corruption run rampant in the above groups. Love Gary Taubes, mainly because he pushes and pushes hard against “conventional wisdom.” I personally would like to see “conventional wisdom” blown to smithereens and let common sense take over. Thanks for your posts Kelly.
Jill says
I agree with your personal rule, Jenny, and I use that rule too! Sad, but true, but the government pushes it, there’s usually some sort of conflict of interest behind it and it should be regarded as nonsense.
Stanley Fishman says
Jenny, there is so much wisdom in your rule! I think I will adopt it1
Sharon says
Jenny, my husband says the same thing too! Whatever the govt, doctors, medical profession says, do the opposite! They’ve been wrong all along, all for greed, money and evil intentions…to keep us all sick, broke and die early!
Amanda Y says
I also use this general rule as a health guideline!
Heather@Food Ponderings says
No one ever believes me when I say that only 20% of folks are salt-sensitive. I love the taste of salt, so I will happily sprinkle it on food to bring out the flavor. My blood pressure is perfectly normal, thank you very much!