Hi, yes, me again, I came across some reports today dated March 2013 (so quite recent) that links salt consumption to the increase in autoimmune diseases, such as MS. Salt is added to everything these days. However, years ago we were told that salt is bad, and I for one have avoided salt for years and years, not realising that I could have been making myself more susceptible to diseases. Our body needs salt, but not that rubbish, refined table salt that we tend to use. We need the good stuff like Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt (though sea salt is increasingly being refined due to all the pollutants being dumped in the sea. We’re told a lot of fish is full of mercury for the same reason). Way forward - ditch the table salt. It’s not doing you any good. Read labels on foods you buy. You can bet food manufacturers aren’t adding the good, healthy stuff. It’s been an interesting and productive morning. I’ve also been drinking distilled water for the past couple of days and feel so much more alert, even with a cold. Could hardly talk this morning! (Who cheered?) 
Heather
Heather, with your interest in salt and health, you may have come across the excellent ‘Consensus Action on Salt and Health’.
In case it has escaped your notice, here is a link to the 2011 work they did with ‘Which?’ magazine.
http://www.actiononsalt.org.uk/news/surveys/2011/gourmet%20salts/index.html
The main headline is:
‘Sodium chloride accounts for nearly 100% of all rock and sea salts surveyed and are therefore just a more pricey way of damaging our health. Health claims on labels fuel confusion; one in four Which? members admit to thinking rock and sea salts are healthier than table salt.’
So you are not alone in wrongly thinking that paying much more for posh salt stops it being salt!
Alison
Hi Alison, I remember seeing something about this. From a health point of view though, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution and what will be OK for some will be bad for others. I don’t think people should go mad and cover their meals in the stuff, but I think it’s fairly well recognised now that refined table salt is bad for you and that’s probably what food manufacturers use. Interesting subject, though. There’s lots of info out there, for and against. Heather
[quote=“hcd”] …but I think it’s fairly well recognised now that refined table salt is bad for you and that’s probably what food manufacturers use. [/quote] Well yes, but posh salt is every bit as bad! That is the point I was trying to make. Alison
hi heather
i stopped using salt some years ago, i use feshly ground black pepper instead of table salt.
however my bloods show that i have a low sodium count. good i thought but now i have to be careful because of postural hypotension where my blood pressure plummets causing me to faint!
its so damn confusing.
carlole x
Hi again, Yes, the salt issue is a confusing yet interesting subject. If you’re just comparing sodium chloride levels, then table salt is just as good as the more expensive rock, celtic or Himalayan salts. However, the refining process for making table salt removes all the important minerals. The salt is also bleached white and various other bits added, eg. Anti-caking stuff, so that it still pours. I think they add iodine back in and sometimes aluminium. On the continent, they also sometimes add fluoride! All this messing around means you end up with a product that is very bad for us. The other salts, although more expensive, still contain all the minerals so they’re better for your health. Even so, it’s only recommended that you have between a quarter and half a teaspoon of it a day. Iodine is apparently needed for myelin repair. Terry Wahls includes it a lot by eating seaweed and kelp. I came across some posts on t’internet where MSers had seen improvements by using iodine drops. Another source of iodine is Himalayan Pink Salt. I think I remember reading somewhere that fluoride binds to the iodine in the body and depletes it. That’s another reason why fluorinated water is bad, apart from fluoride being toxic, of course. I don’t intend to come across as a know-all or as someone who talks out of their backside all the time, but when I come across something that I think may be useful, I share it. If you have the info, you then have the choice about whether to use it or ignore it. But at least you then have a choice, even if that choice is just to dig a little deeper. Heather
Heather,
Do enjoy your posts. You gives us food for thought. l do try to avoid anything that is refined or processed. ln casseroles,tagines etc l tend to use Anchovy essence to add the salty taste - nobody can tell - and l don’t say. l will look into the other salts you’ve mentioned as l have been using Maldon sea-salt. Do not use much. And l do take a sea-kelp and a greenlip mussel supplement to help with iodine, because when l had my ‘jugulars’ scanned - apart from the restricted flow they also found that l had an enlarge thyroid/goitre - but when the GP did a blood test as usual the results came back as ‘within normal levels’.
Shall look into alternative salts.
F
Honestly, Heather, it isn’t as confusing as all that. A quick read through the ‘Consensus Action on Salt and Health’ info (see my link posted 12 Dec above) will do!
There is information and ‘information’ and, as you say, people can indeed decide which sort they prefer.
Alison
[quote=“pigpen”]
hi heather
i stopped using salt some years ago, i use feshly ground black pepper instead of table salt.
however my bloods show that i have a low sodium count. good i thought but now i have to be careful because of postural hypotension where my blood pressure plummets causing me to faint!
its so damn confusing.
carlole x
[/quote] Hello Carole Your low sodium count is nothing to do with you cutting out table salt so don’t worry about that. You’ll be amazed how much salt there is in the products we buy. The average adult only needs 6g of salt a day. Noreen x
One of the major advantages of using normal table salt is that it DOES have iodine added to it. Since people have stopped using it in large numbers due in part to the rise in popularity of sea salt and other ‘posh’ salts goitre related diseases as a result of too little iodine in the diet have been increasing significantly.
We don’t need much salt as so many processed foods are laden with the stuff but if you eat a mainly non-processed diet (to be recommended) some normal table salt is a wise idea.
A good and simple method of telling if you need salt is to taste a tiny amount on your tongue. If it tastes sweet you need some salt.
B
HI, I am the same, and was told to start using SALT again. My blood pressure is normal now too. I never used to use extra salt on top of my food but I did check everything and only ate food with low salt, never cooked with it either.
We need salt to survive especially in the summer months when we sweat more.
I did what i was told and it nearly made me really ill. Now I am doing what I am told and eating salt again lol. My levels are back to normal and I dont have the funny turns when i stand up anymore.
I appreciate the points made above. I too avoid a lot of over processed food and add salt during the cooking process. My advice is not to add salt at the table…hope that is clear now. Hypertension is one of our silent killers…so let’s not give out confusing information. There is nothing wrong with salt in any form just the amount that some people use. xxx
Would low-sodium levels cause low blood-pressure - as that is my problem. Get dizzy if l stand up quickly -[ well 20 seconds]
Just tried the salt taste test - and yes it did seem sweet so now l know l do need a bit more.
Space jacket if you are salt deficient, you would be having problems such as headaches, leg cramps, nausea. I’ve no interest in advising people to play around with self testing. I don’t mean this in a awful way, it’s because I care and know how serious hypo and hypertension can be in SOME people. Although hypertension is the one that causes the most medical problems. If your in anyway worried then see your gp. Noreen xxx