⚡ Quick AnswerSalt is sodium chloride: 40% sodium, 60% chloride. It preserves food, flavors meals, and ranks second only to water in the body. Without enough, the immune and hormonal systems suffer. Many people are now salt deficient after years of being told to avoid it.
For your entire life you've been told to limit your salt intake, to avoid salt, to try to eat a low-salt diet. Turns out a lot of us listened — and now we're suffering from daily symptoms from just not getting enough salt.
This article looks at what salt actually is, why it matters to the human body, and why so much of what we've been told about sodium may be misleading.
“I check salt levels on every patient that comes in the door. I can tell you the vast majority are salt deficient.”
— the doctor interviewed in the source
🔑 Key Takeaways
- Salt is sodium chloride — about 40% sodium and 60% chloride.
- Salt is the second major constituent in the body next to water.
- The immune system, hormonal system and iodine all depend on adequate salt.
- Salt preserves food by absorbing water, making it too dry for mold or bacteria.
- Saltiness is one of the five classifications of perceptible taste.
- A doctor checking every patient's salt levels finds the vast majority are deficient.
📑 Table of Contents
- The Misunderstood Necessity of Salt
- Confusion and Misinformation About Sodium
- What Salt Actually Is
- The Body's Need for Salt
- Frequently Asked Questions
The Misunderstood Necessity of Salt
The Misunderstood Necessity Of Salt
You are told to be careful of salt, but do you know salt is good for your health? For your entire life you've been told to limit your salt intake, to avoid salt, to try to eat a low salt diet. Turns out a lot of us listened, and now we're suffering from daily symptoms from just not getting enough salt. For many years on end, a systematically deceptive war has been perpetuated on an essential requirement for biological functions in the human body. This vital requirement is called sodium chloride, popularly referred to as salt. In spite of the indispensable role of salt in our everyday lives, many have paraded a false notion about this God-given treasure required for the preservation of human lives.
Confusion and Misinformation About Sodium
Remember that recommendation to cut the salt. Salt has to be America's favorite flavoring. You might say the extra ingredient is salt. But a new medical study. New study. A recent study. It's shining light on the amount of sodium Americans eat. Slash salt. Easier said than done. This is one of those medical stories that people get confused about. Number one risk for a diet-related death. Sodium. And don't listen to these guys who tell you research has shown. We have found out they've been in line. They've been in line for so long. They don't have any research.
What Salt Actually Is
At this point I think it might be helpful to take a moment clearly to find what salt actually is in order to better enrich your understanding of how important it is to your health. Our common salt is composed primarily of sodium chloride, 40% sodium and 60% chloride.
Salt is processed from salt mines or the evaporation of seawater or other mineral-rich waters. It is mainly used to add flavor to food or as a food preservative. It preserves food by absorbing water, making the environment too dry to support mold or bacteria. Salt itself is so essential to the human body that saltiness is one of the five classifications of perceptible taste by taste receptors on the tongue. And it's so essential to life in general that it's actually the main mineral constituent of ocean water and a huge part of the Earth's crust, especially underwater where hydrothermal vents in the oceanic crust.
The Body's Need for Salt
Our bodies need and require adequate amounts of salt daily.
Salt's the second major constituent next to water in our body. The immune system can't function well without salt. A hormonal system can't function well without salt. And iodine can't work in the body without adequate amounts of salt. So I consider salt one of the basics. I check salt levels on every patient that comes in the door. I can tell you the vast majority are salt deficient.
Thank you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is salt actually made of?
Common salt is composed primarily of sodium chloride — about 40% sodium and 60% chloride. It is processed from salt mines or by evaporating seawater or other mineral-rich waters, and is mainly used to add flavor to food or to preserve it.
How does salt preserve food?
Salt preserves food by absorbing water, making the environment too dry to support mold or bacteria. That simple mechanism has made salt one of the most important food preservatives throughout human history.
Why does the body need salt?
Salt is the second major constituent in our body next to water. The immune system can't function well without salt, the hormonal system can't function well without salt, and iodine can't work in the body without adequate amounts of salt.
Can you be salt deficient?
Yes. One doctor says he checks salt levels on every patient that comes in the door, and the vast majority are salt deficient. Symptoms can show up daily when you simply aren't getting enough salt.
Conclusion
Salt is not a villain to be avoided at all costs. It is an essential mineral, the second major constituent in the body next to water, and one the immune and hormonal systems depend on.
Before you cut salt further, it's worth asking whether you're actually getting enough. Many people, it turns out, are not.
