Is it Monday again so soon?!
Sheesh, these weeks are just flying by! I also can’t believe it’s August 3rd already…why is it that May and June always go by so slow and then July is a blur and suddenly it’s August?
It’s okay though, I know when November hits I’ll be wishing for some Christmas cheer.
No wait, let’s just get through fall first…
‘Tis the way of the world I guess!
Anywhoooo, it’s also one of my favorite days on the blog: MYTHBUSTER MONDAY!
It’s time to separate the science from the silliness.
Today we’re talking about SALT.
Oh yes, the dreaded seasoning that makes your fries just that much better.
Salt can be extremely confusing when it comes to your health and even your cooking. Isn’t it exhausting trying to make decisions about your sodium intake? What really is the difference between sea salt and table salt and which is better for you? Does one have lower sodium? Should you even have any salt at all?
PAUSE.
Trying to estimate how much sodium you’ve eaten in one day is nearly impossible. You can forget about using taste as your guide thanks to all of the hidden salt in foods as common as bread….
Now keep in mind that I’m not preaching for you to go out and pour a gallon of salt on your food, but we need at least 1,500 mg of salt per day to be healthy!
MYTH: Sodium has no health benefits
BUSTED.
Small doses of sodium have important health benefits for the brain and nervous system as well as the body’s ability to regulate water intake.
Essentially, every cell in the human body is dependent on the presence of sodium. We find sodium diffused throughout the fluid between cells. Inside our cells we find primarily potassium. These two minerals, sodium and potassium need to be in constant, dynamic balance so the cells can exchange incoming energy with outgoing, depleted energy. That’s pretty much where salt comes in. Many processes in the body, especially in the brain and muscles, require electrical signals for communication. The movement of sodium (salt) is critical in to these electrical signals.
So, too much or too little sodium can cause cells to malfunction.
Without water and salt, the solid matter of our body is absolutely useless. It’s water and salt that energizes and activates our bodies, period!
Here’s what it can do:
(From HERE)
- Stabilize irregular heartbeats
- Regulate your blood pressure, in conjunction with water
- Extracts excess acidity from your body’s cells, particularly the brain cells
- Balances the sugar levels in the blood
- Generates hydroelectric energy in your body’s cells
- Eliminates persistent dry coughs. Put a dash on the tongue!
- Helps the kidney to pass excess acidity into the urine
- Enhances absorption of nutrients through the intestinal tract
Hmm, that’s pretty good for something that’s got such a bad rep.
Again, I’m not telling you to go pour salt down your mouth (which would be terribly uncomfortable/disgusting) but I think trying to eliminate it completely isn’t healthy.
I like a little salt on my corn on the cob, and you can bet I’m gonna put it on there! Savor the salt!
Bless you if you made it this far, time to start another day! 🙂