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Thread: The Story of Salt

  1. #1

    The Story of Salt

    The Story of Salt

    By: Dr. James DiNicolantonio

    Salt should be considered the relic and the symbol of the ocean where life started, the ocean that is still present in our bodies.” (De Santo NG et al 1997)

    Salt makes up around 90% of the ocean’s minerals--the same percentage found in our blood. Essentially, our blood reflects the composition of the ancient ocean from where life began. That fact alone should varnish salt with the utmost respect.

    And salt is everywhere. "What a funny planet (the earth). It is ugly, dry, full of sharp points, and is all salty," said Antoine Jean-Baptiste Marie Roger de Saint-Exupery.

    The ocean encompasses over 70% of the Earth’s surface and 99% of the Earth’s living space. Salt is in rainwater (especially within 200 kilometers from the ocean), it’s in the ground (clay and soil), it’s in mountains (rock salt), it’s in animals (blood, interstitial fluid, skin, bone marrow, organs, meat, insects, etc.), it’s in plants (tiger nuts, the pith of certain tree trunks, aquatic vegetation, etc.) and it even comes out of animals (urine). Salt is even found in areas far away from oceans (salt licks, brine springs, etc.).

    It’s commonly thought that humans evolved eating a low-salt diet. But when you look at all the places where salt can be found, you begin to wonder how this is really possible. In fact, as I discuss in my new book, The Salt Fix, we may have evolved eating a high-salt diet.

    And humans have always had a yen for salt. It has been documented that, "Some populations satisfied their need for salt by cannibalism, others by drinking milk (e.g. the Kirgises and Numidians), others by drinking from saline sources (e.g. Arabian Bedouins, "Desert Dwellers") or by drinking animal blood and animal urine (e.g. the Massai in East Africa)." (Ritz E 1996) We used to burn saliferous herbs, dry and burn seaweed, and burn plants or wood in pots to obtain plant ash—all in order to extract consumable salt.

    Salt mines, salt lakes, brine springs, evaporated sea water (in lagoons and man-made pools), and salt rocks: Our ancestors have sought out all these sources for salt. Salt bricks have been used in the construction of buildings in certain areas of Arabia (Gerra) and Northern Africa (Teghaza, the so-called 'city of salt’ in the Sahara). In ancient Egypt, salt was thought to prolong life. In Scotland, salt was the symbol of the immortal spirit. And, “Salt was regarded as the essence of living things and life, and as the very soul itself. Nothing could be eaten without salt and to be without salt was to lack an essential element.” (Cirillo M et al 1994).

    The truth is, compared to our past, the average intake of salt per person per day of around 8 to 9 grams (or about 3,200 to 3,600 milligrams of sodium) is not that high. Compare that to the ancient Romans, who were estimated to have consumed around 25 grams of salt per day, which is around three times higher than the amount of salt we eat today. In 1725, in France, where very detailed records were kept regarding salt revenue due to heavy taxation, the daily salt intake was between 13 and 15 grams per day. According to J. Waser, salt intake in Baden, Switzerland use to be around 15.5 grams per day. In Zurich, Switzerland the daily consumption of salt was over 23 grams per day.

    And salt intakes were much higher in Scandinavian countries in the 16th century. Indeed, Danes consumed up to 50 grams of salt per person per day, and the consumption of salt in Sweden in the 1500s approached 100 grams, mainly from salted fish and cured meat. Basically, the amount of salt we are eating today is paltry compared to just a few hundred years ago.

    And salt has been revered, an object on par with gold, throughout history.

    Salt was a main item of commerce in Venetian since the 6th century and was even used as money in Rome, Africa, Borneo and China. While exploring the West African coast in 1455, Venetian Ca de Mosto noted that at certain times of the year when the heat was so oppressive the natives would, “…die without salt.” Valentin Fernandez exploring Senegal in 1506 noted that, "The chiefs trade more gold for salt than for anything else. They need salt for their cattle and for themselves. They state that without salt neither they nor their cattle will survive and prosper." And it has been documented that the natives in Sierra Leone and in Central Africa will give their wives and children away for salt. Even cannibalism has been attributed to the need to satisfy the salt appetite.

    There is an innate appetite for salt. Cirillo et al noted that Indians are predominantly vegetarians depending more on added sodium to avoid deficiency. And the importance of seeking out and obtaining salt is highlighted by the fact that we have an innate appetite for salt and that salt is a primary taste. In vertebrates, the existence of a hunger for salt indicates that it serves more than simply gratifying our palate.

    There are also many useful functions of salt. In ancient times salt and/or saline solutions were used for treating bruises, osteoarthropathies, swelling, infections (sweating, vomiting, and diarrhea) and as an antiseptic agent. Pliny (AD 23 to AD 79) an ancient Roman author and philosopher noted additional benefits of salt: “…the teeth do not undergo any erosion nor suffer decay if every morning before breakfast some salt is kept under the tongue until it dissolves." In De Re Coquinaria, Apicius noted the benefits of salt in the following, "…seasoned salts ease digestion, and help loosen the stomach and prevent illness from fonning, as well as pestilences and every other type of fever.”

    Let us not forget the role that salt has served in our evolution and throughout history. Salt is an essential mineral that we need to live. Without sodium you wouldn’t have nerve impulses, the heart wouldn’t be able to beat, and you wouldn’t be able to move. Salt is essential for almost all life, but especially humans, because we regulate temperature by sweating out salt and water. And, as I show in my book, The Salt Fix, we are best served by listening to our salt cravings, not be adhering to a low-salt diet. Our body is based on salt and it is constantly trying to maintain our internal sea by signaling our salt hunger. Salt hunger has served all life for over 100 million years. It’s time we started listening to it.
    http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/story-salt
    “The spirits of darkness are now among us. We have to be on guard so that we may realize what is happening when we encounter them and gain a real idea of where they are to be found. The most dangerous thing you can do in the immediate future will be to give yourself up unconsciously to the influences which are definitely present.” ~ Rudolf Steiner



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  3. #2
    Flashback:

    Conventional Sodium Advice WRONG, Large Study Confirms

    By: Case Adams, Naturopath

    A large international study conducted in 17 countries and recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine has found the advice given by doctors to their heart patients and others with regard to sodium has been WRONG.

    Conventional advice given by most Western doctors and even published by the U.S. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion – part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – has recommended that those under 50 years old limit their sodium intake to less than 2,300 milligrams per day, and those over 50 limit their sodium consumption to less then 1,500 milligrams per day.

    The recent study, conducted by nearly 400 scientists around the world, followed 156,424 people between the ages of 35 and 70 years old living in 628 cities and villages in Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, India, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan, Poland, South Africa, Sweden, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Zimbabwe.

    Urinary sodium levels tested
    Within this study, the researchers measured urinary sodium and potassium levels among 101,945 people from the five continents by sampling fasting urine in the morning. The urine samples were analyzed and compared with the medical history and prescription history of each subject.

    The researchers especially focused upon any history of cardiovascular disease and death among the subjects, correlating the sodium and potassium levels with health history.

    The researchers continued to follow the subjects for an average of 3.7 years after the initial samples were taken and analyzed.

    Cancer patients were eliminated from the study, and other known predictors of heart disease and death were accounted for.

    The researchers found that consuming less than 3,000 milligrams of sodium per day was associated with a 27 percent increase in cardiovascular disease and death.

    Consuming between 3,000 milligrams and 6,000 milligrams of sodium each day was found to be associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and death.

    Consuming more than 6,000 milligrams per day was associated with a 15 percent increase in cardiovascular disease and mortality.

    Remember that current guidelines have been limiting sodium consumption to 1,500 milligrams for those over 50, and less than 2,300 milligrams for those 50 or younger.

    And the bottom line of this study finds that consuming between 3,000 and 6,000 milligrams of sodium per day decreases ones risk of heart conditions and death while consuming less than 3,000 and more than 6,000 increases risk. More specifically, the research found that more than 7,000 milligrams per day increases risk significantly.

    Why the mistake?
    Why has the medical industry been so off about this? In their paper, the study authors suggested that current sodium intake guidelines are based primarily upon shorter studies and study models that don't apply directly to the general population.

    This current study removes those elements, allowing for a direct understanding between how much sodium people are consuming, how much is healthy, and how much is not healthy.

    Because the kidneys carefully manage the body's levels of sodium and potassium, urinary samples provide an accurate way to monitor someone's total sodium consumption.

    Yet this confirms previous research
    As I reported several years ago, despite the notion that previous findings have been to the contrary, a 2011 study from from Albert Einstein School of Medicine followed more than 360,000 human subjects and another from Canada's McMaster University followed 4,729 human subjects, correlating their sodium levels with cardiovascular health.

    These studies found, respectively, that sodium levels less than 2,500 milligrams per day and 3,000 milligrams per day increased the incidence of heart disease among the participants.

    Hypertension mostly unrelated to sodium consumption
    In addition to these studies, research from University of California more than three years ago also found that sodium guidelines were mistaken.

    This research was a compilation of clinical studies including a 2009 U.C-Davis study that included 129 studies and 50,060 human subjects tested with 24-hour urinary sodium excretion examinations.

    This research also compiled research analyzed the various studies regarding salt intake and hypertension, along with heart conditions in general.

    The central assumption of conventional medicine is that higher sodium levels within the blood that lead to hypertension are produced by higher consumption of sodium.

    The research found that the body self-adjusts and regulates the sodium intake within the body, yielding healthy levels. This regulation takes place through the discharge of sodium outside of healthy levels.

    Confirming the above studies, this compilation of research also found that healthy sodium consumption ranges between 2,622 to 4,840 milligrams per day.

    This research concluded that the decreased rates of hypertension in the U.S. were not connected with reduced sodium intake, as some have proposed. In fact, their statistics found that sodium consumption has been increasing with the increased consumption of processed foods.

    Sodium appetite explained
    According to the researchers, the body maintains its internal sodium levels by increasing what they called "sodium appetite." When the body senses its internal sodium levels are too low, we will naturally seek more sodium in our foods.

    Ayurvedic medicine has long described such a notion as the body seeking foods with saltier flavor – called salt cravings to balance the rasa system.

    But if more sodium is consumed than needed, the body will automatically adjust its internal sodium levels by excreting more sodium in the urine. The body uses what doctors refer to as the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system to balance sodium levels.

    Modern refined salt and sodium balance
    The recent study also found that consuming more than 1,500 milligrams of potassium per day was associated with a significantly reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality, while consuming less than 1,500 milligrams was linked to increased risk.

    This brings into focus a larger view, that of balancing sodium intake along with other macro and trace minerals. This is important because our sodium levels and its impact upon our health also relates to our consumption of many other important minerals such as potassium, calcium, boron, zinc and many others.

    Modern refined salt, however, does not help balance our mineral consumption. Because white salt is stripped of other minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium and many trace elements, consuming refined salt helps distort our mineral requirements – with a leaning towards sodium, with sodium chloride out of proportion with what typically accompanies the compound in nature.

    Adding insult to injury, modern salt often contains numerous chemical additives such as tricalcium phosphate, silica dioxide, sodium ferrocyanide, ferric ammonium citrate and/or sodium silico-aluminate.

    Consuming natural sea salts or rock salts provide a pathway of consuming a better balance of trace minerals. Just be aware that iodine is a typical additive of modern salt that is often deficient in today's diets.

    Learn more about balancing salt and water.

    REFERENCES:
    O'Donnell M, Mente A, Rangarajan S, McQueen MJ, Wang X, Liu L, Yan H, Lee SF, Mony P, Devanath A, Rosengren A, Lopez-Jaramillo P, Diaz R, Avezum A, Lanas F, Yusoff K, Iqbal R, Ilow R, Mohammadifard N, Gulec S, Yusufali AH, Kruger L, Yusuf R, Chifamba J, Kabali C, Dagenais G, Lear SA, Teo K, Yusuf S; PURE Investigators. Urinary sodium and potassium excretion, mortality, and cardiovascular events. N Engl J Med. 2014 Aug 14;371(7):612-23. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1311889.

    McCarron DA, Kazaks AG, Geerling JC, Stern JS, Graudal NA. Normal range of human dietary sodium intake: a perspective based on 24-hour urinary sodium excretion worldwide. Am J Hypertens. 2013 Oct;26(10):1218-23. doi:10.1093/ajh/hpt139.

    Alderman MH, Cohen HW. Dietary sodium intake and cardiovascular mortality: controversy resolved? Am J Hypertens. 2012 Jul;25(7):727-34. doi:10.1038/ajh.2012.52.

    O'Donnell MJ, Yusuf S, Mente A, Gao P, Mann JF, Teo K, McQueen M, Sleight P, Sharma AM, Dans A, Probstfield J, Schmieder RE. Urinary sodium and potassium excretion and risk of cardiovascular events. JAMA. 2011 Nov 23;306(20):2229-38. doi: 10.1001/jama.2011.1729.
    http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/con...study-confirms
    “The spirits of darkness are now among us. We have to be on guard so that we may realize what is happening when we encounter them and gain a real idea of where they are to be found. The most dangerous thing you can do in the immediate future will be to give yourself up unconsciously to the influences which are definitely present.” ~ Rudolf Steiner

  4. #3
    “The spirits of darkness are now among us. We have to be on guard so that we may realize what is happening when we encounter them and gain a real idea of where they are to be found. The most dangerous thing you can do in the immediate future will be to give yourself up unconsciously to the influences which are definitely present.” ~ Rudolf Steiner

  5. #4
    And salt intakes were much higher in Scandinavian countries in the 16th century. Indeed, Danes consumed up to 50 grams of salt per person per day, and the consumption of salt in Sweden in the 1500s approached 100 grams, mainly from salted fish and cured meat. Basically, the amount of salt we are eating today is paltry compared to just a few hundred years ago.
    A quarter pound of salt a day (one pound is 454 grams)?

    Modern refined salt, however, does not help balance our mineral consumption. Because white salt is stripped of other minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium and many trace elements, consuming refined salt helps distort our mineral requirements – with a leaning towards sodium, with sodium chloride out of proportion with what typically accompanies the compound in nature.

    Adding insult to injury, modern salt often contains numerous chemical additives such as tricalcium phosphate, silica dioxide, sodium ferrocyanide, ferric ammonium citrate and/or sodium silico-aluminate.

    Consuming natural sea salts or rock salts provide a pathway of consuming a better balance of trace minerals. Just be aware that iodine is a typical additive of modern salt that is often deficient in today's diets.
    Nutritionally there is no difference between mined table salt and mined Himalayan salt. It is all 99% sodium chloride. Evaporated sea salt may contain more pollutants and contamination. Adding insult to injury, Himalayan Sea Salt may contain useful minerals like plutonium, lead, uranium (but like other "important minerals" are in insignificant quantities).

  6. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Zippyjuan View Post
    A quarter pound of salt a day (one pound is 454 grams)?



    Nutritionally there is no difference between mined table salt and mined Himalayan salt. It is all 99% sodium chloride. Evaporated sea salt may contain more pollutants and contamination. Adding insult to injury, Himalayan Sea Salt may contain useful minerals like plutonium, lead, uranium (but like other "important minerals" are in insignificant quantities).

    Pink Himalayan salt is mined in Pakistan and may be up to 98 percent sodium chloride. ... It contains up to 98 percent sodium chloride. The remainder of the saltis made up of trace minerals, such as potassium, magnesium, and calcium, which give the salt its lightpink tint.


    Himalayan salt contains the minerals that are necessary for your health, including macrominerals and trace minerals. The macrominerals are needed in relative abundance and include calcium, chloride, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and sodium. The recommended daily amount of these macrominerals depends of your age, activity level and general health. Calcium is the most common mineral in your body and is found in your bones and teeth, as well as playing a vital role in nerve and muscle health. Trace minerals are needed in small amounts for health, and those found in Himalayan salt include boron, chromium, copper, fluoride, iodine, manganese, molybdenum, selenium and zinc. Other minerals in Himalayan salt include aluminum, carbon, platinum, selenium, sulfur and titanium.


    ..
    "He's talkin' to his gut like it's a person!!" -me
    "dumpster diving isn't professional." - angelatc
    "You don't need a medical degree to spot obvious bullshit, that's actually a separate skill." -Scott Adams
    "When you are divided, and angry, and controlled, you target those 'different' from you, not those responsible [controllers]" -Q

    "Each of us must choose which course of action we should take: education, conventional political action, or even peaceful civil disobedience to bring about necessary changes. But let it not be said that we did nothing." - Ron Paul

    "Paul said "the wave of the future" is a coalition of anti-authoritarian progressive Democrats and libertarian Republicans in Congress opposed to domestic surveillance, opposed to starting new wars and in favor of ending the so-called War on Drugs."

  7. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by dannno View Post
    ..[/FONT][/COLOR]
    The pink is rust- iron. The other minerals are incredibly small quantities- parts per billion for most of them. You would need to consume massive amounts of salt for those to have any significant nutritional effect.

    http://www.saltnews.com/chemical-ana...omment-page-1/

    Let's consider magnesium. The RDA is 400 mg for men or 0.4g. Himalayan salt contains 0.16 g per kg. If you wanted to get your RDA for magnesium by consuming Himalayan salt, you would need to eat 2.5 kg (5.5 pounds) of that salt every day.
    Last edited by Zippyjuan; 03-19-2018 at 12:31 PM.

  8. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Zippyjuan View Post
    The pink is rust- iron. The other minerals are incredibly small quantities- parts per billion for most of them. You would need to consume massive amounts of salt for those to have any significant nutritional effect.

    http://www.saltnews.com/chemical-ana...omment-page-1/
    Well, like the link I posted said - a lot of the minerals are only needed in small quantities. And they don't exist in regular table salt.

    Also you seem to be under the impression that the solubility of nutrients is equal among different types of food.
    "He's talkin' to his gut like it's a person!!" -me
    "dumpster diving isn't professional." - angelatc
    "You don't need a medical degree to spot obvious bullshit, that's actually a separate skill." -Scott Adams
    "When you are divided, and angry, and controlled, you target those 'different' from you, not those responsible [controllers]" -Q

    "Each of us must choose which course of action we should take: education, conventional political action, or even peaceful civil disobedience to bring about necessary changes. But let it not be said that we did nothing." - Ron Paul

    "Paul said "the wave of the future" is a coalition of anti-authoritarian progressive Democrats and libertarian Republicans in Congress opposed to domestic surveillance, opposed to starting new wars and in favor of ending the so-called War on Drugs."

  9. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by dannno View Post
    Well, like the link I posted said - a lot of the minerals are only needed in small quantities. And they don't exist in regular table salt.

    Also you seem to be under the impression that the solubility of nutrients is equal among different types of food.
    True- you don't need much lead, polonium, arsenic, plutonium, uranium, cadmium, radium, strontium, thorium, etc.

    https://www.livestrong.com/article/5...imalayan-salt/


    https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/pas...malayan-stuff/

    The amount of minerals in it is too minuscule to make any difference, and we already get plenty of the same trace minerals from other foods. They claim that two double-blind studies were done, but no such studies are listed in PubMed. There is no evidence published in peer-reviewed journals that replacing white salt with pink salt makes a shred of difference or leads to any improvement in health.

    If you read down the list of minerals, you will notice that it includes a number of radioactive substances like radium, uranium, and polonium. It also includes substances that act as poisons, like thallium. I wouldn’t be worried, since the amounts are so small; but if anyone believes the trace amounts of “good” minerals in Himalayan sea salt are good for you, why not believe the trace amounts of poisons and radioactive elements are bad for you?

    The claim that pink Himalayan salt contains 84 trace minerals may be true, but the claim that it “promotes health and wellness” is false until proven otherwise by legitimate clinical studies. While waiting for evidence, I’d just as soon my salt didn’t contain uranium.
    Last edited by Zippyjuan; 03-19-2018 at 12:46 PM.



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  11. #9
    On topic:

    This is a fascinating read, I highly recommend it:

    Salt A world history

  12. #10
    Since I have not been working in the trade..

    I do seem to be lacking in metallic intake.

    I used to ingest a lot of varied metals.. often directly injecting it.

    I maintain a high salt intake.
    Liberty is lost through complacency and a subservient mindset. When we accept or even welcome automobile checkpoints, random searches, mandatory identification cards, and paramilitary police in our streets, we have lost a vital part of our American heritage. America was born of protest, revolution, and mistrust of government. Subservient societies neither maintain nor deserve freedom for long.
    Ron Paul 2004

    Registered Ron Paul supporter # 2202
    It's all about Freedom

  13. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Anti Federalist View Post
    On topic:

    This is a fascinating read, I highly recommend it:

    Salt A world history
    Came here to suggest this book. Very interesting read.



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