18 Salty Facts About Salt

Salt is a substance we all are familiar with, no doubt. Virtually everyone has cooked with it at some point in their lives. But asides just using a pinch of salt to your meals every now and then, what do we know about this substance that preserves our foods and adds flavor to them? Salt has got loads of amazing health benefits which include facilitating body movement, supporting healthy digestion, improving respiratory health, supporting normal blood pressure, supporting heart health, preventing iodine deficiency, helps reduces diabetes risk, promoting good oral health, decreasing appetite, eliminating toxins, and helping to maintain normal blood pH. Interesting, isn`t it? Let us discuss the health benefits of this folk that is always in our kitchens.

It Facilitates Proper Sleep and Cures Depression

Some people have a problem of saliva flow from their mouth during sleep, which indicates a salt shortage in the body. Deficiency of salt can lead to a shortage of water and the saliva glands sensing this shortage are obliged to produce more saliva. Drinking sea salt at bedtime prevents the production of excess saliva. Moreover, sea salt cures depression by producing serotonin and melatonin, two hormones that enable you to deal with stress, making you relax and sleep better. Ever knew salt was this useful? Read on!

It Alkalizes the Body

Because sea salt has not been exposed to high heat or stripped of its natural minerals, and it is devoid of harmful artificial ingredients, it helps in alkalizing your body. It does eliminate the risk of life-threatening diseases by preventing and reversing high levels of acid in the body. The minerals maintain proper electrolyte balance in the body, ensuring a proper nervous system and cellular functions.

It Prevents Muscle Spasms

Potassium is a mineral that is vital for proper functioning of the muscles. Sea salt contains minute amounts of potassium and enables proper absorption of potassium by the body from other foods as well. So salt helps in preventing muscle pains, spasms, and cramps. Amazing!

It Prevents Osteoporosis

Salt is required for healthy bones, and nearly ¼ of the salt in your body is stored in the bones. Deficiency of salt and water causes the body to draw sodium from the bones, and this leads to osteoporosis. Drinking a lot of water and consuming salt in moderation helps to prevent osteoporosis.

It Treats Acne

Did you know that some soaps, masks, toners, and cleansers contain sea salts? Yeah, they do, and this makes them effective in treating acne. The sulfur helps to synthesize oxygen, and potassium maintains the water balance for cell metabolism, enabling the absorption of nourishment to get rid of impurities. What else? Calcium cleans your pores, making your cell membranes stronger, and magnesium removes dirt and toxins from the skin. So salt isn`t just for the kitchen It has other uses. Super.

It`s Needed for Digestion

Surprised? Well, now you know. Salt is composed of sodium and chloride ions, and these are necessary for digestion to take place.

It is Great for the Heart

Sodium ions present in salt is necessary for the transmission of electrical impulses.

It Prevents Iodine Deficiency

Table salt produced these days are enriched with iodine, to prevent the deficiency in iodine. Iodine is essential in metabolism and healthy cellular function. It is vital for pregnant women, to ensure a healthy brain development of their expected children.

It`s an Essential Element of Hydration

Beyond drinking enough water, there are mineral salts that regulate electrolyte balance. An electrolyte is a substance such as sodium or calcium that is an ion in the body regulating the flow of nutrients into and waste products out of cells. As we sweat, we lose water and electrolyte, so it is important to rehydrate with the right amount of sodium, magnesium, potassium, and of course, water.

It Reduces the Risk of Diabetes

Sodium is essential in maintaining the sensitivity of insulin towards blood glucose. Just as magnesium does, sodium helps to ensure that insulin functions as intended and clears glucose in a timely manner. And of course, salt has got sodium and magnesium.

It Improves Respiratory Health

Salt possesses antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and mucolytic properties that are great for respiratory health. Did you know that inhaling ultrapure micronized salt can actually make the aforementioned effective in the lungs? Yes, absolutely. It`s called halotherapy. It`s great for reducing the effects of allergies. It helps manage asthma too.

It Promotes Oral Health

One of the simplest ways of clearing excessive bacteria from the mouth is by doing a salt water gargle. The gargle is effective for managing sore throats, toothache, and mouth ulcers. It also reduces the likelihood of developing gingivitis. There are kinds of toothpaste that contain salt for teeth whitening.

Salt`s Got Exfoliant Properties

Exfoliation is the removal of the oldest dead skin cells on the skin’s outermost surface. Salt is great for exfoliation. It can clear your pores and prevent pimples. It removes debris from the skin and kills bacteria that cause inflamed pimples. To achieve this, mix one teaspoon sea salt with four ounces of warm water in a small spray bottle until the salt is dissolved, then mist on your clean, dry skin, avoiding your eyes.

Amazing benefits, aren`t they? There are various kinds of salt, each having different types of crystals and uses. The size of their crystals and color vary, depending on the presence of different minerals. Let’s discuss some of the common varieties.

Iodized Salt

This is table salt which has additives like iodine, and is considered beneficial for thyroid patients. Since it is a table salt, it has fine granules and is mostly used for home consumption. It is also used as an anti-caking agent to prevent lumping.

Kosher Salt

It’s an additive free coarse grained salt made by compacting granular salt. It is used for cooking as it has a softer flavor than table salt. It is often applied on butchered meat as the large irregularly shaped flakes can draw blood easily. Due to its large surface area, it dissolves easily without so much of it being used, and it is used as a water softener.

Black Salt

Also known as ‘kala namak’ or ‘sanchal’, this is a tanned salt having a strong sulfuric flavor due to the addition of purified lava. In India, it is available in ground form as well as lumps and is largely used as pickling salt.

Sel Gris

This is a gray salt commonly found in France. A by-product called fleur de sel is formed when sel gris is allowed to bloom into flower-like crystals in evaporation basins.

Maldon Sea Salt

It is a British finishing salt which is similar to fleur de sel and is obtained by boiling sea water. It comprises of delicate pyramidal crystals and has a light, delicate flavor.

Rock Salt

This salt has discrete crystals and is used for deicing. It is often used in ice creams because it brings down the freezing point.

Final Words…

I guess you never knew that underrated folk in your kitchen was this useful. Well, it is. Give it more regard. So unlike the single story you must have had about salt only causing hypertension; well, here you go. Do well to educate others. Forwarding the link will do them much good. Cheers.