These days there seems to be a great fear among the general public regarding salt, or sodium consumption. We’re all told to avoid salt as much as possible or our blood pressure will rise up and our hearts will explode. Is that really true? Is Salt good or bad for you?
Sodium is a very important mineral that is required by the human body to carry out its daily activities and if you’re an active person, which if you’re reading this you probably are, you need even more than an average human being.
Sodium is an electrolyte, responsible for a number of functions in the body, such as: a healthy thyroid function, muscle contractions, cell hydration, fluid regulation, nerve transmissions, maintaining a healthy PH balance and a lot of other processes carried out by your internal organs.
In fact, according to recent studies, being deficient in sodium can be just as bad as having excess sodium.
If you’re exercising frequently, you should be making sure that you are consuming enough sodium as it is easily lost when you sweat and if you don’t make up for it, your performance will suffer. Your body will eventually slow down and things like muscle cramps and lightheadedness will become common. Ever felt dizzy during a workout? You might be low on sodium. There’s a reason electrolyte drinks like Gatorade are so popular and if you read the label, you’ll find that its mostly just sodium and sugar.
Now the real problem with salt, is the refined table salt that has made its way in to the common household. This type of salt has been processed to death, filled with preservatives and anti-caking agents, and has been stripped of all its natural nutrients and minerals. In fact, it actually sucks out the minerals that are already present in your body and this in turn causes most of the negative side effects that are commonly associated with salt consumption.
It is the job of theseminerals to ensure that there is a healthy balance of sodium and potassium levels within the body. Potassium helps to regulate blood pressure levels and when you consume refined table salt, your body is hit with a massive dose of sodium without anything else to counter balance its effects, in turn, raising your blood pressure. This is the kind of salt that has made a bad name for all kinds of salt and should be avoided as much as possible.
Instead, you should be using alternatives such as unrefined sea salt or unrefined Himalayan salt. These types of unrefined salt are found to contain over 80 different kinds of minerals and elements that are required by the body to help balance your PH, boost your immune system, regulate the metabolism, keep blood pressure in check and help sustain a healthy lifestyle. Of course, excess consumption of anything is always a bad idea and unless you sweat a lot, make sure to stay within your daily range.
Is Salt good or bad for you? Thats for you to decide.
