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Take It With a Grain of Salt

To take a statement with 'a grain of salt' or 'a pinch of salt' means to accept it but to maintain a degree of skepticism about its truth. This could not be more apparent about advice from “Low Salt Experts” who have convinced the world that everyone needs to lower their salt intake.

In fact, the best evidence study on salt published in the Journal of the American Medical Association by lead investigator Jan Staessen, MD, PhD clearly states that the rise in systolic or diastolic blood pressure due to salt intake does NOT translate into higher risk for either blood pressure or heart and blood vessel disease! In addition, the study showed that lower salt intake was associated with higher heart and blood vessel disease mortality rates! The death rates got worse as the salt intake got lower!

So what could be going on here? And what do we do about this medical fallacy that has swept the global understanding of health and wellbeing? Well let’s take a look at what we have been told about salt and then we will look at more of what Dr. Staessen discovered to be true and is confirmed by the latest research.

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Let’s discuss blood pressure for a minute to understand what it means. A person’s blood pressure is usually expressed in terms of the systolic pressure over diastolic pressure and is measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg), for example 140/90. The first number is systolic pressure, the pressure in the vessels when you heart is contracting. The bottom number is diastolic pressure, the pressure in the vessels when you heart is at rest.

Mainstream thinking kind of goes like this…..traditional medical opinion tells us we are to lower our salt intake so this would in turn lower our blood pressure. The lowered blood pressure would automatically lower our risk of heart and blood vessel disease. This hypothesis has led to a worldwide acceptance that salt is bad and should be avoided. This is exactly the opposite to what research has shown. Low salt intake predicted higher cardiovascular mortality.

Salt: The Real Truth

  • Most people eat too much salt in the form of sodium chloride (table salt)

  • Processed foods are loaded in salt in the form of sodium chloride

  • Salt has little to do with high blood pressure

  • The minor changes in blood pressure due to salt have little or nothing to do with heart and blood vessel disease. (This was proven in the Staessen’s study)

  • Low-salt intake is detrimental to your health

  • Low-salt intake can lead to loss of insulin sensitivity (This is critical in Type II diabetes, blood vessel inflammation, arteriosclerosis, and heart disease)

  • Low-salt can lead to insufficient digestive enzymes (This is critical to those people who suffer with acid indigestion, reflux, gastroesophageal reflux disease GERD, and leads to poor absorption of vitamins and minerals. This definitely leads to heart and blood vessel disease!)

  • Low-salt for kids can be extremely detrimental (This can lead to developmental problems with nerves, muscles, and bones.)

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So what can we do to improve our health and protect our heart and blood vessels?

The answer is simple..….NEVER buy or use table salt again AND eliminate processed food from your diet. Instead use Sea Salt and a Whole Food Diet. Not sure what whole food diet means anymore?

Whole food diet means eat things like this:

  • whole grains instead of refined grains when possible

  • fruits, vegetables, and beans for extra fiber

  • skinless chicken breast cooked with healthful ingredients instead of chicken nuggets processed with added unhealthy fat, flavoring, or preservatives

  • sweet potato with real butter instead of a bag of chemically flavored potato chips

  • fresh berries with breakfast instead of raspberry toaster pastries or breakfast bars

  • blueberry smoothie made with real blueberries, almond, rice, or coconut milk, and a frozen banana instead of a blue-colored slushy or icy drink filled with chemical ingredients, tons of sugar and colorings

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This will automatically give you adequate amounts of the right kind of salt. Sea salt is readily available at most health food stores and even local mainstream grocers. It is rich in trace minerals like potassium, magnesium, and others as well as natural sodium chloride.

Still not sure what to believe? I know Dr. Staessen has it right, but are you going to wait around for mainstream thinking and conditioning to change before you protect your health? That just may be years away. Replace your salt with sea salt and stop your intake of fast and processed foods and start eating a whole food diet to get well and stay well today. You will lower your intake of excess sodium chloride and increase your trace minerals. This will prevent the problems associated with a low-salt diet. Safe, effective and easy! So “take it with a grain of salt”…. but make sure it’s SEA SALT!

Wellness is a choice…Be Well.

Dr. Susan Duvé is owner of Duvé Wellness Center & Natural Living Shoppe in Port Isabel, TX.

Journal of the American Medical Association, “Fatal and nonfatal outcomes, incidence of hypertension, and blood pressure changes in relation to urinary sodium secretion.” 2011: 305(17):1777-1785


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