by Willow Aureala
I've read quite a bit about salt; some have said that eating more than what is found in foods naturally is 'bad' for you; some say it is not. There's a popular book about the relationship of adrenal health and salt that support increasing salt intake, although I think this is more about an actual disease called Addison's, which is not all that common. The author of the salt/adrenal book believes that many people may have adrenal symptoms due to not getting enough salt, but others disagree with this belief, and think that salt should be avoided.
Anyway, I was reading John McDougall's The Starch Solution again, and he notes a 2007 report from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) that included almost 100 million adults. The research on this large population found that "people who ate more salt had less risk of dying from heart disease and stroke" (p. 174).
In 2011, two studies confirmed that low sodium led to higher cardiovascular mortality. Additionally, The Cochrane Collaboration "concluded that there was no strong evidence of benefit from salt restriction" (p. 175).
Dr. MacDougall believes that the desire for salt leads to consume minerals essential to life, and subverting this desire could be harmful and may actually prevent some people from taking on a healthier diet because they don't like the way the food tastes. Furthermore, it may not be that salt itself is a problem, but rather the processed foods that come with salt that are the problem, as these often contain high amounts of sodium. A person needs only about 50 milligrams of sodium a day to meet basic needs, while a standard American diet, where "American cheese" may contain 404 mg of sodium [per 100 calories]! A diet based on starches, vegetables, and fruits, with no added sodium, contains about 200 to 500 mg, so people eating a diet like this [MacDougall's suggested starch solution], one will get enough without adding salt (p. 177).
And, depending on who you want to believe [of course], with the USDA's guidelines of ingesting less than 2.300 mg of salt per day, one could sprinkle up to 3/4 of a teaspoon of salt per day on your foods and still be within the guidelines. Of course, not all raw fooders or vegans will agree with any type of government regulatory body, but it is a place to start with. However, MacDougall does remind us that some people may be more sensitive to salt, and so should not add extra to their diet. People with severely damaged heart or kidneys should also avoid additional salt (p. 178).
So, if you follow a basically vegetarian or vegan diet, according to MacDougall, one will get enough salt to meet your basic needs. However, if you feel the desire for a bit more salt, it appears that, unless you have severe problems as noted above, that's not a problem. This is interesting to me as I've been avoiding salt for many years. I use Bragg's Liquid Amino Acids for the times when I want to add a little saltiness to my foods, or use a very yummy no-salt added mixture of spices and herbs called Table Tasty. Apparently, the fear of salt should no longer be in the public's consciousness.
I've read quite a bit about salt; some have said that eating more than what is found in foods naturally is 'bad' for you; some say it is not. There's a popular book about the relationship of adrenal health and salt that support increasing salt intake, although I think this is more about an actual disease called Addison's, which is not all that common. The author of the salt/adrenal book believes that many people may have adrenal symptoms due to not getting enough salt, but others disagree with this belief, and think that salt should be avoided.
Anyway, I was reading John McDougall's The Starch Solution again, and he notes a 2007 report from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) that included almost 100 million adults. The research on this large population found that "people who ate more salt had less risk of dying from heart disease and stroke" (p. 174).
In 2011, two studies confirmed that low sodium led to higher cardiovascular mortality. Additionally, The Cochrane Collaboration "concluded that there was no strong evidence of benefit from salt restriction" (p. 175).
Dr. MacDougall believes that the desire for salt leads to consume minerals essential to life, and subverting this desire could be harmful and may actually prevent some people from taking on a healthier diet because they don't like the way the food tastes. Furthermore, it may not be that salt itself is a problem, but rather the processed foods that come with salt that are the problem, as these often contain high amounts of sodium. A person needs only about 50 milligrams of sodium a day to meet basic needs, while a standard American diet, where "American cheese" may contain 404 mg of sodium [per 100 calories]! A diet based on starches, vegetables, and fruits, with no added sodium, contains about 200 to 500 mg, so people eating a diet like this [MacDougall's suggested starch solution], one will get enough without adding salt (p. 177).
And, depending on who you want to believe [of course], with the USDA's guidelines of ingesting less than 2.300 mg of salt per day, one could sprinkle up to 3/4 of a teaspoon of salt per day on your foods and still be within the guidelines. Of course, not all raw fooders or vegans will agree with any type of government regulatory body, but it is a place to start with. However, MacDougall does remind us that some people may be more sensitive to salt, and so should not add extra to their diet. People with severely damaged heart or kidneys should also avoid additional salt (p. 178).
So, if you follow a basically vegetarian or vegan diet, according to MacDougall, one will get enough salt to meet your basic needs. However, if you feel the desire for a bit more salt, it appears that, unless you have severe problems as noted above, that's not a problem. This is interesting to me as I've been avoiding salt for many years. I use Bragg's Liquid Amino Acids for the times when I want to add a little saltiness to my foods, or use a very yummy no-salt added mixture of spices and herbs called Table Tasty. Apparently, the fear of salt should no longer be in the public's consciousness.
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