Water and Salt - Balanced Intake
Are Essential for Health and Hydration

Drinking water will temporarily treat the symptoms of dehydration, but the balance of water and salt intake is what makes the real difference in health and hydration.

For some reason, the importance of salt intake took a long time for me to digest and comprehend.

I believe most of us have been programmed for years to believe that all salt is bad.

The fact is that refined white salt, such as commercial table salt, is bad for us. I consider it a toxic poison for the human body.

However, unrefined natural salt provides many health benefits. In fact, it is a vital element for all living things.

In some cultures, salt is literally worth its weight in gold. Unrefined sea salt, for example, has been used by healers throughout the ages as a powerful “medication.” And in desert countries, people know that their survival depends on a balanced intake of water and salt.

Water and Salt Balance in the Body

Water itself regulates the water content inside our cells. Water delivers nutrients to the cells and helps remove toxins and metabolic wastes from the cells.

Once water gets into the cells, potassium is what holds it there. Where does potassium come from? It is found in abundance in fruits and vegetables – another important reason to eat 5 to 10 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables daily!

Salt’s main role in the regulation of water is to keep some water outside the cells. This happens because of salt’s natural osmotic retention of water.

Dr. Batmanghelidj, author of Your Body’s Many Cries for Water, offered a good analogy when he wrote: “Basically, there are two oceans of water in the body: One ocean is held inside the cells of the body and the other ocean is held outside the cells. Good health depends on a delicate balance between the volumes of these two oceans.”

The balance of the two oceans in our body is achieved by (1) drinking enough water daily, (2) adding a moderate amount of natural salt to our diet, and (3) eating a variety of potassium-rich fruits and vegetables.

Some of the best sources of potassium include apricots, avocados, bananas, dates, figs, garlic, nuts, potatoes, raisins, spinach, winter squash, yams, and brown rice. Note: I do not recommend taking potassium supplements unless your potassium levels are being checked by a health practitioner.

How Much Water and Salt to Take

The quality of drinking water is always important. I recommend filtered drinking water that is free of contaminants but still contains the natural minerals in the water.

Batmanghelidj recommends drinking half your body weight in ounces of clean water and adding one-fourth teaspoon of unrefined natural salt to each quart of drinking water.

Other health practitioners recommend adding one-half teaspoon per quart of water. I found that’s a bit much for me. I suggest starting with the lesser amount and pay close attention to any changes in your body.

Some people don’t like the taste of water and salt and thus prefer to just add the natural salt to food. This may be sufficient for some people, some of the time.

However, more salt is needed during hot weather and after exercising.

I highly recommend drinking water and salt after exercise, not only for hydration purposes but to replenish electrolytes in the body.

With a little self-awareness, you will begin to intuitively know how to maintain the water and salt balance in your body.

Caution: These salt intake recommendations are for unrefined natural salt only, not refined salt. See definitions below. If you have been told to restrict your salt intake, consult with your health practitioner before increasing it.

The Problem with Refined Salt

The biggest problem with refined table salt is that it is devoid of minerals and contains harmful additives. Refined table salt is typically 99.9% NaCl (sodium-chloride), a chemical that is as processed and denatured as white sugar.

Refined salt contains additives, such as 0.01% of potassium-iodide (added to help prevent thyroid disease), sugar (added to stabilize iodine and prevent clumping), and aluminum silicate. Other harmful chemicals, such as inorganic iodine, dextrose, and bleaching agents, are often added during processing.

People who eat refined salt often develop a craving for salt because their bodies are not getting the type of natural salt that it needs. They then tend to consume more and more refined salt, burdening the kidneys and adrenal glands and blocking the absorption of calcium.

Medical studies have shown that an excess intake of refined salt interferes with the absorption of nutrients and depletes calcium.

Many functions in the body are dependent upon calcium uptake. Calcium is critical for the health of the nerves and heart, as well as the muscles and bones.

Refined salt also creates a major imbalance in water regulation inside and outside the cells, especially when the body is dehydrated.

Inadequate water intake along with refined salt intake leads to many serious health issues, most notably high blood pressure and water retention. This is partly how salt got such a bad rap.

The bottom line is, if you value your health, do not take any form of refined white salt.

Unrefined Natural Salt Is Best Choice

Unrefined natural salt, which contains sodium as well as many other minerals the body needs, is the best type of salt to take. It must be labeled “Unrefined” with “No Additives.”

There are two basic types of unrefined natural salt to consider: (1) mineral salt, and (2) sea salt.

Mineral salts are mined from thousands of feet below the ground surface in areas where there is a deep layer of mineral salts. Sea salt is harvested by different methods, but it basically involves sunlight and the evaporation of ocean water.

The most notable mineral salt many health advocates are recommending is Himalayan crystal salt.

Natural Celtic sea salt is considered by many to be the healthiest sea salt available.

Beware of products in grocery stores, as well as health food stores, that are labeled “sea salt,” but are still highly refined and devoid of the key elements of natural sea salt.

Natural sea salt is not white and it is not dry. It is a little gray in color due to the mineral content and it retains some of its moisture even when stored in the refrigerator for long periods of time.

Both the Celtic sea salt and the Himalayan crystal salt contain many health promoting minerals and trace elements that are utilized in the human body. My salt preference at this time is Celtic sea salt.

Further reading . . .

Redox Signaling Molecules in Salt Water - A Health Science Breakthrough

Celtic Sea Salt - 10 Key Health Benefits and Its Usage

Tell Us About Your Favorite Natural Salt

If you use natural salt such as Celtic sea salt, Hawaiian sea salt, or Himalayan crystal salt, tell us which one you like best and how you use it.

Have you experienced any benefits since using natural salt? How long have you used it? Any comments about refined table salt?

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