Poisoning Ourselves With Salt

[LADYWITHART]

I have friend who is on a no salt diet due to liver damage. I am utterly shocked that companies are allowed to put an enormous amount of salt in almost all canned goods, cheeses, peanut butter and such.
Food has 25% to 39% and more in a 1/2 cup serving of commonly eaten food like soup or spagetti sauce.
We need to start an uproar over this like we did with cigarettes and second hand smoke. Even if you don't eat such foods yourself I'm sure our children are getting this in their school lunches, seniors in care homes, every fast food place and even any restaurant.
What can we do to get food manufacturers to stop poisoning us giving us high blood pressure, weight gain, and other health problems? Got any ideas?
If you have any doubts how bad it is check everything you eat for serving size and salt content. You will be shocked at even innocent seeming items like cottage cheese have such a high sodium content.
Let's get organized and protest.
Sincerely,
Suzanne

[Braggi]

I have friend who is on a no salt diet due to liver damage. I am utterly shocked that companies are allowed to put an enormous amount of salt in almost all canned goods, cheeses, peanut butter and such. ...
Let's get organized and protest.

There is a group that's doing just that. Do a google search and see what you find. I just located this bottom line from a meta study: " ... Our results demonstrate that a modest reduction in salt intake for a duration of 4 or more weeks does have a significant and, from a population viewpoint, important effect on blood pressure in both hypertensive and normotensive individuals. This meta-analysis strongly supports other evidence for a modest and long-term reduction in population salt intake, and would be predicted to reduce stroke deaths immediately by »14% and coronary deaths by »9% in hypertensives, and reduce stroke and coronary deaths by »6 and »4%, in normotensives, respectively.

Journal of Human Hypertension (2002) 16, 761-770. doi:10.1038/sj.jhh.1001459" [end quote]


OK, all that said, the main reason to me, a relatively healthy guy with lowish blood pressure, to lower salt intake is to improve the flavor of foods. Studies have been done on that too and salt tends to blunt flavor receptors so we miss out on subtle and enjoyable flavors if we over salt our foods. Heavy salt doses in processed foods are usually there to cover up the fact their foods don't taste very good. Surprise, surprise!

Now, one more curious thing: I heard about a study done decades ago in Europe at about the same time doctors started putting hypertension patients on low salt diets in the US. They studied many thousands of men and compared salt intake vs. death rates. The suspected the higher the salt intake the lower the death rate, and what they found was just the opposite. Although the study was published in Europe it never was in the US because it flew in the face of what doctors were recommending here.

So, I think we should do what we do to improve our own individual quality of life and I love the subtle flavors. I also love salty foods so I've learned to use very little salt in cooking and get my salt fix from brief, intense intakes done only once in a while. (Like salty crackers or intense, brine cured olives.) Also, I rarely eat packaged or restaurant foods.

So eat fresh foods prepared at home and go easy on the salt shaker. Brown bag your lunches.

Thanks for bringing up the issue, but I think the notion that the food industries are poisoning us is a bit extreme.

-Jeff

[Sciguy]

Jeff:
A few years ago there was a flurry of studies on the connection between salt and hypertension. Several studies found a positive correlation. But it seemed that the salt manufacturing industry hired its own studies to confuse the issue, just the way Chevron tried to muddy the waters on climate change or that Dr. Fred Stark (name?) was a hired witness to appear in trials all over to testify that sugar is not bad for you (the soda companies have plenty invested in this).

I read that commercial beers and many sodas have added salt in them to make you more thirsty. Then added sugar is used to disguise the taste of the added salt.


Personally I minimise my salt intake whenever I can and complain about added salt where possible. I suspect that salt does me no good with my hypertension.


There was a scandal a few decades ago when cobalt was being added to beer to increase the head. After a few people died, that was outlawed. We live in a country where the commercial food industry panders to the sweet tooth by successfully convincing 98% of the population that water intake is best accomplished to the accompaniment of huge quantities of sugar and flavoring. What are the health defects caused by this kind of delusion?


Do you really believe that it is extreme to think that a profitable food company would poison people to make its money? I don't. Do you know how to spell M-E-L-A-M-I-N-E.


Paul Palmer

There is a group that's doing just that. Do a google search and see what you find. I just located this bottom line from a meta study: " ... Our results demonstrate that a modest reduction in salt intake for a duration of 4 or more weeks does have a significant and, from a population viewpoint, important effect on blood pressure in both hypertensive and normotensive individuals. This meta-analysis strongly supports other evidence for a modest and long-term reduction in population salt intake, and would be predicted to reduce stroke deaths immediately by »14% and coronary deaths by »9% in hypertensives, and reduce stroke and coronary deaths by »6 and »4%, in normotensives, respectively.

Journal of Human Hypertension (2002) 16, 761-770. doi:10.1038/sj.jhh.1001459" [end quote]


OK, all that said, the main reason to me, a relatively healthy guy with lowish blood pressure, to lower salt intake is to improve the flavor of foods. Studies have been done on that too and salt tends to blunt flavor receptors so we miss out on subtle and enjoyable flavors if we over salt our foods. Heavy salt doses in processed foods are usually there to cover up the fact their foods don't taste very good. Surprise, surprise!

Now, one more curious thing: I heard about a study done decades ago in Europe at about the same time doctors started putting hypertension patients on low salt diets in the US. They studied many thousands of men and compared salt intake vs. death rates. The suspected the higher the salt intake the lower the death rate, and what they found was just the opposite. Although the study was published in Europe it never was in the US because it flew in the face of what doctors were recommending here.

So, I think we should do what we do to improve our own individual quality of life and I love the subtle flavors. I also love salty foods so I've learned to use very little salt in cooking and get my salt fix from brief, intense intakes done only once in a while. (Like salty crackers or intense, brine cured olives.) Also, I rarely eat packaged or restaurant foods.

So eat fresh foods prepared at home and go easy on the salt shaker. Brown bag your lunches.

Thanks for bringing up the issue, but I think the notion that the food industries are poisoning us is a bit extreme.

-Jeff

[Dynamique]

The simple, but by no means easy, answer is to not eat processed foods!

I have friend who is on a no salt diet due to liver damage. I am utterly shocked that companies are allowed to put an enormous amount of salt in almost all canned goods, cheeses, peanut butter and such.
Food has 25% to 39% and more in a 1/2 cup serving of commonly eaten food like soup or spagetti sauce.
We need to start an uproar over this like we did with cigarettes and second hand smoke. Even if you don't eat such foods yourself I'm sure our children are getting this in their school lunches, seniors in care homes, every fast food place and even any restaurant.
What can we do to get food manufacturers to stop poisoning us giving us high blood pressure, weight gain, and other health problems? Got any ideas?
If you have any doubts how bad it is check everything you eat for serving size and salt content. You will be shocked at even innocent seeming items like cottage cheese have such a high sodium content.
Let's get organized and protest.
Sincerely,
Suzanne

[Hot Compost]

Somehow I managed to eat a diet where the only "built-in" salt I get is with cheese. I suppose, if I have a can of soup, that has the salt.

Basically I try to eat maybe 8 different fruits & vegetables a day, some meat, eggs, & cheese, bread etc. No sugar, except with coffee.

The "no sugar" part was pretty much imposed by teeth limitations. When I had a soda with every meal, it was really hard on my teeth.

I guess I somehow end up avoiding processed foods for the most part. I have to think the frozen cheese ravioli from Cash & Carry has some salt. Just can't taste it.

[Yubajeff]

You raise some valid points, but, like most issues it is not a matter of "good vs. bad". Using basic facts and common sense clears up a lot of this. No M.D. degree needed.(OK, I confess I have one , but trust me anyway.

1) "Salt" refers to sodium chloride (table salt, Kosher salt, sea salt, etc) in these types of discussions. A common "salt substitute" for example is potassium chloride, also a true salt chemically. I don't use it; too dangerous to dose properly. Simplest quickest way to kill someone: iv injection of an ounce of potassium chloride (10-20% solution; higher concentrations are painful in the vein). There are thousands of natural true salts; mineral combinations of positive and negative ions in stable form, usually solid at room temperature. My limited shelf contains these useful salts: Epsom (mag. sulfate), calcium chloride (Tums), glucosamine sulfate or hydrocloride (essential dancers), iron sulfate (essential for vegetarian dancers), and a little chromium and zinc. These last 2 are micronutrients, in contrast with sodium, magnesium, calcium and iron, which are macronutrient minerals.

Glucosamine is an amino acid salt.

Our bodies continuously and instantaneously regulate levels of potassium and magnesium with mind-blowing acurracy. A 10% deviation of serum level can be enough to kill someone instantly, via cardiac arrest, and leaves very little if trace at autopsy As far as I know, potassium and/or magnesium imbalance has never been excluded as a cause of SIDS.

Another common cause of sudden, unexpectedly death in teenagers and adults is from illegal and legal substances (often prescribed).

Here an MD degree (or a PDR) comes in handy (hint: the PDR is less of a threat to your health). This stuff could all easily could be taught at the high school level, and save many more lives than "sex-ed" which they probably already are experts already.

2) Salt (NaCl) on the other other hand, is loosely regulated by our bodies, by which I mean over hours to days, rather than seconds to minutes. We also tolerate a greater range of blood levels than for potassium and magnesium, easily twice the the range, but a more significant factor is chronobiological. I agree a percentage of the population is "salt senstive" maybe 10% , higher in black men. On the other hand, sodium deprivation triggers profound hormonal responses which are a lot scarier than sodium excess, which reduces these hormonal levels, specifically: epinephrine, rennin, angiotensin 1 and 2, aldosteone, cortisol, ADH, ACTH, CRF, and a few others more obscure or as yet undiscovered) And guess what? Most of the drugs for HBP target these hormones directly ie epinephrine: alpha and beta blockers, renin and angiotensin: beta blockers, ACE inhibitors, ARB's; aldosterone: spironolactone and others. Only the cheap, old fashioned thiazide or loop diuretics target sodium itself, although have minimal impact on blood levels or even total body stores of sodium( a powerful dose might result in loss of 2-3 lbs of body weight, and often symptomatic improvement of leg swelling, bloating, etc).

Calcium channel blockers are more complicated, as is calcium metabolism, but undoubted critical in BP regulation, and likely in many other body functions especially brain function. OK, enough pharmacology, it starts to get tedious and I don't have that much RAM installed (yet!) We won't even begin to think about the pituitary/hypothalamic axis that connects all this stuff intimately with brain activity in general.

3)Back to Earth: every individual is unique; people often crave the thing that is most unhealthy for them, whether it's sugar, fat, or salt. On the other hand, I have noted that many people need MORE healthy sugars (I drink fruit juice when dancing; I just make sure it doesn't contain corn syrup for the sweetener, like most Welch's juices). I also like whole fruit for it's natural slow release of water and potassium. In the hottest part of summer I'll drink V8 or tomato juice for a little extra sodium as well. If I'm at a club, I succumb to pressure and order either hard cider (Fox Barrel is the best: all organic pear apple or berry cider from Colfax, in a beer bottle) or more widely available stuff like that the lemonade in a beer bottle, with a 5% alcohol content, easily metabolized at the rate of one or two an hour, usually around one/hour for females, who metabolize alcohol at half the rate of men; with much individual, genetic difference. I'm sure everyone is fascinated by my drinking habits (well, it's more interesting than my sex llife).

Also, most of us scrawny near vegan dancers benefit from Fish Oil Supplements, as does everyone else on the planet: man, woman, pregnant woman, and children especially (makes them smarter, healthier, and more beautiful).

I hope I have brought some light to the issue. No guarantee, other than I'm not blowing smoke, and I'll take the urine test to prove it on request (although everyone wants my blood lately instead; go figure).
Aloha, Namaste, and Shalom. Edited for brevity and levity.

Scout
yubajeff on WACCOBB
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]

Jeff:
A few years ago there was a flurry of studies on the connection between salt and hypertension. Several studies found a positive correlation. But it seemed that the salt manufacturing industry hired its own studies to confuse the issue, just the way Chevron tried to muddy the waters on climate change or that Dr. Fred Stark (name?) was a hired witness to appear in trials all over to testify that sugar is not bad for you (the soda companies have plenty invested in this).

I read that commercial beers and many sodas have added salt in them to make you more thirsty. Then added sugar is used to disguise the taste of the added salt.


Personally I minimise my salt intake whenever I can and complain about added salt where possible. I suspect that salt does me no good with my hypertension.


There was a scandal a few decades ago when cobalt was being added to beer to increase the head. After a few people died, that was outlawed. We live in a country where the commercial food industry panders to the sweet tooth by successfully convincing 98% of the population that water intake is best accomplished to the accompaniment of huge quantities of sugar and flavoring. What are the health defects caused by this kind of delusion?


Do you really believe that it is extreme to think that a profitable food company would poison people to make its money? I don't. Do you know how to spell M-E-L-A-M-I-N-E.


Paul Palmer

[photolite]

Yubajeff,
I infer you're implication is that salt, like much else in life, need not be demonized and in moderation is actually essential. Read "Salt" by Mark Kurlansky to fully appreciate the role salt has played in the development of civilization. In our native American sphere the ancient Southwest pueblos coveted their salt resources in central New Mexico (Salinas Nat'l Monument) and traded it widely while the Wampanoags and other New England peoples seemed unaware of its importance yet consumed healthy and adaquate doses in local shellfish, a staple in their diets.
Thanks for the toxocology info. You never know when you'll need to deal decisively with someone near and dear (only kidding).
You clearly seem to be a deeply disturbed individual.
Photo

You raise some valid points, but, like most issues it is not a matter of "good vs. bad". Using basic facts and common sense clears up a lot of this. No M.D. degree needed.(OK, I confess I have one , but trust me anyway.

1) "Salt" refers to sodium chloride (table salt, Kosher salt, sea salt, etc) in these types of discussions. A common "salt substitute" for example is potassium chloride, also a true salt chemically. I don't use it; too dangerous to dose properly. Simplest quickest way to kill someone: iv injection of an ounce of potassium chloride (10-20% solution; higher concentrations are painful in the vein). There are thousands of natural true salts; mineral combinations of positive and negative ions in stable form, usually solid at room temperature. My limited shelf contains these useful salts: Epsom (mag. sulfate), calcium chloride (Tums), glucosamine sulfate or hydrocloride (essential dancers), iron sulfate (essential for vegetarian dancers), and a little chromium and zinc. These last 2 are micronutrients, in contrast with sodium, magnesium, calcium and iron, which are macronutrient minerals.

Glucosamine is an amino acid salt.

Our bodies continuously and instantaneously regulate levels of potassium and magnesium with mind-blowing acurracy. A 10% deviation of serum level can be enough to kill someone instantly, via cardiac arrest, and leaves very little if trace at autopsy As far as I know, potassium and/or magnesium imbalance has never been excluded as a cause of SIDS.

Another common cause of sudden, unexpectedly death in teenagers and adults is from illegal and legal substances (often prescribed).

Here an MD degree (or a PDR) comes in handy (hint: the PDR is less of a threat to your health). This stuff could all easily could be taught at the high school level, and save many more lives than "sex-ed" which they probably already are experts already.

2) Salt (NaCl) on the other other hand, is loosely regulated by our bodies, by which I mean over hours to days, rather than seconds to minutes. We also tolerate a greater range of blood levels than for potassium and magnesium, easily twice the the range, but a more significant factor is chronobiological. I agree a percentage of the population is "salt senstive" maybe 10% , higher in black men. On the other hand, sodium deprivation triggers profound hormonal responses which are a lot scarier than sodium excess, which reduces these hormonal levels, specifically: epinephrine, rennin, angiotensin 1 and 2, aldosteone, cortisol, ADH, ACTH, CRF, and a few others more obscure or as yet undiscovered) And guess what? Most of the drugs for HBP target these hormones directly ie epinephrine: alpha and beta blockers, renin and angiotensin: beta blockers, ACE inhibitors, ARB's; aldosterone: spironolactone and others. Only the cheap, old fashioned thiazide or loop diuretics target sodium itself, although have minimal impact on blood levels or even total body stores of sodium( a powerful dose might result in loss of 2-3 lbs of body weight, and often symptomatic improvement of leg swelling, bloating, etc).

Calcium channel blockers are more complicated, as is calcium metabolism, but undoubted critical in BP regulation, and likely in many other body functions especially brain function. OK, enough pharmacology, it starts to get tedious and I don't have that much RAM installed (yet!) We won't even begin to think about the pituitary/hypothalamic axis that connects all this stuff intimately with brain activity in general.

3)Back to Earth: every individual is unique; people often crave the thing that is most unhealthy for them, whether it's sugar, fat, or salt. On the other hand, I have noted that many people need MORE healthy sugars (I drink fruit juice when dancing; I just make sure it doesn't contain corn syrup for the sweetener, like most Welch's juices). I also like whole fruit for it's natural slow release of water and potassium. In the hottest part of summer I'll drink V8 or tomato juice for a little extra sodium as well. If I'm at a club, I succumb to pressure and order either hard cider (Fox Barrel is the best: all organic pear apple or berry cider from Colfax, in a beer bottle) or more widely available stuff like that the lemonade in a beer bottle, with a 5% alcohol content, easily metabolized at the rate of one or two an hour, usually around one/hour for females, who metabolize alcohol at half the rate of men; with much individual, genetic difference. I'm sure everyone is fascinated by my drinking habits (well, it's more interesting than my sex llife).

Also, most of us scrawny near vegan dancers benefit from Fish Oil Supplements, as does everyone else on the planet: man, woman, pregnant woman, and children especially (makes them smarter, healthier, and more beautiful).

I hope I have brought some light to the issue. No guarantee, other than I'm not blowing smoke, and I'll take the urine test to prove it on request (although everyone wants my blood lately instead; go figure).
Aloha, Namaste, and Shalom. Edited for brevity and levity.

Scout
yubajeff on WACCOBB
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]

[photolite]

Yubajeff,
My remark regarding your being a deeply disturbed individual was entirely tongue in cheek. I saw Barry tonight and he remarked that he had read the post and read that phrase as being serious, which surprised me as I'm used to dry or sarcastic humor. He suggested I use this goofy icon () to signify my jest. So, in all seriousness, I'm only kidding . I really did find your post both entertaining and informative.
Photo

[wildflower]

Don't eat PROCESSED foods!.....make all your own food from scratch. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds and whole grains. You don't have to add any salt to your food...there's really nothing to protest, as no one is MAKING you eat salt!
It's not a difficult thing to do!
Best
wildflower

I have friend who is on a no salt diet due to liver damage. I am utterly shocked that companies are allowed to put an enormous amount of salt in almost all canned goods, cheeses, peanut butter and such.
Food has 25% to 39% and more in a 1/2 cup serving of commonly eaten food like soup or spagetti sauce.
We need to start an uproar over this like we did with cigarettes and second hand smoke. Even if you don't eat such foods yourself I'm sure our children are getting this in their school lunches, seniors in care homes, every fast food place and even any restaurant.
What can we do to get food manufacturers to stop poisoning us giving us high blood pressure, weight gain, and other health problems? Got any ideas?
If you have any doubts how bad it is check everything you eat for serving size and salt content. You will be shocked at even innocent seeming items like cottage cheese have such a high sodium content.
Let's get organized and protest.
Sincerely,
Suzanne

[laughing.linda]

I found both posts made me laugh out loud!
Thanks for the information and keep the the humor coming, both of you!

linda

[Aphelion1182]

Salt is everywhere.. so when you can't avoid it, don't forget water. Salt makes your body trap water. when eating any amount of salt it's important to drink plenty of water to help keep the body balanced. Drink plenty of water whether you eat salt or not. Water is to body as oil is to car.

[terriann]

I've been following this thread and waiting for someone with a food science background to step in and make some sense of it. I'm not an 'expert' but I have studied nutrition at the Bauman College, and learned some basics about the salt in our diets.

If you don't differentiate between refined salt (the commercial salt that is the most prevalent form of salt used in our society) and unrefined salt (that would be whole food salt that comes to us unadulterated from a clean, appropriate, and natural source), then the discussion is bound to be misleading. Commercial salt can contain aluminum sulfate, dextrose, and potassium oxide. You can look those substances up yourself to find their detrimental properties. Also, the ratio of Potassium (K) to Sodium (Na) found in commercial salt is the reverse of the ratio found in human blood and extremely skewed (1:24?). On the other hand, whole food salts contain all minerals in a balance congruent with human physiology, plus naturally occurring iodine, which is necessary for the health of the thyroid which runs our metabolism, right? Plus, the K:Na ratio of naturally occurring salts (7:1) are very close to that of human blood (4 or 5:1?). We need salt for health. We just need the right kind.

We are used to thinking of grains and sugars as being refined or unrefined, but thinking of salt in that way might be new to a lot of us. Think of all the substances available to us that come in a fine, white, granulated or powdered form: sugars, flours, salt, cocaine. Can you think of any I've missed? Anything looking like that is about as far from it's natural state as it can possibly get, and can't be good for us in large quantities.

If you want to learn more about the role of salt in a healthy diet, go to the website for the Grain and Salt Society. Right now there are four talks you can listen to by experts which address the concerns that have been expressed in this thread. Celtic Sea Salt® - The Grain & Salt Society® - Selina Naturally™.

Good luck with your research,
--T'iann

[Braggi]

I've been following this thread and waiting for someone with a food science background to step in and make some sense of it. I'm not an 'expert' but I have studied nutrition at the Bauman College, and learned some basics about the salt in our diets. ...

If this is the kind of stuff they teach you at Bauman, I'd say run the other way and find a school that knows something about the human body. Try an accredited medical school. Yes, the do study and teach nutrition at medical schools.

The body closely guards it's sodium / potassium balance. It's really hard to throw it off. I think this has already been covered in this thread? Table salt isn't poison any more than "refined white sugar" is poison. It's all in the dose. Buy expensive sea salt because you like the way it tastes. If it tastes the same to you, buy the cheapest salt you can find. I think it's aluminum silicate you're talking about which is added to some salts so that "when it rains it pours." Big deal. Not harmful. About as inert as sand.

Iodine comes in every foodstuff we eat. Iodized salt isn't necessary for people in the US. We get plenty.

Science friends!

-Jeff

[Sylph]

There's so much nonsense on the web about sea salt, it's hard to find good information!
Here's what a dietitian from the Mayo clinic says:
Sea salt: Is it better for you than regular salt? - MayoClinic.com

Sea salt does not contain much iodine:
SaltSensibility: Sea salt is not a good source of dietary iodine


"Often taken as gospel are claims that sea salt is unrefined, more natural and more healthful than ordinary table salt because it comes from the sea and is high in minerals. Sea salt has been praised for tasting pure, fresh, bright, delicate, sweet, sharp, refined, balanced and well-rounded. Everyday table salt is condemned as tasting bitter, tinny, metallic, acrid, characterless, and chemical-like, because it’s said to be cheap and highly refined.

In actuality, all edible salt sold is about 99% pure sodium chloride. The remaining 1% — negligible traces in a dish — are far too minute to make a difference nutritionally. Scientists tell us that those minuscule amounts of minerals are also undetectable by our taste buds, but it’s easy to convince ourselves otherwise when we’re paying so much for them. :)"
Junkfood Science: Salt’s pedigree

[anaturalwoman]

Time for only a brief reply: many of us natural health enthusiasts are enjoying (pink) Himalayan Crystal Salt, sold in many stores. Vitamin Shoppe sells a good one from "The real Food Trading Company," lots, inexpensive, seems 'pure. Or, swansonvitamins.com offers a slightly more expensive brand, but well touted --and it's well worth reading up on the difference in how salts and mined, and where. --Marcia



"Often taken as gospel are claims that sea salt is unrefined, more natural and more healthful than ordinary table salt because it comes from the sea and is high in minerals. Sea salt has been praised for tasting pure, fresh, bright, delicate, sweet, sharp, refined, balanced and well-rounded. Everyday table salt is condemned as tasting bitter, tinny, metallic, acrid, characterless, and chemical-like, because it’s said to be cheap and highly refined.

In actuality, all edible salt sold is about 99% pure sodium chloride. The remaining 1% — negligible traces in a dish — are far too minute to make a difference nutritionally. Scientists tell us that those minuscule amounts of minerals are also undetectable by our taste buds, but it’s easy to convince ourselves otherwise when we’re paying so much for them. :)"
Junkfood Science: Salt’s pedigree[/quote]

[sharingwisdom]

Since many large Medical clinics are funded by Pharmaceutical and special interest lobbyist groups, I don't necessarily find that their words mean Truth. When I did some research, and of course some may feel that Naturopaths aren't medically knowledgable enough for them, and I'm fine agreeing to disagree, I found these links
https://www.academyhealthnj.com/Products/AnnLouiseGittlemanArticle.pdf


Mass-market salt is dried at high temperatures, and its many beneficial trace minerals are removed. The salt is then mixed with iodine, bleaching agents, anti-caking agents, and even dextrose (sugar) to remove the bitter chemical taste. What’s left is pure sodium chloride with as much as 3% added chemicals.


Now, I'm not into most additives in food but I'm sure some will disagree again. So I have a link to these agents that are put in salt.
https://www.afic.com.au/2007Images/500%20To%20640%20Colours%20and%20Additives.htm


Bon appetite

There's so much nonsense on the web about sea salt, it's hard to find good information!
Here's what a dietitian from the Mayo clinic says:
Sea salt: Is it better for you than regular salt? - MayoClinic.com

Sea salt does not contain much iodine:
SaltSensibility: Sea salt is not a good source of dietary iodine


"Often taken as gospel are claims that sea salt is unrefined, more natural and more healthful than ordinary table salt because it comes from the sea and is high in minerals. Sea salt has been praised for tasting pure, fresh, bright, delicate, sweet, sharp, refined, balanced and well-rounded. Everyday table salt is condemned as tasting bitter, tinny, metallic, acrid, characterless, and chemical-like, because it’s said to be cheap and highly refined.

In actuality, all edible salt sold is about 99% pure sodium chloride. The remaining 1% — negligible traces in a dish — are far too minute to make a difference nutritionally. Scientists tell us that those minuscule amounts of minerals are also undetectable by our taste buds, but it’s easy to convince ourselves otherwise when we’re paying so much for them. :)"
Junkfood Science: Salt’s pedigree

[Dynamique]

Another factor affecting the taste of salt and a factor in choosing the right type of salt for your application (cooking, roasting, pickling, etc.) is the SHAPE of the crystals. So while salt is, from a chemistry standpoint, sodium chloride with other trace salts and minerals, the different shapes of the crystals affect the taste buds in different ways.

Mass-market salt is dried at high temperatures, and its many beneficial trace minerals are removed. The salt is then mixed with iodine, bleaching agents, anti-caking agents, and even dextrose (sugar) to remove the bitter chemical taste. What’s left is pure sodium chloride with as much as 3% added chemicals.


Now, I'm not into most additives in food but I'm sure some will disagree again. So I have a link to these agents that are put in salt.
https://www.afic.com.au/2007Images/500%20To%20640%20Colours%20and%20Additives.htm


Bon appetite

[Sylph]

Another factor affecting the taste of salt and a factor in choosing the right type of salt for your application (cooking, roasting, pickling, etc.) is the SHAPE of the crystals. So while salt is, from a chemistry standpoint, sodium chloride with other trace salts and minerals, the different shapes of the crystals affect the taste buds in different ways.

Do you mean the size? All salt (NaCl) crystals are cubic in shape, no matter how big. Coarser grained salt is sometimes used on gourmet candies or cookies to add flavor "pizzazz".

["Mad" Miles]

SALT.... Yum...

I love salt, all kinds, regular, kosher, rock, sea, you name it.

I put salt on almost everything. Luckily I don't suffer from hypertension.

"What's Life without a little Salt? English", Nick Nolte's character in "Farewell to the King" '88, John Milius's homage to a white guy going native in Borneo before and during WWII.

Remember the Salt Monster episode of the original Star Trek? She could appear as your beloved, but all she wanted was all of your body salt! A quick but painful death, and she left lemur-like marks on your skull. My third favorite episode after The Horta and "Bonk, bonk, bonk the Grups!!"

"Mad" Miles

Here's to the end of the Bush II era, may Obama at least not fuck up as badly...

[Zeno Swijtink]

Do you mean the size? All salt (NaCl) crystals are cubic in shape, no matter how big. Coarser grained salt is sometimes used on gourmet candies or cookies to add flavor "pizzazz".

I love cooking with "kosher" salt. Michelle Anna Jordan calls it an ideal cooking salt. See her book "Salt and Pepper" ("Salt tap dances naked on your table, makes you blush with delight. Pepper taps you on the shoulder and invites you behind closed doors").

[Sylph]

from the link to Ann Louise Gittleman:
"Commercial refined salt is not only stripped of all its minerals, besides sodium and chloride, but it is also heated at such high temperatures that the chemical structure of the salt changes. In addition, it is chemically cleaned and bleached and treated with anticaking agents which prevent salt from mixing with water in the salt container. Unfortunately the anticaking agents perform the same function in the human body, so refined salt does not dissolve and combine with the water and fluids present in our system. Instead it builds up in the body and leaves deposits in organs and tissue, causing severe health problems.Two of the most common anticaking agents used in the mass production of salt are sodium alumino-silicate and alumino-calcium silicate. These are both sources of aluminum, a toxic metal that has been implicated in the development of Alzheimer's disease and that certainly does not belong in a healthy diet. To make matters worse, the aluminum used in salt production leaves a bitter taste in salt, so manufactures usually add sugar in the form of dextrose to hide the taste of the aluminum. Refined sugar - as I explained in my previous book, Get the Sugar Out (Harmony Books 1996) - severely disrupts the equilibrium of the body and is associated with…diseases."

The chemical structure changes with heat? I really doubt it. We get our minerals, micro and macro, from food. If we had to rely on salt for them, we'd be in bad shape.Believing that the kind of salt we use matters much to our overall health, is a bit absurd. Too much salt is bad, even sea salt.

I have nothing against NDs in particular, but this lady obviously never took basic chemistry or biology.

Most commercial salt uses calcium silicate as an anti-caking agent. It is derived from limestone. Pretty natural, I think. If you don't want it, or any additives, you can buy pickling salt. (I didn't know that until I read up on it tonight)
"Calcium orthosilicate is a white powder with a low bulk density and high physical water absorption. It is used as an anti-caking agent and an antacid. A white free-flowing powder derived from limestone and diatomaceous earth, calcium silicate has no known adverse effects to health."
"Dextrose is added in tiny amounts, at no nutritional significance, to stabilize the iodine."
Morton®Salt - when it rains it pours®