Pass Me the Salt Please!

Verses from the Bible:

Leviticus 2:13 Shalt thou season with salt
Luke 14:34 Salt is good

Salt....ahhh....such a controversial topic! Some people say it's bad for your health; others say it's good; what is our Creator's view on it? Well, before even diving into the research, my gut feeling is this: what God creates is perfect, and then the human race begins to change things. And even though our hearts are in the right place, our appetites and priorities are not always. People have changed not only salt, but fruits, vegetables, grains, sugar cane, corn, meat, dairy products, the whole works. However, since the topic today is salt, I plan to stick to that!

I will first start by addressing what the definition of salt is, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt reads in a somewhat condensed version:

Salt.....is essential for animal life,
Salt is involved in regulating the water content (fluid balance) of the body.
Salt for human consumption is produced in different forms: unrefined salt (sea/mineral ), refined salt (table salt), and iodized salt.
Salt is an important preservative.

AND THE PART THAT IS MOST RELATIVE TO THIS BLOG: Chloride and sodium ions, the two major components of salt, are necessary for the survival of all known living creatures, including humans.

At the end of the definition, as if thrown in there as an afterthought, is the following: Conversely, over- consumption of salt increases the risk of health problems, including high blood pressure.

Well, I am one to check the Bible when unresolved with an issue, and if God says salt is good, and tells us to season with salt, I'll be the first one in line to do it! Next, if the free online encyclopedia tells me it's necessary in the survival of all living creatures, I'm going to bet that salt is necessary, rather than something to avoid.

The preservative comment got me thinking, up until people invented refrigerators, they used salt to preserve meats and other food items. People of the Bible, people of the middle ages, people who settled America used it daily in their foods--it was on the top of their "grocery list", you might say! What's on the top of ours nowadays (figuratively speaking, as an ingredient in our foods)...sugar and/or corn syrup. Sugar used to be hard to come by, and now it's difficult to come by something without sugar or corn syrup in it.

SO, if salt used to be such an important staple until about 50-100 years ago, what happened, and why do some people get high blood pressure because of it? Remember, there are 3 different forms of salt, one of which (iodized) can be included as part of either of the other two . Unrefined Salt and Refined Salt can both come as iodized, and, iodine is essential to human life as well, so the problem must lie within one of the other 2 salts. God made the sea salty, and that is how the people back in Bible times got their salt, so you can eliminate Unrefined Salt as being the culprit. Everything God makes is perfect in its original state.

ABOUT REFINED SALT:

I stumbled upon this excerpt in an all-natural article packet of information I got from a friend: "About 50 years ago, the major salt-producing companies in America began to dry their salt in huge kilns, where temperatures reach as high as 1200 degrees Fahrenheit. This changes the chemical structure of the salt, which adversely changes the effect on the human body. It was at this time that heart disease, arthritis, and other chemical diseases began to increase at an alarming rate in this country.

In other countries where people dry salt from the ocean with the sun (India, Mexico,China), many doctors have never seen heart disease, etc, because it is so rare. Since natural (untreated Sea/Mineral) salt dissolves in water naturally, it will dissolve in our bodies as well, moving freely about until flushed out as waste. Refined salt that has been treated will not dissolve in a glass of water, will not dissolve in your body, and therefore collects in body organs, causing health problems!"

So, we have now answered our question...is salt good for you? The Unrefined Salt God gave to us is pure and perfect in it's original, untreated state. Our body uses Unrefined Salt to make hydrochloric acid (an essential digestive fluid), which in turn, digests any invading microbes, parasites, viruses, and bacteria that enter into our body with our food. It will help your stomach, your immune system, regulate fluid balance in your body, along with many, many benefits only our Creator knows. According to Doctor Tom Brewer, "the transport of oxygen and nutrients into the cells, as well as the transport of waste out of the cells, requires sodium; the health of our mucous membranes (stomach, uterus, intestines, sinuses) requires sodium; adequate amounts of sodium are required for proper use of protein and amino acids (the building blocks of our cells), and every cell in the body requires sodium to survive. "

Pass me some unrefined GOD Salt,

Snack-n-Soul Sister :)

For the majority of us, unrefined salt is good, but, in certain health situations, where our bodies are in a diseased state to begin with, our bodies will not know what to do with such a nutrient, and may get more problems as a result--such as with weak kidneys, or a missing kidney.

******The information in this BLOG is strictly for educational purposes. It should not be used to treat, diagnose, or prescribe for a condition you feel you may have. If you have any health concerns, you should see a competent medical practitioner. ******