salt, friend or enemy?

           Salt is present on almost any table, at every restaurant, cafeteria, fast food joint and home in America. I remember back in the early eighties when I decided not to use salt, not even when cooking pasta, my husband thought that I had lost my mind.

            Nowadays foods tend to be refined, depriving them of the richness of nutrients essential for our health and substituting them with chemicals that give them flavor. Again flavor versus nutritional value. salt is just one more example of modern times trends.

            chemical content
  
            Natural sea salt is mostly chloride 55.18 % and sodium 30.59%, also contains sulfate, magnesium, calcium, potassium and other trace minerals. Refined table salt 99.60% sodium chloride, plus other chemicals and anti-caking agents to make it flowing.

            pros and cons

• Salt gives food an earthy, more substantial quality, too much salt and instead of enhancing the natural flavors of food, all you taste salt.
• Salt can be used externally on wounds and minor abrasions to alleviate them, yet its excessive consumption is detrimental to the blood, makes the complexion look lusterless.
• Another paradox is that salt softens hard lymph nodes and muscles and promotes bowel function, but too much salt hardens the arteries.
• Salt benefits the renal function, too much salt damages the kidneys.
• A small amount of salt enhances the absorption of nutrients, too much salt interferes with the absorption process and depletes calcium.
• Salt is contraindicated in high blood pressure and there is a positive correlation between them.

   
          how much salt is safe?

          The daily average shouldn't exceed 2,500 to 3,000 milligrams, yet Americans daily average exceeds 17,000 milligram.

           alternatives

           Certain cultures never used salt in the preparation of food, but unless you suffer some medical condition, there is no need to be so drastic, remember a pinch of salt is enough to enhance the flavors of your meals. Always use natural sea salt, it is naturally dried with the sun. It looks a bit grayish and in crystal form.

           A very good alternative is dulse, dulse is a seaweed and not only has the salt form the sea but the iodine , which makes it the perfect substitute for refined table salt.
      

• Rinse the seaweed with cold water, checking for bits of seashells.

• Use it like any leafy vegetable.

• Can be oven toasted.

• Blend with soups, mashed potatoes, vegetable burguers, salads, etc.

           "Salt should enhance the flavor of food, not dominate it."