I must admit that I myself am a big salt fan. My grandmother simply goes crazy when I add salt to my food without even tasting it in advance. It’s just that I know her cooking habits. I’ve heard many times that eating salt and your health are two things that do not go very well together. So I decided to investigate. Is that really so? Is the excess of salt really bad for one’s health? And if so, what should we do? Should we eat tasteless food in order to preserve our health?

The difference lies in fact in the type of salt we eat. We do no eat natural salt, but refined salt. Let’s face it: we do not like the lumpy appearance of natural salt, we prefer the smooth Snow-White appearance of refined salt. Experts however say that natural salt is in fact a very healthful product that most people need. The effect salt has to our health also depends upon our metabolic type, on our high blood pressure and on the way we act if we are salt-sensitive.


The word salt actually draws its’ roots from the same roots as the word “ salary” .In ancient times, salt was considered to be so valuable that it was used for currency and appreciated likewise. Nowadays, no one knows that much about salt, except for the very important fact that it gives a special flavor to our food and many people are addicted to it. I for one admit it. Only in the recent years have doctors began to warn us about the negative effects that salt may have on our health.

Table salt, that is the salt we most frequently use, joins the enlarged category of junk food, actually being considered by health specialists, one of the most dangerous of them. Due to its’ various refining processes, table salt is almost pure sodium chloride. It lacks minerals and if mineral depletion was not bad enough, it often contains aluminum which is added as a flowing agent.

The most important mineral missing from refined salt is magnesium which has a relaxing influence on the heart. Magnesium is found in sea salt which is far better for daily consumption and does not affect blood pressure. That is why eating some sea salt every day would be highly recommended by any health specialist in order to supplement one’s supply of minerals. Many times people have argued that eating salt and your health are not connected because salt is not actually a live food, thus it cannot hurt or benefit your body. However, in the case of sea salt this is not true.

Thus it seems that the nice, smooth white salt we eat daily is in fact very dangerous for our health and in time it can have devastating effects. So, if given the choice, what would you do? Eat salty food and enjoy the moment or take a second and think about your health? I for one will think twice from now on.