Salt

It was always believed by our predecessors to consume salt in high value. But recent researchs prove it is better to give up on salt completely. Common salt or sodium chloride helps in the conduction of nerve impulses, contraction of muscles and maintaining the water balance in the body. It regulates acid-base balance in the body fluids including blood, lymph, tears and gastrointestinal secretions. It also helps in forming hydrochloric acid in the stomach for digestion and is a vital component of blood plasma. 5gm of salt a day is all our body needs.

Salt is present in every natural food we eat, and under normal circumstances, enough for our daily requirement. However the requirement of salt increases during summer due to exertion and water loss. Lack of sufficient quantity of salt results in muscle cramps irritability and general apathy. Various processed foods such as soft drinks, sauces, confectionary, pasta, tinned/canned foods, butter, cheese, pickles, cornflakes etc. have salt or sodium, apart from our natural food intake. A "no salt" treatment is suggested by specialists for people who have diseases of heart and kidney. Some common ailments like bronchitis and skin eruptions are reduced by giving up salt. Giving up salt relieves the kidneys, heart and even certain glands, from the chemical work removing excess salts out of the body via urine. Excess of salt contributes indirectly to diseases like gout by interfering with the elimination of certain wastes from the body like uric acid. Statistics show that the Japanese, who use salt very heavily, death rate from strokes due to high blood pressure is extremely high. The natives of South Pacific, who never consume salt, have the least chances of high blood pressure or strokes. In the U.S.A the negro's are heavy salt takers, and have three times more blood pressure problems than Whites in the same areas. Doctors conclude a low-salt diet will decrease death by blood pressure diseases by 50%. It's strange but these diseases kill far more people even today than does cancer.

Though salt can be harmful if you have certain heart or kidney disease but it does not imply that some people are free from blood pressure problems because they do not eat salt, or because they lead quiet, stress-free lives. Some doctors contradict that only a small section of the population is harmed by surplus salt. They say individual human beings differ greatly in their "response" to salt. Factors like Physical exercise (hard labour/ sports) deeply affects the average person's response to salt. Inactive people are more prone to surplus salt. There is a theory, which says overweight people can bring down their blood pressure by only reducing weight. Contradicting this theory is the theory of reducing salt intake helps in weight reduction.

If you are suffering from blood pressure problems it would be best to go off salt for two weeks. If it helps then continue, but if you feel fatigued then go back to having salt. You can try using rock salt (saindha namak) and black salt(kala namak) instead of table salt. Potassium salt is advisable for people with a history of high blood pressure.