Is salt good for you?

I was just sitting and letting my mind drift when I thought of the question, “Is salt good for you?” I decided to research it and write a blog post about it. Both sides of the argument are quite promising, and show many reasons why salt is and is not healthy for you. Now here are 5 reasons from each side of the argument that tell you the good and bad impacts of salt.




Good For You

• Salt helps you stay hydrated. Since your body needs sodium and potassium to stay hydrated and some salts like Celtic or pink Himalayan have both of these ingredients, a healthy amount of salt helps you stay hydrated.
• Sea salt actually has protective effects against heart disease. Only sea salt is like this though, table salt is much less beneficial. Thought they say not to use salt in this scenario, the type of salt you use is important.
• Sea salt has many electrolytes, which have been known to prevent muscle cramping in exercise. Sea salt has sodium, magnesium, potassium, and calcium, all the things you need for optimal health. These minerals are essential because you can't produce them. Without electrolytes you can have irregular heartbeat, fatigue, nausea, and seizures.
• Sodium regulates water flow through your body, which you need for a healthy nervous system. The water of your nervous system also needs salt for electrical conduction to send and get nervous system signals. Since your brain needs the right balance of electrolytes, table salt is a no-go, sea salt being preferred.
• When you read about salt not helping you with sleep, they are only talking about table salt. Sea salt improves sleep because it has electrolytes for regulating hormones.

Bad For You

• Salt, when taken in amounts that are too large, can lead to cardiovascular disease. According to an article I read, more salt intake increases your chance of cardiovascular disease and stroke.
• If you eat a lot of salt all the time, your taste buds will get used to it and you will no longer care about the quantity of salt you eat.
• Processed foods like table salt increase your chances of stomach cancer happening, as processed foods are harder to digest than unprocessed foods.
• With a high blood pressure and high salt intake, your kidneys can suffer. According to studies, this deadly combo can reduce your kidneys ability to filter out toxins.
• When you eat out you might feel bloated afterward. This is caused by high salt levels in processed foods! The salt and other high-sodium foods cause the body to retain water.

So what do you think? Is salt healthy or bad? In the end I thought salt was good, if you use the right types and not table salt. If you disagree, make sure to let me know in the comments section.