Good and Bad

Table Salt = BAD!

Table salt, which is 97% Sodium Chloride (NaCl) is chemically produced, bleached and devoid of most other nutrients. It also contains Aluminium, which has been linked to Alzheimer's disease and other problems in the body.

This type of salt is not naturally occurring and in fact, when salt-water fish are placed in salt water made with table salt… they die.

This type of salt is also devoid of the many trace minerals that the body needs… so it is a wise decision to avoid it.

If you have any of this type of table salt around your house, I’d recommend that you stop using it immediately. Don’t throw it out though… you can use it in natural cleaning and stain treatment. (Just don’t eat it!)

Real Salt = Good!

To the degree that table salt is bad, real salt is healthy, necessary and good.

Consider this: the body contains high concentrations of many minerals and nutrients, and while it needs water, it also must have the proper concentration of these nutrients in bones, blood and organs to function properly.

A person can’t be given an IV of plain water- it must contain a careful balance of minerals, including salt!

Here are five reasons I personally make sure I consume enough healthy salt each day:

1. For Insulin Sensitivity:  Research is showing a link between low salt consumption and insulin resistance (and moderate/high salt intake and insulin sensitivity).  With the rising rates of blood sugar related problems, this is an important factor to consider.
2. Hydration:  Drinking 'Sole' (a specially hydrated salt water) every morning for an energy boost, a reduction in allergy symptoms and for hydration, will give your body lots of trace minerals which are essential for proper hydration.
3. Longevity:  Low salt intake is actually linked to shorter life expectancy.
4. Hormones:  Real salt clears cortisol from the blood, which takes your stress away.
5. Digestion:  Salt activates an enzyme in the mouth, called 'salivary amylase'.  At this point, the salt allows your taste buds to taste the food.  Salt also plays a role in digestion, by helping to break down food.  Salt also creates hydrochloric acid which is a very important digestive secretion, which lines the stomach walls.

Himalayan Pink salt is my favourite.  It has a milder flavour and has 84 trace elements and iron.  So toss that table and cooking salt away and be kind to your body with some nice healthy pink Himalayan salt.

We've got a double challenge in flickr again this month.  

I haven't been out and about with my camera much this month, except for the road trip, and to be honest, I didn't even think about using those photos *forehead slap* so I've used a couple of 'desperate situations, call for desperate measures' photos.

The first challenge is "Can you hear this sound" and I used the Village Voices photo for that ...

The second challenge is 'Weather'.  The only weather we've had for some time is WIND!  So, this morning, I got this photo, of the sand blowing erratically across the beach ...

I don't expect that either of my photos will do any good this month, but it's good to submit photos, to keep the numbers up, and to keep the competition honest.

I've started compiling a list of 'Questions that you should ask your parents before it's too late'.

The reason for this compilation is because of a conversation with some friends yesterday morning.  A couple of us no longer have our parents living, so when we have questions, there is nobody to ask.

I'll probably post a few questions each day, because there will be too many to post in one day!  Stay tuned.

I'm off to watch "MKR" - first episode of the season.

Nite all.