#2 - Table Salt vs. Sea Salt vs. Himalayan "pink" Salt

Table salt ("refined salt") - no offense to the brand name we all know with the cute little girl and her umbrella that's been around for nearly a century, but this stuff is crap!  If you haven't done your research already and didn't know it to be true, "table salt/refined salt" is devoid of all natural minerals salt should possess and it so over-processed by man (bleached, etc.).  The refining process used for table salt "eliminates all of salt's life-sustaining properties and insures it won't go rancid".... hence why it has no expiration or shelf life. 

Facts:  Did you know that salt is supposed to be full of minerals that our body thrives on?  Well, considering that the soil the US grows it's fruits and veggies in is nearly devoid of all minerals, hence we are not getting them through our fruits and veggies, we have to find other sources to get the minerals our bodies so desperately need on a daily basis such as: "sodium, chloride, potassium, and magnesium" which "are vital for life."  So what is that source, you ask?  ANSWER: Unrefined salt (ie- Himalayan "pink" salt).

"And not surprisingly, those with chronic illness are often more mineral deficient than those who are comparatively well."

"Salt is as important to life as is oxygen and water.  In fact, salt and water work together to do important work in your body, including stimulating your metabolism, helping you detoxify, and making sure your nerves, hormones and immune system function properly."

To find out more re the quotes from Dr. David Brownstein that I used above, check out this website: http://w3.newsmax.com/newsletters/brownstein/salt.cfm

Here's a great blog entry that gives more specifics on why "table salt is really bad for you."  While it does say that "French celtic sea salt" is the answer, I'm not sure about that as I haven't heard it mentioned at all in the holistic and homeopathic community, but I won't discount that it might be a true unrefined source of salt you can gain access to on the internet through this website.  Either way, the blog is definitely worth reading: http://diabetesdietdialogue.wordpress.com/2007/03/02/so-is-salt-really-bad-for-you/

Tip:  You can do your own research too by Googling: "why is table salt bad for you" or anything along those lines and reading all the various links out there.

Check out this great chart on the Crystalline comparison of table salt vs. sea salt vs. Himalayn salt: http://www.natural-salt-lamps.com/crystalline_comparison_of_salt.html

So why choose Himalayan "pink" salt???  Because it has all 84 minerals in it that are the basic elements found in our body that help us to thrive and live a life full of vitality.  In essence, minerals energize us and balance our bodies.  This website gives a list of benefits Himalayan salt gives our bodies.  They also, are promoting that they have found the purest form of this salt that they are importing directly from Nepal.  I cannot tell you whether or not this is true, but my gut would say, if it came directly from Nepal, it should be amazing Himalayan salt.  Check out this article for more information: http://products.mercola.com/himalayan-salt/

Good news: Now the word is out, believe it or not, you CAN find Himalayan "pink" salt at your local Whole Foods.  They have ground and rock form.

So how can we incorporate this salt in our daily diets and reap the benefits of all 84 of its minerals? 

Buy some "ground" Himalayan salt from your local Whole Foods and add it to the food you cook and/or on top of your salad, greens, avocado (hmmmm, delish) or any other way you like to add salt to your daily diet.

THIS IS THE BIG TIP OF THE DAY:
Take a teaspoon of Himalayan salt and add it to a cup of room temperature water and drink it FIRST THING IN THE MORNING at least 15 minutes before you drink or eat anything else.  You actually have two choices on how you can do this:

A) buy the "large rock" form of the Himalayan salt (usually in a glass jar containing a little metal grater).  Remove that grater and toss it.  Metal attracts minerals, so for purposes of your morning salt water drink, you should not put metal in the salt water at all.  So, toss the grater and then fill the glass jar up with filtered or spring water, close the lid and let it sit on a shelf in room temperature.  Then, on a daily basis, take either a plastic or wooden spoon (remember, do not use metal) and mix the salt/water jar up before scooping out a few teaspoons into a clean glass of filtered or spring water (use enough to make the water taste salty, but not enough that you can't stand it), then mix up the salt water glass you just made and swig it down.  Put away your main jar that contains the actual rock salts and use it again the next day and the next day, it will last a long time.

B) buy the "ground" salt form and/or "small rock" form of Himalayan salt and scoop out a teaspoon of ground salt and place it in a glass of clean filtered or spring water and then stir with plastic or wooden spoon once right when you add it to your water and then again a few minutes later, then drink immediately thereafter (do not use a metal spoon as it will attract the minerals and that defeats the purpose of your salt water drink).  Drink this first thing in the morning at least 15 min. prior to eating or drinking anything else.  TIP: If a teaspoon is too salty for you, start out with 1/2 a teaspoon and work your way up to a full teaspoon.  NOTE: You will see some granuals of salt at the bottom of the glass, but go ahead and drink it within 2-3 min. max. of adding the salt to the water (if you wait longer than that it will get VERY salty).

ULTIMATELY, if you make a glass of "Himalayan salt water" mix and drink it every morning on a daily basis, you will be energizing your body every day and giving it all 84 minerals that it is so desperately wanting but not finding in other sources of our food thanks to man over-processing everything it can get it's hands on.  Thankfully, Himalayan salt is still in it's natural state.  Sure, it costs more, but is there a price tag for your life?  It's as important as oxygen and water, don't forget that ever!!!!!

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Still not convinced, take it for checking by reading this great article on "sea salt" vs. "Himalayan Salt": http://www.ehow.com/facts_5558810_himalayan-salt-vs-sea-salt.html

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BTW, my friend just brought up a great question..... can you use salt in your diet if you have high blood pressure??? 

The answer is yes!.... and no! 
Yes, you can have Himalayan salt and no, you cannot have table salt.

See the link below for some amazing articles I found on Google that will explain why!  In a nutshell, it's because table salt is over processed crap made by man which leaves it devoid of all it's minerals and any structure that is healthy for our body whereas Himalayan salt, thankfully, has not been tainted by man and has 84 minerals that are actually good for our bodies, hence, they will not affect blood pressure and actually, some of the articles confirm that it can actually help lower high blood pressure and converserly, higher low blood pressure!  How phenomenal is that!!!!!

Check it out at: http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=1G1ACGW_ENUS423&q=is+himalayan+salt+good+for+high+blood+pressure&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=