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Salt! More or less?

Salt! More or less?

Hitting Cancer Below the Belt (HCB2) has considered salt an important component of our healing belly basket since the program’s inception in 2016. Full of minerals and electrolytes, salt helps our muscles move, helps our nerves function, keeps our body fluids balanced, and so much more! We strongly recommend unrefined salt over the highly processed white table salt as it is heavily refined. In contrast, unrefined sea salt, celtic salt and pink salt offer not only sodium and chloride (i.e. salt), but several other electrolytes and minerals, including trace amounts of magnesium that is critical to optimal bodily function.

The recommendation to smartly add salt, and not less, may seem contradictory to conventional dietary guidelines, but we are not alone in this recommendation. Researchers like Dr. James DiNicolantonio of Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute, suggests in his book, The Salt Fix, that quality salt intake is essential to the management and prevention of disease, including heart disease!

The body’s need for salt is likely to vary from person to person as well as day to day. You may need more or less depending on certain health conditions, level of physical activity, and salt intake from foods. For instance, experiencing chronic stress or participating in a moderate/intense exercise program can create a need for additional unrefined salt in your diet. Listen to your body and don’t hesitate to do the research for yourself.

We are not encouraging readers to add salt with reckless abandon, especially in its inferior form as table salt. We strongly suggest refraining from consuming heavily processed fast and packaged foods that are often loaded with refined salt and include other low-quality additives such as refined sugars. HCB2 advocates for the consumption of real, whole foods including healthy fats, clean fruits and vegetables, clean proteins, along with unrefined salt.

Feel free to check out the HCB2 Fight Right Anti-Inflammatory Grocery List for more information on eating in ways that can help reduce the burden on our bodies. You will find some suggestions for unrefined salt included on the list. So push away that table salt shaker and discover other ways to give your meal a salty sprinkle. Your body will thank you!