For years we have been avoiding salt. Even those of us not suffering from heart disease or any other disease. Because we’ve been told, rather its been beaten into us that excessive salt is bad for health.

But studies are increasingly showing that low-salt diets are not only ineffective in affecting heart health, but are actually hazardous to our overall health.

In 2011, a health study reported in Journal of American Medical Association found that those who ate less salt were the most likely to die from heart disease — five times more likely, in fact, than those with the highest salt intake.

A study published in the journal AMJ Hypertension found that restricting salt can promote diabetes and heart disease.

“In fact, research studies have routinely found that sodium significantly improves insulin function. According to one study, ‘an abundant sodium intake may improve glucose tolerance and insulin resistance, especially in diabetic salt-sensitive, and/or medicated essential hypertensive subjects.’”

According to Dr. W.C. Douglas, a low-salt diet is deadly. He reported in his May 27, 2011 newsletter “Daily Dose” that “one study found that seniors with the lowest salt consumption had the highest risk of bone breaks and early death.”

In the book “Salt Your Way to Health,” David Brownstein, M.D., states: “Researchers studied the relationship between a low sodium diet and cardiovascular mortality. Nearly 3,000 hypertensive subjects were studied. The result of this study was that there was a 430% increase in myocardial infarction (heart attack) in the group with the lowest salt intake versus the group with the highest intake.”

Why? He says that low-sodium diets predispose one to having a heart attack because of multiple nutrient deficiencies of minerals, potassium and B vitamins.

We now have some more data on salt’s actual benefits. A study in the March 3 issue of Cell Metabolism shows that dietary salt helps the body defend against microbes. In other words, it helps with immunity.

Which salt to use? Instead of refined salt from the grocery store, prefer sea salt, which contains 17 minerals. Unrefined natural sea salt is different from common table salt, which is chemically treated and stripped of minerals such as calcium, magnesium and potassium.

Not only does natural sea salt add flavor to your favorite foods, but it can also help with many different health conditions. According to the book “Water & Salt, The Essence of Life” by Barbara Hendel, sea salt has been shown to:

Help reduce your tissue acidity .
Help stabilize irregular heartbeats.
Balance blood sugar levels.
Revitalize nerve cell communication with your brain.
Help with the absorption process in your intestinal tract.
Prevent muscle cramps.

When shopping for sea salt, be sure that it has not been refined or boiled to produce the crystals. The sea salt should be harvested and allowed to dry by evaporation in order to be labeled “natural.”

Also other salts such as Himalayan ‘kala namak’ are healthy choices.

Be Healthy. And Stay Healthy.

How many of you grew up eating grilled cheese sandwiches as a kid, opening that plastic-like cheese out of the plastic it came in with udder delight to get your cheese sandwich fix? Hands raised? You’re not alone. Most all of us love eating grilled cheese sandwiches and likely, those cheese slices we used came out of a Kraft package or generic knock-off. While most of us don’t even qualify that as real cheese now, apparently, the government thinks differently!

Cheese Slice ‘Products’ Get Kids’ Nutrition Seal of Approval

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has actually deemed them as one of the proper sources of calcium for children! They’re now given the “Kids Eat Right label, which is to show consumers what products at the store are healthy for children to eat to get proper nutrients in.

Are you kidding??!!

Here are the ingredients on a Kraft cheese singles label: cheddar cheese (milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes), whey, water, protein concentrate, milk, sodium citrate, calcium phosphate, milkfat, gelatin, salt, sodium phosphate, lactic acid as a preservative, annatto and paprika extract (color), enzymes, Vitamin A palmitate, cheese culture, Vitamin D3.

Any food with that number of ingredients should not be deemed a food, especially when it contains dairy lactose, known to cause allergic reactions in many people, and milk in any form which poses tons of health risks including mood swings, hormonal changes, and even cancer.

But this comes as no surprise – one of the largest supporters of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is … you guessed it – the dairy industry. They’re a large reason why these ‘products’ are still recommended to children everywhere. While it may be a simple trade of the food industry, it’s misleading and downright wrong to let organizations influence such labels on highly processed foods like commercial cheese products.

Probably the worst breakfast a child could have – burst of sugar calories plus additives in the orange drink, and whole lot of carbohydrates providing another sugar burst in the bread and several chemicals in the cheese slices. What a way to start the day! Even worse if its fat-free, it contains an extra dose of undesirable additives!

Let’s start shopping in the produce section instead of selecting food you have to unwrap out of a piece of plastic that feels like rubber, shall we?

Be Informed. Stay Healthy.