To Salt or Not to Salt

So I am almost 100% positive that all of you reading this have heard the common misconception that consuming salt will lead to high blood pressure, even chronic high blood pressure, hypertension, and so on..

What if I were to tell you that yet again.. We have been lied to.

It's not surprising at this point that such a subject regarding our health has been and is still being, manipulated.

Salt is not our enemy.

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Let's get a few things straight here:

We as human beings are essentially salty people.

We cry salt, we sweat salt, and the cells in our bodies are encased in salty fluids.

Without salt we would not be able to live. It is imperative for healthy digestion, cell-to-cell communication, bone formation and strength, as well as the PREVENTION of dehydration.

Sodium is also important for reproduction, the proper functioning of cells and muscles, and the optimal transmission of nerve impulses to and from organs such as the heart and brain.

"Without an adequate sodium intake, our blood volume goes down, which could lead to the shutting down of certain organs, such as the brain and kidneys." ( Dr. James DiNcolantonio in 'The Salt Fix', page 15)

I don't know about you, but the past 13 years I have been feeling drained. No matter how much sleep I would get, no matter how much water would I drink or whole foods I would eat.. I would still feel sluggish. I can't even count the amount of times where I have gotten up too fast and would either get dizzy and light-headed (I've even fainted a few times), or I would see stars.

Do you know why?

Iodine and sodium deficiency.

It also did not help that I went vegan for 3 years starting my senior year of high school. Now, don't get me wrong; The alkaline diet has so many amazing benefits for our overall health, BUT it is not sustainable long-term. I felt amazing my first year of veganism but after that, those feelings of greatness soon started to subside.

Not only did I start to get immense stomach pains after eating (too much fiber/carbs) , but I also became even more chronically tired.

That is when I made the conscious decision to put my pride aside and listen to my body. I switched from a vegan diet to the pescatarian diet and boy did I start to feel a difference.

Fast track two more years and I am eating meat again.

It was a reality shattering experience to realize I had been basically devolving my body and depriving it of essential minerals that entire time. In my own little world, I genuinely thought I was doing something beneficial for not only myself, but the environment and animals as well.

My point is.. There are important minerals (including salt) in animal tissue, animal muscle, skin, blood, and bone marrow.

I was causing my body to go into semi-internal starvation mode (a common side effect of a low salt diet).

That being said, I have to give thanks to a friend of mine who talked some sense into me. I have had plenty of people in my life tell me that I was depriving myself but honestly.. Would you listen to your friends and family when you're passionately yet naively set on something? Or would you listen to a Navy SEAL who has the educational background and life experience to tell you exactly what you don't want to hear? I remember one time he asked me if I wanted to take a few of his supplements and when I asked what they were he told me they were animal organs. At that point I really had no idea that supplementing animal organs was even a thing.

I was left to reflect upon a few key things I had learned and became more open-minded to eating meat again. Soon after, a different friend of mine gifted me a book titled 'The Salt Fix' by Dr. James DiNicolantonio.

And I'll tell you this right now...

That book ROCKED my world.

On page 25, James wrote "Organs of animals are even higher in salt than meat: just 10 ounces of bison ribs provides 1,500 milligrams of sodium, the same amount in just 13.5 ounces of bison kidney or 2 pounds of bison liver... this doesn't even include the salt that is found in the skin, interstitial fluid, blood, and bone marrow."

I read that and finally understood why organ supplements are not as rare as I had first imagined.

Overall,

Adding more salt to your diet would probably do your body more good than harm.

I myself have started to incorporate salt with my workouts. Normally I consume 1/2 teaspoon of Wildly Salted a half hour before my workouts. It's recommended to take another 1/2 teaspoon for every hour you're working out, especially if you're sweating a lot. What I normally do is add iodized salt to my bcaas.

It's been a little over a month now since I've started consciously incorporating salt to my workout routine and I've definitely started to notice an improvement in my endurance and muscle recovery as well.

To close this out,

Don't guilt trip yourself for adding more salt to your meals. Let yourself enjoy one of nature's oldest and most pleasurable safeguards.

As Dr. DiNicolantonio would say "Break out the saltshaker-for your taste buds AND your health!"