Is 'Low Salt' a Lie? You Should Actually Be Consuming Salt!

In hospitals and in society, it is common knowledge to 'be careful about consuming too much salt.'
Yetthere are doctors who say, 'You can't live a long life unless you consume more salt.' Huh? Is salt back on the menu? Yay!!

However, the only salt you should be consumingmore and more of is natural salt.So-called
refined salts (such as table salt or cooking salt) are no good, so please be careful.

▼ Why you absolutely must consume salt

Salt ismade of minerals necessary for our bodies.
Minerals include calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, iron, zinc, copper, and so on.

Mineralsinteract with each other. Therefore,consuming a large amount of just one of them will disrupt the balance and actually be dangerous. What is important isbalance. Not quantity.

Sea salt, which has an excellent composition ratio of minerals, has long been an importantsource of mineral replenishment for the Japanese people.
When the mineral balance is disrupted, itcauses poor physical condition, loss of motivation, irritability, and a decline in metabolism. This can becomea factor in various illnesses.

▼ Salt you want to stop consuming

I have been praising salt, butthere is also 'bad salt' that disrupts mineral balance and leads to poor physical conditionbad salt. That isrefined salt. It is
the inexpensive 'table salt' or 'cooking salt' generally found in supermarkets. Sweets, dining out, and takeout foodalmost exclusively use refined salt.

The problem with refined salt isits poor mineral balance. After all,it is made by purifying sodium chloride (the salty component) to over 99% purity. It is anindustrial product created for mass production byartificially destroying the mineral balance of seawater. It is just salty, andfar from natural salt.

That is whywhen it comes to refined salt, people are told to 'be careful about consuming too much salt.'
If anything, it makes you want to avoid consuming it.

▼ The salt you should actively consume is natural salt

What you should consume as a source of mineral replenishment isnatural salt. Among them, sea salt makes the most of an exquisite mineral balance.It is characterized by a taste that is not too salty.

I usenatural salt'Umi no Sei', and ithas a mellow mouthfeel and I can even sense a faint sweetness. This is apparentlythe original taste created by a mixture of various minerals. Just sprinkling 'Umi no Sei' on a vegetable salad makes it incredibly delicious. It is completely different from the refined salt I used before.
Even though it looks like the same white powder, it feels like a lie.

The side dishes in the top photo are also simple, withthe seasoning being almost entirely just salt.
No, really, it is delicious that way.
Because it brings out the flavor of the ingredients, the umami is actually highlighted.

With this natural salt, you do not need to worry about your intake. This is because if you consume too much, you will get thirsty and want to rehydrate. You can just leave it to natural excretion.

▼ Choose natural salt by looking at the label on the back of the package

What you should pay attention to on the back label is themanufacturing method. Looking at this will give you an idea of what is natural salt.The manufacturing methods for natural salt are described as 'sun-dried' or 'flat kettle'.

<Notation of manufacturing method>
◎ 'Ion-exchange membrane', 'Standing kettle'
This is refined salt. It is refined in a factory and the mineral balance is disrupted.
◎ 'Dissolved'
If this label is present, it is recycled natural salt made by dissolving overseas sun-dried salt and adding bittern.
◎ 'Sun-dried', 'Flat kettle'
The most reliable manufacturing method for natural salt.

▼ It is just salt, but it is more than just salt

This article is a summary of information extracted from the books'You Won't Get Sick If You Change Your Water and Salt' and 'Amazing Salt: You Can Live Longer and Cooking Becomes Delicious!'. After reading these two books and other books related to salt, Icompletely stopped using refined salt and reducing salt intake.

Now, my cooking is simple and delicious, my health checkup numbers are praised, and I do not catch colds. It is so simple that I almost want to laugh that just changing the salt makes life richer
(I felt the same way when I changed the hot water).

Even though we say 'natural salt' in one word,there is still a lot of depth, such as differences in nutrition and taste depending on the production area.
In the future, I would like to continue writing articles about salt, such asthe difference between rock salt and sea saltand whydomestic products are good.

★ 'Umi no Sei' and a list of natural salts recommended in the books
(This is just a small fraction of 'natural salt', so use it as a reference)

★ Two books referenced in creating this article
Both can be read in less than an hour, but they arepacked with useful content and are recommended!

↑ Written by Takuji Shirasawa, Chairman of the Japan Functional Diet Association (former Professor, Department of Aging Control Medicine, Juntendo University Graduate School)

↑ Written by Hiromi Shinya, Professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Visiting Professor (Researcher) at Kitasato University

＊ The illustrations in the text are works created by koga from 'Illustration AC'.