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I just came back from a trip from Colombia in south america. There i went to see a tribe of indians called the Koguis, which are known to be one of the few indigineous tribes who have kept their traditions intact and resisted the influence of colonization. They have been able to do this thanks to the protection of the environment they live in, a 15000ft densely forested mountain.
One striking thing about their practice is their belief on salt. They do not touch the stuff. In fact, they believe that salt pollutes your body system and prevents you from accessing your higher abilities. Intrigued by this i did some research on the internet and found the following article backing this belief;
http://www.yogamag.net/archives/1981/8aug81/sal…
What does the community here think of this? Is there anyone out there who avoids the use of salt? Could we be poisoning ourselves unknowingly?
Thanks!
-D
Comments
I;ve heard of salt being poisonous for our bodies as well few months ago. Despite this however, I never really liked the stuff and the article I read about it made me harshly against it. I wish I can find the article again as I don’t remember all the details. But I DO know for a fact that SOME salt is good for the body and that it is best if we consume our daily recommended amount (one teaspoon I think?) by consuming whole foods. Some veggies that have a general amount of sodium in them include celery, tomatoes (fruit), leafy greens, brocoli, olives, root vegetables, etc. As you can see, raw vegans don’t have to worry about getting enough salt in thier diets if we consume enough of these fruits and vegetables.
As mentioned, I personally never use any salt but if a recipe calls for it, I might use a drop or two of tamari in place of it, if I feel it is aplicable.
Oh, a couple downsides to salt is that it blocks the taste buds which covers the flavours of foods. Thats why, for example, if a regular McDonalds eater tries a typical raw vegan dish for the first time, they will most likely find it tasteless!! But if this McD lover slowly transitions to raw, and raw foods naturally has MUCH less salt then the SAD diet, thier taste buds will begin to be unblocked and they will notice the delicious flavours of raw foods!!! Of course, this is a minor con of salt, there are MUCH more harm that it can bring to the body involving blood, shrivelling body cells, etc. Sorry for not knowing the details of these bigger issues. Try googling for some information. I’m sure you can find a ton of info. And remember, too much of anything is not good!!!
Raw Rocks!
In large amounts, salt can be extremely toxic. I avoid pure salt and just use seaweeds. Dulse granules are my favorite because they add so much flavor and just the right amount of saltiness. Eat those sea veggies!!
V
Salt, even sea salt, is an inorganic mineral which your body cannot utilize any better than it can heavy metals contaminating water. There is a difference between iron from a pipe and organic iron. It’s the same with salt. If it hasn’t been processed through a plant than it can’t be utilized by our bodies. Like the article said, all it will do is get stored away in your joints and tissues. One stick of celery, or a serving of sea veggies gives you all the (organic) sodium that you need for the day :-D I know many people enjoy using salt in their foods, but I find a little bit of kelp salt will do the trick just as well.
It one wants to transition away from salt you can dry some fresh celery. Cut it in small pieces and then grind it carefully not to overheat it. Use the powder to season meals. Celery is high in organic salt and will make an appreciable taste difference to foods.
Sea salt&salt-inorganic mineral.Human body can’t utilize it&salt starts to concentate in your joints and tissues, also it damages your kidneys, heart, skin&all your body.In veggies,fruits,nuts,especially in celery,dill,green onion&parsley is enough of salt.It takes time to get rid of this bad habit to add salt-but if you get rid of it you’ll feel a big difference!Your health will be much better:)!If you wanna be young&healthy-avoid salt;)
Thank you!
I have stopped using salt for a week and no longer miss it that much. I am starting to appreciate the real taste of food. It really makes sense to me now not to use salt, which makes me wonder, how did we get to the point to adding salt to almost everything we eat? Have we gone mad in the world?
Also, as kids we are by nature very flexible and supple yet when we grow into adulthood we become stiff and inflexible. Our sedentary lifestyle probably has to do much with it, but i wonder if the junk we eat, including salt, helps us become inflexible and stiff.
all minerals are inorganic…
what about this Himalayan Sea Salt? it is suppossed to be very good for you? What have you all heard?
I definitely feel better without any salt in my diet. I gave it up after reading something that Dr. Graham wrote that makes a lot of sense. He said that if you can’t make a meal out of it by simply sitting down and eating a bowlfull of it, you shouldn’t put it in your body. He also said that if you wouldn’t give it to a baby, you shouldn’t put it in your body.
I do think that salt and spices are very helpful in recipes when you first go raw. They help replicate the tastes and sensations of cooked food and help us feel less deprived. Not feeling deprived is extremely important to staying raw successfully.
However, if you are moving past the transition stage are looking to optimize your health, giving up salt is better for your body. We get sodium naturally, in a form that our bodies can use and assimilate in fruits and vegetables.
Blessings!!
Audrey
if you eat seaweed that is the same exact thing as eating small amounts of salt. i think in moderation salt is just dandy for your body. im not sure what you guys thing about this, but you will never rid your body of 100% poison. a little bit of salt is ok. just dont make it your diet :)
Ok,now what about salt baths???I’ve done seaweed as well as epsom salts etc..
For food i have pink salt but I must say i will bathe in salts,???any thoughts?Thanks.
Bathing in salt is very good for you, it help remove the toxins from you body and supposed to be good for cellulitis as well. Stay at least 20 minutes in the salt bath for best results.
Epsom salts are magnesium sulfate. ‘Salt’ has different meanings. This thread is talking about sodium chloride which is commonly know as salt or table salt. In chemistry, salt has a different meaning related to a reaction that neutralizes acids and bases … anyway if you want to know more about the chemical reaction that produces a salt, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_(chemistry)
Epsom salts can be used as a drawing agent to draw toxins out of the body. That’s why they are good in the bath, especially if your water is highly chlorinated.
I cut salt out of my diet for about a week and a half, everything was fine, and then all of a sudden this week I’ve been craving salt like crazy. I did try the dehydrated celery thing but it didn’t satisfy my hardcore salt cravings. Oh well…EVENTUALLY I will give up salt. I only add it to my salad dressings and veggie snacks.
Dr, Batmanhelig (The Water Cure) says that the brain is made of salt and water and that some salt should be taken with ample water. It’s a controversial topic. Why do we have taste buds that recognize saltiness if salt is so bad? Why does it preserve meat if it’s so good?
I agree with zack. Seaweed contains seasalt. What’s the difference between eating one or the other?
I use salt very rarely and a very little. I have been doing this since I gone vegetarian.
But if I miss it sometimes, I eat some. I think the best choise is Himalayan crystal salt, because it has some other minerals as well.
Hi truthmatters, this is a bit off topic, but I was interested in your trip. I’m going to Medellin, Colombia in May. This indigenous tribe sounds intriguing, how did you get to visit them? i would be so grateful to learn more details! also how was the raw food scene?
Reading this topic got me curious so i had to go looking for information, lol. In the process I discovered a suggestion that I am trying as we speak. I knew that celery was a high sodium veggie and I knew that it was a form of sodium that is NOT unhealthy at all. The suggestion I came across involves dehydrating celery, grinding it to a powder and using in place of regular table salt. I can’t believe it never occurred to me to try this before! Thanks for the topic!
I think it is bad for you to add salt to food if you are already getting a proper amount from your foods, and there is no reason that you would be sloughing off salt (prescription medications; excessive sweating; smoking; etc). Just like adding sugar to your food is bad for you, but it does different bad things to you.
I’ve never cared to add salt to any of my food, except when I was a little kid, when I would sprinkle some on a bowl of warm water, and pretend it was soup.
But then, we should be getting it from our foods, I think.
I get very low blood pressure and need to add extra salt to my diet or I will pass out. Eating enough salt and getting enough water keeps my blood volume up.
I’ve seen several alternative health experts say that most people don’t get ENOUGH salt and that it has been demonized. Celtic sea salt and pink salt are said to be very good for the body.
My opinion is that raw foodists don’t get enough salt in general and that’s why they sometimes feel low or tired, caused by low blood volume and low blood pressure. But there’s no one size fits all.
Very informative post. Thanks to everyone for contributing – i’ve learned a lot! I’m going to start thinking about salt alternatives, as I overuse it.
I’ve learned a lot in this thread, too. I was adding sea salt to just about everything, after seeing it in many of the recipes. I think I’ll lay off the salt for a week and see how I feel.