Use of Seasalt

[Kskline]

What is the consensus in the use of seasalt. I know there are so many articles about why we shouldn't and why we should. Personally, I have really tried to limit my salt use, but I like it on meat. It's hard to give up. And if you eat cheese, I have heard that cheese really has a lot of salt.

Kim

[Nancy LC]

Personally, I think salt is fine. Especially after reading Taubes' new book. Cheese definitely not paleo though. I read somewhere that the Inuit cooked stuff in sea water.

[kallyn]

I think sea salt is fine, too. I figure it's got trace minerals in it, and the hubby and I both have low sodium levels and low blood pressure so I don't sweat it.

Nancy, the Inuit (at least the ones that Stefansson hung out with) didn't use salt at all. See this interesting article: http://ironguru.com/Home/tabid/637/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/238/Adventures-in-Diet.aspx

Although Stephen Phinney says that they made soup with brackish water and that they added caribou blood to their food when they hunted inland, and he argues for adequate sodium intake on a ketogenic diet here: http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/1/1/2

It's always more complicated than you want it to be!

[Kskline]

I guess I'll keep on using my little bit of salt. Does anyone take a potassium supplement?

[Nancy LC]

Frankly, I think the salt/bp hypothesis is bunk. Salt will raise your bp by a very, very small amount. But that is all. Carbohydrates raise your BP in a variety of ways.

I don't take potassium supplements because you'd have to take half a bottle to get anywhere near the RDA. You should be getting plenty from food, providing you eat a varied diet. The only time I'd consider it was if I were getting leg cramps and then I'd just use some Nu-salt instead of supplements, it is more concentrated.

[Mrs. Skip]

A couple of weeks ago my family went to a small museum in Overton, Nevada called the Lost City Museum. It talked about the Anasazi, and there was one information sign that mentioned something like:

"The Anasazi used to hunt animals, and animal meat provides a lot of salt. Once the Anasazi changed to an agricultural lifestyle, they had to mine salt to replace it in their diet, because plant foods have little salt."

And then the display goes on to show the St. Thomas mine where the Anasazi gathered their salt.

Anyway, just thought it was interesting...I wish I had taken a picture of the information, so I could quote it word for word...

But to me, it shows that they learned that salt is important in a diet...if it wasn't, why would they have gone through all that hassle to mine it? Just my speculation...

And IMHO, sea salt is much better for you than the chemical laden, processed, additive-ridden stuff you buy in the grocery store. (No matter how cute the girl with the umbrella on the package is!) :lol:

[ProteusOne]

I think sea salt is fine, too. I figure it's got trace minerals in it, and the hubby and I both have low sodium levels and low blood pressure so I don't sweat it.
Great pun!

[ProteusOne]

I have an infatuation with kosher salt "flakes." These dissolve so easily and it has a great flavor. I seem to use less of it.

I also like the grayish Celtic Sea salt that you buy still wet with ocean water. Mmmmmm, makes a great spring tonic with ginger, garlic, and black pepper and honey.

[Zuleikaa]

The table salt we buy in the store is not really salt; it is sodium, a component of salt.

Use sea salt or kosher salt; they are real salts.

[karouka]

As Zuleica and Proteus said, opt for some Celtic salt or salt non treated or salt collected by hand with no additives.
Make a google search and you'll be amazed by real salt's virtues and different uses...

[waywardsis]

Since I started using Celtic sea salt, I find I use much less and I don't crave salt like I used to. I'm not trying to limit it or anything, I've just noticed I use less.

Proteus, I'll try that spring tonic! Sounds interesting.

[ProteusOne]

Since I started using Celtic sea salt, I find I use much less and I don't crave salt like I used to. I'm not trying to limit it or anything, I've just noticed I use less.

Proteus, I'll try that spring tonic! Sounds interesting.
Just simmer a couple cups of water with: 1 spring onion, 1 clove garlic, 1/2 inch fresh ginger and some fresh black pepper and sea salt to taste. Simmer for about 20 mins or so. Add a tsp of honey at the end.

You'd think this would make your breath smell bad, but the ginger takes care of that... I like it with a strong bite of black pepper. Opens them nostrils up!

[girlgerms]

A couple of weeks ago my family went to a small museum in Overton, Nevada called the Lost City Museum. It talked about the Anasazi, and there was one information sign that mentioned something like:

"The Anasazi used to hunt animals, and animal meat provides a lot of salt. Once the Anasazi changed to an agricultural lifestyle, they had to mine salt to replace it in their diet, because plant foods have little salt."

And then the display goes on to show the St. Thomas mine where the Anasazi gathered their salt.

Anyway, just thought it was interesting...I wish I had taken a picture of the information, so I could quote it word for word...

But to me, it shows that they learned that salt is important in a diet...if it wasn't, why would they have gone through all that hassle to mine it? Just my speculation...

And IMHO, sea salt is much better for you than the chemical laden, processed, additive-ridden stuff you buy in the grocery store. (No matter how cute the girl with the umbrella on the package is!) :lol:



I'm guessing salt was important for preserving their food since they would not have had refrigeration.

[PlaneCrazy]

Um, table salt is sodium chloride. The stuff you buy with the little girl on it is sodium chloride with some other stuff added to keep it from clumping together in excess humidity, and iodine which is important for our health. Now, I've used kosher (no iodine, just sodium chloride) salt for years. It too has a little girl on the package. Like vinegar, at it's basics, salt is salt. The types are just variations on a theme, in other words, have all kinds of other chemicals in them. Some of these are quite "natural" chemicals, or at least naturally occurring chemicals.

If your source of sea salt is trusted, then by all means, take advantage of the additional flavor that these other chemicals add. I'm also a little hesitant to use some salts since I have no idea what other chemicals are there. Are there traces of heavy metals? Other metals or salts that aren't so good for us? I'm not sure. So, I stick to the chemistry I know, sodium chloride, and don't worry too much about the others I don't.

Just my $0.02 worth.

Plane

[ProteusOne]

Good point, Plane. I often worry about those heavy metals, particualrly the insidious ones found in sea water - mercury, lead, cadmium, etc. The Celtic Sea salt is supposed to be checked for these sorts of things, unless it's the China brand of Celtic sea salt, perhaps...

[kallyn]

The Celtic Sea salt is supposed to be checked for these sorts of things, unless it's the China brand of Celtic sea salt, perhaps...

That's why I buy grey salt harvested from France.

I use kosher salt a lot, too. It depends on how lazy I am being, since I have to grind the grey salt before I can use it.

[waywardsis]

Kallyn, I have yet to find a grinder I like for the purpose. Any recommendations?

[ProteusOne]

That's why I buy grey salt harvested from France.

I use kosher salt a lot, too. It depends on how lazy I am being, since I have to grind the grey salt before I can use it.
I was kind of saying that tongue-in-cheek... given the recent Chinese import epiphanies...

I think I may have the same brand of sea salt you're talking about. Mine's from France, anyway. --Hand harvested, unprocessed, certified, moist whole salt with over 80 minerals. I think I prefer the flakey kosher stuff, though. Unless I'm making that tonic.

[PlaneCrazy]

As for grinders, a good pepper grinder will work just as well for chunky salt. I love my OXO pepper grinder. It's not as beautiful as a fancy wood one, but it works very well (as OXO products tend to do). I keep it in a little shallow glass dish next to the stove with my kosher salt for cooking. You could do the same for your other kinds of salts. Another advantage of the OXO grinder is that the side is clear so you can see what's inside, which would be useful if you are using it for something other than pepper.

In no way did I intend to say that sea salt is inherently bad for you, I was just trying to point out that not all "natural" things are good for you, and some things just come down to chemistry, like salt. What makes them interesting is when basic chemistry is added to. That's what makes specialty salts, like the French gray salt or Hawaiian pink salt, have unique properties. Just be aware that just because it comes from the sea doesn't mean it doesn't have pollutants. Just make sure you're using trusted, and tested, sources.

Plane

[kallyn]

Kallyn, I have yet to find a grinder I like for the purpose. Any recommendations?

My salt is very moist, so I can't put it in a pepper grinder. I usually do it in a coffee grinder, then keep the resulting fine salt in a tiny little bowl that sits out on the counter. After sitting out for a day, the moisture evaporates and it gets hard and crusty and I have to break it up, but after that it's fine. So...I don't really have the best system. :p


I was kind of saying that tongue-in-cheek... given the recent Chinese import epiphanies...

I think I may have the same brand of sea salt you're talking about. Mine's from France, anyway. --Hand harvested, unprocessed, certified, moist whole salt with over 80 minerals. I think I prefer the flakey kosher stuff, though. Unless I'm making that tonic.

I thought you were joking a little, but I figured with all the recent Chinese "organics" being imported that it's better to be safe than sorry! I do think we use the same salt. I've never heard of anything like your tonic before! Where did you find that recipe?

[chewtoy45]

I just bought Himalayan Crystal Salt (not from this vendor), and you can check it out here:

http://www.mercola.com/forms/salt.htm

[ProteusOne]

I've never heard of anything like your tonic before! Where did you find that recipe?
A really good Chinese medicine book that my ex-mother-in-law has. I'll ask her the name of it.

[Quoldrix]

Kallyn, I have yet to find a grinder I like for the purpose. Any recommendations?


You need to use a grinder with ceramic blades otherwise you will end up with a rusty mess.

Here is one source: http://www.celticseasalt.com/

[PlaneCrazy]

You can also use a morter and pestle. Talk about old school! :)

I have a ceramic one originally meant for chemistry labs I bought new at a flea market some years ago. (they were selling all kinds of odds and ends including some funky lab equipment still in the original dusty boxes) You could also use one of the alabaster or marble ones that have become so common in home goods stores. They're usually from Pakistan or Taiwan but work quite well. Get one with tall sides.

I use mine for fresh grinding coriander seeds. It's not the greatest for spice grinding, it tends to leave larger chunks, but it functions well enough. One of these days I'm getting a coffee grinder just for grinding spices. But if the salt will not be good for steel blades, and unless you clean it well between uses I can see why it wouldn't be good, then use a m and p.

Plane

[oakdryad]

I use mine for fresh grinding coriander seeds. It's not the greatest for spice grinding, it tends to leave larger chunks, but it functions well enough. One of these days I'm getting a coffee grinder just for grinding spices. But if the salt will not be good for steel blades, and unless you clean it well between uses I can see why it wouldn't be good, then use a m and p.

I have a KitchenAid coffee grinder which has a removable bowl that goes into the dishwasher! LOVE IT! It's made using my coffee grinder for grinding flax seed, spices, etc. so much easier and better.

I use Himalaya crystal salt. I love the taste, and I don't need so much of it. I also use Fleur de Sel sometimes...that stuff is Da Bomb. :yum: The first harvesting of sea salt, with soft, flaky crystals that just dissolve on contact with the food. :D

[ProteusOne]

I also use Fleur de Sel sometimes...that stuff is Da Bomb.
I second that, great stuff!

[frankly]

I like theBear's thoughts on seasalt:
Salt is a simple chemical, sodium chloride, a mineral substance mined from where it has been deposited from weathered rocks or pools of seawater. It can be found contaminated with a wide variety of additional compounds, depending on the source it is derived from. Some kinds may also be toxic- as well as unhealthful, as is pure salt in all its forms. Human commerce in salt began with the use of vegetation as a major item of human food. Only herbivorous animals will seek out and consume salt- because sodium is lacking in all terrestrial plant tissues. Carnivores do not need any salt. Your taste for salt on meat is learned behaviour only.

[ProteusOne]

Where is this "theBear"? If it exists, may lightning strike me down!

:D

[frankly]

theBear had a many good posts in regards to NaCl, I should have quoted where on the forums that one came from ( http://forum.lowcarber.org/showpost.php?p=6016098&postcount=95 )
While we're at it, this one was also good. <click here> (http://forum.lowcarber.org/showpost.php?p=6015944&postcount=93)
Regardless of whether the man still posts on lowcarber.org, we still have the thread (http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=287013) to speak for him.

[kallyn]

Frankly, I don't take a single word that theBear uttered as fact. I can respect that perhaps he had some well-formed opinions that pertained to his own experiences, but he constantly talked in pseudo-scientific babble and refused to address anybody who refuted his claims with actual verifiable scientific facts (for instance, he made claims about dentition which were categorically untrue, and easily falsifiable since we have lots and lots of pictures of various dentitions of different primates with different diets).

[Nancy LC]

Total agreement with Kallyn. I guess every one with a forceful personality and opinions gets a following though. Just look at Ancel Keys!

[Heidihi]

I am so embarassed ...I did not realize this thread was here and started another one about salt I am so sorry bad manners !!! there is such great info here

I do not have the best social skills in person either I am sorry I just barge in and need to pay better attention!

[frankly]

Hi Kallyn,

I read a few of the dentition discussions in the thread. They mostly seem to lead here (http://forum.lowcarber.org/showpost.php?p=6000536&postcount=584). I'm not sure which of his claims you're saying we're categorically untrue, but I'd be interested in knowing what you felt was most contentious.

Cheers.