Is Unrefined Sea Salt Good For You?
Regular table salt comes from salt mines, is purified and often has iodine added, which has successfully wiped out iodine deficiency disorders that were more common in the early 20th century. Unrefined sea salts are made from ocean water and contain a minuscule amount of minerals that add flavor (and sometimes color) to the salt. Some people claim that unrefined sea salts are good for you and should not be restricted from your diet, but there is no scientific evidence to back these claims. You can choose sea salt for the flavor, but don't expect any other health benefits.Your body needs some sodium so you don't want to eliminate all sodium from your diet (that would be almost impossible, anyway). Most people only need to keep sodium consumption under 2400 milligrams (or less if your doctor says so). Here are some ways to cut sodium:
- Read food labels and choose foods that are low in sodium.
- Choose fresh or frozen vegetables rather than canned.
- Avoid lunch meats and cured meats.
- Buy unsalted nuts and snacks.
- Eliminate salt from your recipes.
- If you choose canned vegetable or legumes, rinse them thoroughly with water.
- Try salt substitutes made with potassium instead of sodium.
- Experiment with herbs and spices instead of table salt.
Your Assignments This Week
So this week you're going to reduce your sodium intake. If you've been following all of the previous lessons, you have probably cut back your sodium intake automatically since most highly processed foods are also high in sugar and unhealthy fats.
Take a look at the foods in your kitchen. Read the labels on the canned, frozen and packaged foods. For this week's assignment, I want you to reduce the amount of sodium in your diet. Choose a goal this week that works for you. Here are two examples:
I will buy low-sodium foods when I shop at the grocery store this week.
I will experiment with one new herb or spice this week. Or two. Or three.
Shaking the Salt Quiz
Think you got it all down? Take this quiz to make sure.
Related Reading
Here are some articles to help keep you motivated and learning.
What Are Processed Foods?
Learn To Read Food Labels
Sodium In the Diet
Sodium Blood Test
DASH Diet
Week 7 and Beyond
This is the final part of the e-course, but as long as you keep in mind all of the previous lessons, you'll have the tools to keep eating healthy foods. Here are a few articles that will help keep the dietary part of your lifestyle healthy:
Healthy Foods Instead of a Diet
How to Know When a Recipe is Healthy
Finding Healthy Foods in a Grocery Store
Watch Portion Size at Meal Time
Sources:
Dietary Guidelines for Americans
Gropper SS, Smith JL, Groff JL. "Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism." Fourth Edition. Belmont, CA. Wadsworth Pub Co. 2005.
American Heart Association. "Sodium."
