She’s back! Dr. Sarah Ballantyne returns to the Whole View to discuss the truth about salt. Stacy and Dr. Sarah go over the different kinds of salt, what sets them apart, whether or not salt and dangerous, and how much is okay in your daily diet. Join us in exploring the truth about salt!
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Key Takeaways
Introductions
- For those who are new to the Whole View, Dr. Sarah was Stacy co-host for 500 episodes before branching out to pursue different projects. She is a medical biophysicist and mom, and has done award-winning medical research in the area of innate immunity and inflammation.
- She struggled with her weight all throughout her adolescence and adulthood. After losing 100 pounds (twice), she turned to paleo in 2011 after reading the health benefits. After doing a massive amount of research Dr. Sarah-style, she decided to it for 30 days. Many of her symptoms of IBS, acid reflux, migraines, eczema, and more disappeared within that first month. So, she dove head first into paleo.
- Over the years, her metric for measuring health has evolved, and she no longer looks at the number on her scale as a determiner of health or value. She’s currently working on research for her new website, nutrivore.com, to help spread the knowledge to others struggling with body image and invisible illness.
The Truth About Salt
- Salt was one of the first commodities exchanged in early civilizations. Before refrigeration, it was an essential preservative and equal in value to gold.
- In 1882, Britain’s Salt Act prohibited Indians from collecting or selling salt, a staple in their diet, which forced Indian citizens to buy the vital mineral from their British rulers. They exercised a monopoly over the manufacture and sale of salt, and charged a heavy salt tax. It wasn’t until 1930 that Gandhi and his supporters defied British policy by making salt from seawater, referred to now as the Salt March.
- Salt is essential to human health. Muscles, nerves, and even our heart need salt. But at the same time, too much salt can harm health.
- A salt consists of the positive ion of a base and the negative ion of an acid, and the neutralization reaction that happens between them. The term salt is also used to refer specifically to common table salt, or sodium chloride.
- What the truth about salt? Our body needs about 1,500 milligrams of it every day. But the average American takes in about 3,400 – 9 out of 10 Americans get too much sodium!
Topics discussed
- Edible and Non Edible salt are minerals and one of a very few rocks commonly eaten by humans. There are different forms of edible salt: unrefined salt, refined salt, table salt or iodized salt. Non-edible salt can be toxic to humans.
- Table salt, Kosher salt, Sea Salt, Celtic Grey Sea Salt (or Sel gris). Fleur de sel/Fiore di cervia, Hawaiian salt, Himalayan salt, flake salt, and smoked salt are all edible salts with varying benefits.
- Curing Salts, Epsom Salt, Barium chloride, Potassium cyanide, sodium nitrate, silver chloride, uranyl nitrate, and cobalt chloride are all inedible salts.
- Iodine is a mineral that is added to table salt and found in a variety of foods. We can get iodine naturally by eating saltwater fish and seafood, kelp and other sea vegetables as well as vegetables grown in soils that contain iodine. Dairy products also provide iodine if the animals graze on plants growing in iodine rich soils.
- Iodine is essential for thyroid hormone synthesis. High iodine intakes are well tolerated by most healthy individuals, but in some people, excess iodine intakes may precipitate hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, goiter, and/or thyroid autoimmunity.
- We do have plans for Sarah to come back to the show, and she shares what she’s been up to since episode 500 over on Patreon!
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Note: Stacy and her guests are not medical professionals. This podcast is for general educational purposes and NOT intended to diagnose, advise, or treat any physical or mental illness. We always recommend you consult a licensed service provider.
