What are the misconceptions we know about salt, which is one of the keys to a healthy life when consumed in sufficient quantities?
Most of this information about salt, one of the nutrients that we cannot miss on our table but about which we perhaps have the least information, is based on unscientific and intimidating rumors.
WRONG: Salt disrupts the balance in the body.
FACT: Salt regulates the body's overall alkaline-acid balance by reducing acid accumulation in the cells. In other words, it ensures that the pH level in the body is balanced. The increase in acidity in the blood leads to many diseases, from deterioration of the immune system to kidney disease and Alzheimer's disease. The ideal source of nutrients that balances the pH of the blood is salt.
WRONG: Iodized salt is not very important for the health of children and adults.
FACT: Iodine, which is an extremely important element for growth and development as well as hormone production, must be obtained from food because the body cannot produce it. Iodine deficiency leads to miscarriages and premature births in pregnant women and mental retardation, deafness, short stature and many other diseases in babies. Iodine deficiency is considered the leading cause of preventable mental retardation and brain damage worldwide. According to research, 40 million children are at risk of mental retardation every year because their mothers don't get enough iodine in their diet. It is known that one of the reasons for the mental retardation observed in some parts of Turkey is iodine deficiency. To compensate for this deficiency, it is recommended to use iodized table salt as a source of iodine in meals.
WRONG: It is not necessary to consume external salt. We can also get the salt we need from other foods.
FACT: Medical authorities say that every need of the body must be met from its true source. Just as calcium and protein from meat and dairy products are not substituted, or coffee and tea are not substitutes for water, the minerals that would otherwise be obtained from the salt itself cannot be absorbed from any other food.
FALSE: Salt is a nutrient that should be consumed sparingly.
FACT: According to the results of the PURE study, which was conducted in 18 countries, including Turkey, and whose results were published in the prestigious medical journal New England Journal of Medicine, low salt consumption leads to some health risks. Consuming less than 3 grams of salt per day increases the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.
WRONG: Eliminate salt from your diet to ensure good sleep.
FACT: Salt maintains the body's moisture balance. Therefore, it has effects that improve sleep quality. Since salt also increases the release of serotonin and melatonin hormones that combat stress, we feel calmer during the day and sleep much deeper and better at night.
WRONG: Consuming more than 5 grams of salt daily is harmful to your health.
FACT: Every person has a different metabolism. The speed at which people sweat and thus lose salt also varies accordingly. For example, the amount of salt that someone who works out at the gym and someone who does desk work sweat and excrete from their body is not the same. Therefore, the amount of salt that each person needs daily varies in direct proportion to living conditions.
