I get quite a few emails from people who are hooked on salt and basically asking if the sea salt is "really that bad.". They're looking for an excuse so they don't have to change.

It's pretty clear that salt is bad for us, and I put together an article here: [www.raw-food-health.net];

Hope it's of some help.

Celtic sea salt is great for a mouthwash.

RusticBohemian Wrote:
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>
> It's pretty clear that salt is bad for us...

Actually according to the World health Organization salt consumption should be reduced to 2,000 mg, not eliminated altogether, this to reduce health problems associated with excessive salt, yet keep benefits of iodized salt.
Iodized salt is in part a WHO initiative to reduce Iodine Deficiency Disordor worldwide. This from WHO:

REDUCING SALT INTAKE IN POPULATIONS
REPORT OF A WHO FORUM AND TECHNICAL MEETING

The role of fortified salt in disease prevention:

Dr Bruno de Benoist
Coordinator, Micronutrient Unit
Department of Nutrition for Health and Development
World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland

"Iodine deficiency is a public health problem in 54 countries and about 1.9 million (should read billion)
people worldwide are at risk because of their insufficient iodine intake. The
most vulnerable groups comprise pregnant women and children. The
consequences of iodine deficiency on brain development during fetal life was
the driving force that led the international public health community with the
support of UN agencies, in particular WHO and UNICEF, to adopt as a goal the
sustained elimination of iodine deficiency.
Iodine is an essential element that cannot be synthesized by the body and
therefore food products, such as seafood, are the only available source. The
iodine content of food depends on the quantity of iodine available in soils; their
degradation due to erosion associated with overgrazing by livestock and treecutting
result in iodine losses and consequently foods growing in those soils are
poor in iodine.
Iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) are the consequences of hypothyroidism and
this term is used to encompass all the adverse effects of iodine deficiency
including not only goitre but also brain damage, poor pregnancy outcomes and
impaired cognitive and physical development. The recommended indicator of
iodine status is urinary iodine (UI) excretion which reflects recent iodine intake.
Iodine deficiency is categorized into different levels of severity ranging from
insufficient (UI median < 20 ìg/l) to excessive (UI median > 300 ìg/l).
In an analysis of data collected in 2003, WHO estimated that the WHO Regions
of the Americas and the Western Pacific had the lowest proportion of population
with insufficient iodine intake (9.8 % and 24.0%, respectively). In the other
WHO regions, the figures were 56.9% (Europe), 54.1% (Eastern
Mediterranean), 42.6% (Africa) and 39.8% (South-East Asia) (WHO, 2004).
Two different approaches are currently used to control IDD: iodine
supplementation using a slow-release preparation such as iodized oil
administered orally once a year (1 dose of iodized oil given once a year to a
specific group at risk – children and pregnant women); and iodine fortification of
foods, usually salt. The strategy recommended by WHO to eliminate iodine
deficiency is universal salt iodization. Supplementation is currently restricted to
populations living in areas of severe deficiency or who are difficult to reach, and
for specific groups such as pregnant women and young children where iodized
salt coverage is not sufficient. Salt was recommended as the preferred vehicle
for iodine fortification because it is widely consumed in a constant amount, its
production is generally centralized and therefore easy to monitor, its sensorial
characteristics are not affected by iodization, and the intervention can be
implemented at a reasonable cost (WHO, 2004).
In order to be effective and sustainable, the main components of a national IDD
control programme should include political commitment, an operational
monitoring of iodized salt quality and iodine status, and mechanisms to promote
partnership.
Between 1990 and 2003, the proportion of households consuming iodized salt
increased from 10–66%. As a result, WHO estimated that in 2003, the number
of countries with IDD as a public health problem decreased from 110 to 54.
Furthermore, in 2006, 15 countries have reached the goal of sustainable
elimination of IDD.
When attempting to reduce the salt intake by populations, the issue of salt
iodization must be taken into consideration. A comprehensive strategy that
effectively encompasses both public health problems must be developed.

[www.who.int] page 14

Additionally, numerous countries worldwide have set adequate intake levels
for sodium. In Australia and New Zealand the adequate intake for adults for
sodium was set at 460–920 mg/day (20–40 mmol/day) to ensure that basic
nutritional requirements are met and to allow for adequate intakes of other
nutrients (Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand, 2005).

p.28



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/02/2009 12:09AM by loeve.

Where is the evidence that salt in moderation is bad.

I'm inclined to think it's probably not necessary if you find sufficient dietary sources of sodium & iodine but it's a stretch to say ANY salt consumption is unhealthy.