Healthy Food

Iodized salt – Is it really Healthy?

By ethnichealth

Posted on January 8, 2013

Nowadays people are more interested to use Iodized salt in food… everybody believes that this is essential and beneficial to their health…

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Here we are going to discuss whether iodized salt is really necessary or not.

India government initiated iodized salt implementation throughout the country in the early 1990s which has been a successful initiative and now everybody is using it. Government PR machines have propagated beyond a grain of doubt that iodine is really necessary for our thyroid growth function.

But the truth is that Iodine is available possibly everywhere; in foods like fish, beans, grams, egg, bread, malt, milk, etc. In coastal areas iodine ions are present even in the atmosphere.

Our required daily intake of iodine is only 150mg. Then what is the necessity of unwanted implementation of iodized salt intake. Does this cause any side effects?

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In high-altitude regions and on top of hills, the availability of fish and milk will be low, and the atmosphere may not contain enough amount of iodine. In this situation, iodine supplementation through foods or as iodized salt may be beneficial

The explanation given by our government is that excess iodine in our body will be eliminated with the urine by the kidneys. This is true. But a continuous filtration of iodine molecules for a long time can possibly damage the kidneys, and no clarifications are given by the relevant medical authorities yet.

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But the rock salt which is used in many countries and in India has many beneficial effects.

Rock salt is a natural salt which is not processed. It is superior to table salt because of its high quantities of minerals and also lack of chemicals and additives. However, it is coarse to touch and does not mix with food as easily as table salt which has restricted the popularity of rock salt in our kitchens.

Since the beginning of times, humans have found more than 14,000 different uses for rock salt. For every period in our history, salt has had different important values and such values have been evolving to this day.

In each historical period, humans found a new use for rock salt which contributed to increasing their life quality.

And salt still remains as important in our life as it was before.

In this article we will talk about some curiosities surrounding the vital importance of salt in human and animal life and some of the benefits that salt produces in our body.

For example, did you know that salt is a main factor for excess saliva in our mouth? When an animal has saliva in excess quantities, this is the symptom of lack of salt. Another really important function of salt in the human body is maintaining the normal pH of blood. Salt also helps in muscular mobility. Our body needs salt in order for it to adjust its water pressure inside and outside the cells.

27% of our body salt is located in our bones, and that’s where the body takes it from whenever it needs to.

Salt is also considered a main anti-stress compound for our body. There are many anti-depressive therapies that use salt in order to preserve the serotonin and melatonin levels in the brain.

Many doctors affirm that salt is also an important factor in cancer prevention. That is because cancer cells cannot live in an oxygenated atmosphere. Salt also aids in the movement of blood, keeps the body oxygenated. It also helps patients with illnesses like diabetes, because salt regulates the sugar levels in our body.

Furthermore…

Problems arise when we abuse salt consumption. Normally a person consumes around 9g of salt each day. A normal adult should not consume more than 6g of salt a day.

If we are judicious about the consumption of salt, aware of its need in our body, and do not abuse it, salt can be really useful in our life.

Health Benefits of Rock Salt

Good quality rock salt can be obtained from certain places. This has many health benefits and also helps in treating many disorders. The following are some health benefits of rock salt:

Oxygen flow can be improved by burning the rock salt candles or lamps. Lamps of rock salt release negative free ions that trigger the oxygen flow.
Oxygen flow also improves the mood and is useful in treating the seasonal affective disorder.
Colored smoke released by the rock salt lamps helps in the relaxation. This also helps in managing and treating stress.
Rock salt stimulates digestion and also improves appetite.
Bowel function is improved and acidity is reduced.
It is also used for curing various respiratory disorders and also ailments like allergies, asthma, and common cold are treated effectively with rock salt.
It kills any bacteria present in the airway and flushes out mucus if present.
Sinus inflammation is also reduced by rock salt.
Rock salt contains many minerals that are essential for our body. These minerals increase the power of our immune system.
It contains iron, magnesium, copper and calcium that are essential for many organs of our body. It also contains more than 50 additional minerals that are beneficial for the body.