Is salt really that important in your diet?

[Muppity]

On a molecular level salt is really important in the human body- specially as kids go from being slugs to suddenly running around a lot.

Every time any muscle is used salt is needed to activate it.

Think of it this way - imagine a muscle as a piece of elastic. To move you have to stretch the elastic. But before you can stretch the elastic you have to unlock it (otherwise all muscles would be extended all the time). You need the salt to unlock it and without it you are trying in vain to stretch the elastic.

Cramps are exactly what happens when you try and stretch the elastic without unlocking it first.

Having said all that - chips with salt once a fortnight woudl be more than enough to sustain even teh most active child.

[BellyBelly]

Is Himalayan Salt okay for you? Its brilliant stuff, replaced all our salt with it and its so much better for you. Loads of great minerals in it too and tastes so much better.

[{sarah}]

It's just the iodine that is a problem for me Kelly.

Thanks for the explanation Muppity, very helpful

[AnyDream]

Kelly I use a lot of Himalyan salt in the bath - it has a completely different energy to regular sea salt and gives a really uplifting bath. I'd cook with it but I've only found it in big crystal chunks.

[AngelPunks]

I use either Himalayan or Celtic salt.

MD - a "organic" grocers (somewhere like a mrs flanneries type place) should have it in rock format to use with a grinder

[BellyBelly]

I got mine from a health food store ... should be in your local one, perhaps find a bigger one? My brother is into nutrition heaps and I told him I had a huge problem drinking water, and I hate salt, I never add it to anything. He told me about Himalayan salt and I love it!!!

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

All your nerves work by using sodium. Nerves pass an electrical current through your body (as I'm sure you know) - they do this by sodium channels. Sodium moving in and out of the nerve cells is what causes the electrical current to move down the nerves. Without sodium in your diet, your nerves would not work - hence some of the stories above.

But you don't need loads of it and a lot of food has sodium in anyway. I only ever put it on chips... but I'm not the most nerve-healthy person in the world so might not be best to comment on that!