Nutrition4Muscle.com

Over the past few decades there has been mixed reactions when it comes to salt and what it does for us, or more importantly, what it does ‘to’ us. There have been those out there that would have us believe it’s a nasty that we should avoid and that it causes all sorts of health problems…but what are the facts? And how does it affect us in our daily lives as well as in our training?

Many of you will know that just like the earth we are between 70-80% water, but did you know that we are also about 10% fresh water, the rest being salty? So it makes sense that we need a high water/ water rich food diet, but also a reasonably salty one. Did you know that salt is the 4^th most critical nutrient in the body? And they claim it’s bad for us…

Is all salt the same?

No. Salt that is sold in most supermarkets as ‘table salt’ is the reason why people say salt is bad. One difference in these is the way it is dried (usually in a kiln at high heat which robs it of vital nutrients), but the real danger is the anti-caking agents that are added, quite often being aluminium based.

A good natural (there’s that word again) salt that has been sun dried, like a Celtic Sea salt for instance, is one that has minerals that your body needs and will use.

A good natural salt...

What exactly does it do?

Here I have a list of a few of the benefits of salt in your diet:

• It helps fight infections and prevent diseases (Hospitals know this with their use of Saline drips, otherwise known as ‘salt water’)
• It assists hydration
• It prevents muscle cramps
• It generates Hydroelectric energy, that in turn gives you the feeling of being energetic (all 76 trillion cells rely on this to function properly)
• It helps extract acids from the body, particularly from the brain
• It’s also a natural antihistamine

When and how do I take it?

Regardless of what you do, how energetic you are, you need salt in your body. For this reason it’s a good idea to ‘graze’ as opposed to having it all in one meal, just as you wouldn’t drink 3lts of water in one go but throughout the day.

From a training perspective you will need a little more, as your body will use up more. What I find best for me is adding a pinch of salt to my water to make it a weak saline solution, this means I get it consistently through the day and it also has the benefit of lowering the surface tension of the water, making it easier to absorb into your system. When you drink water during or just after training, you’ll also consume more salt in the same action – it just makes it easy.

If you have any questions feel free to write a comment and I’ll get back to you – all comments are appreciated!

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