The Big Picture On Salt

The issue of salt is unsettled for me. Aside from whether this or that salt substitute is good or not (nama shoyu, Braggs, etc.), the question remains whether or not sea salt is any good. that is, if it is usable by the body. You say (I don't recall where) that the body cannot process sodium from a mineral source but only through plants, but as I hear other views, I'd like to hear something more extensive from you on the subject. Maybe you cover that somewhere. Thanks, Ed
ANSWER: II have studied this topic extensively because I consider myself excessively drawn to salt since my childhood and the bad habits I developed then. But the issue is very easy to understand:
The problem comes from excess sodium. It doesn't really matter what the source is, or whether the body supposedly can or cannot assimilate it.
I have not claimed that sea salt is "unusable" by the body. That might be possible actually, but for now I will keep the stance that it is usable.
The problem is excess.
Our bodies need approximately 500 to 800 mg. of sodium to function optimally. That's about the amount you would get in a diet of fruits and vegetables with no added salt with enough greens.
You can probably get away with getting about 1000-1500 mg. of sodium per day. At over 1500 mg. you will start developing some health problems in the long run.
At over 2500 mg. you are starting to jeopardize with your health.
And beyond that you are almost certain to develop a long-term health issue such as high blood pressure.
Is it any wonders that 90% of the population suffers from this disease?
Whether you get this sodium from celery or from sea salt it doesn't really matter. It's sodium.
It's just that it would be very difficult to get this amount of sodium from just eating celery. You would have to eat over 30 *large* stalks of celery to get more than 1500 mg. of sodium. I don't know about you but if I eat 5 I'm full.
And yes, there's also the consideration that sodium coming from an *organic* source is *probably* a lot better than coming from a rock.
So in practice, you should avoid added salt. This includes Nama Shoyu, Braggs, sea salt.
If you sometimes add a bit of something with salt in it (such as seaweed powder or even sea salt) it will not affect you that much because it's the overall picture that counts — what you do every day.