Salt and health

Salt is a natural mineral substance. There is evidence that the production of salt was carried out another 3-4 thousand years BC in Libya. Salt water is evaporated from the (famous lake Elton and Baskunchak), extracted from the earth, from sea water (sea salt). World geological reserves of salt are practically inexhaustible. In Russia, in the XVI century the famous Russian entrepreneurs Stroganovs biggest income comes from the production of salt. From the foothills of the Urals, the salt goes to Moscow, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Kaluga, even abroad. There are large salt mines in Spain, in Germany and Austria. In a given volume of each country in the world is producing any kind of salt. Currently, world production of salt, according to the US Geological Survey, about 193 million tons per year and significant volumes being more than 100 countries.

 The world's largest producer of salt at the country level are the United States. However, they themselves are not able to fully meet their needs for salt by local production and forced to buy large quantities of sodium chloride in the external market.

 The most expensive type of salt is a high quality vacuum salt, it is several times more expensive than evaporated and rock salt. Solerastvory - the cheapest form of salt, and is used in industry, as well as low-quality salt used for de-icing roads.The average price for table salt today is 15 USD per ton.

 But once the salt was an expensive commodity. Lomonosov wrote that while four small pieces of salt in Abyssinia, you could buy a slave. Salt Serve in high salt cellars, it took care to save, it boasted: the presence of salt on the table was a sign of wealth and prosperity. Salt stocked disaster, and it paid off instead of money. The Latin word "salarium" and the English word "salary", meaning "salary", "salary", - have a "salt" origin. Because of the salt occurred riots and military clashes - remember the famous "salt riots" and the war for deposits of rock salt and salt water. The value of salt has created a series of proverbs, aphorisms, which underscored the deeper meaning of salt in a person's life. One saying "can live without gold, but without salt can not be" worth something!

 "While the white death is considered to be the salt and sugar, cocaine can sleep peacefully." Humor

 However, in the 1960s, with the light hand of Herbert Shelton and Paul Bragg table salt dubbed the "white death", and that there is an assertion so far. It all started with the announcement of salt culprit of hypertension, renal failure, coronary heart disease and obesity. This is partly true, but it is not necessary to call on absolutely everyone to avoid salt, it is also an inflection.

 Thus, salt (sodium chloride) is an important element for human activity and wildlife, as well as goods that have a wide range of industrial applications. Salt is the basis for the production of chemical products, especially chlorine and caustic soda, which is made on the basis of a plurality of plastic materials including PVC, aluminum, paper, soaps, glass. According to specialists, the salt in the present conditions directly or indirectly has more than 14 thousand applications.

 Let us known to all salt, which most of us eats. Thus, salt - is crystalline sodium chloride, contains 39.4% sodium and 60.6% chlorine. As it is well known, readily soluble in water of any temperature.

 Sodium is one of the major cations required for the implementation of the vital functions of the human body. In our bodies about 50% of the sodium is in the extracellular fluid, 40% - in the bones and cartilage, about 10% - in the cells.Sodium is a part of the bile, blood, cerebrospinal fluid, pancreatic juice, breast milk.

 Sodium is involved in maintaining acid-alkaline balance, the exchange of sodium is an important link in the water-salt balance of the body, provides a constant osmotic pressure. Sodium-potassium pump ensures movement of amino acids and glucose across the cell membrane. It is required for normal operation of the nerve, nerve impulse transmission and muscle activity, including cardiac muscle, and for the absorption of specific nutrients in the small intestine, and kidneys.

 It should be borne in mind that the sodium we consume not only of sodium salt, but other sodium compounds as preservatives (sodium nitrate), flavorings (monosodium glutamate) or disintegrants (sodium bicarbonate).

 Chloro, in turn, is involved in the formation of special substances promoting lipolysis. Is needed in the formation of hydrochloric acid - the main component of gastric juice taking care of excretion of urea stimulates the reproductive and central nervous systems, contributes to the formation and growth of bone tissue. Human muscle tissue contains 0,20-0,52% chlorine, bone - 0.09%; the bulk of this trace element found in the blood and extracellular fluid.

 The daily requirement of salt in temperate zones - 10-15 grams per day (annual human need for salt is 7 kg). In tropical countries is a big branch sweat more fluid intake, so it takes more salt. In cold climates, water-salt metabolism is not as intense, there is less intake of salt. That's why for a long time without salt can do many peoples of the North, such as the Chukchi and Eskimos. The need for salt increases during exercise. And water to quench their thirst is not recommended to drink boiled, not distilled and mineral, which includes sodium chloride. But after intensive loads (for example, after a long hiking transitions) is recommended to drink lightly salted water and try not to quench their thirst with clean water from mountain streams, where a very low salt content. With significant loss of sodium chloride organism (uncontrollable vomiting, prolonged diarrhea) salt intake strongly increases, and in some cases even necessary to introduce a salt solution intravenously.

 Pregnant and lactating women need more sodium. During pregnancy, blood volume increases by 50% for one child, and even more if several of them. And accordingly increases the amount of water retained in the cells. Minor swelling - is normal during pregnancy. Do not limit yourself because of this in the consumption of salt, and even more do not use diuretics.Liquid pregnant need to increase blood circulation and for the rapidly growing cells of the child, as well as to create a "parent stock" of blood, so necessary during childbirth. So talk about the thrust of pregnant women to salt justified.

 Adding salt during cooking and ready meals necessary with natural products it has not been sufficient. For a normal person in ordinary, non-extreme conditions, it proposed a salt consumption of about 10 grams in the form of natural products and 5 g dosalivanie food when cooked and salting during the meal. The salt content in foods varies: it is highest in the bread, cheese and meat products; a plant - it depends on the species and growing conditions, and granulated sugar and sodium chloride does not.

 For cooking and podsalivaniya besides usual salt derived from different sources and by different methods (rock salt Evaporated, sedimentary) also use baking sea salt, in which, in addition to sodium chloride, potassium chloride represented, magnesium chloride, magnesium carbonate, calcium sulfate and another iron, boron, iodine, phosphorus, silicon. Due to these mineral supplements sea salt is considered more useful. Another use iodized salt, fluoridated, iodized, fluoridated and the so-called "salt reduced sodium content" - there is a part of sodium chloride, potassium chloride is substituted, and it is recommended for those who are forced to reduce their salt intake for health reasons.

 According to the World Health Organization, approximately 1/3 of the world's population (including a considerable part of the Russian population) live in areas with varying degrees of suffering from iodine deficiency. The latter leads to an increase in cases of thyroid disorders and delayed mental and physical development in children. Iodization of table salt is carried out abroad for the past 60 years. At the same time in Russia in 1998 iodized salt at all absent from store shelves. Fortunately now we do not limit the choice. Just to keep in mind - to save valuable trace elements (iodine), better to cook and fry all salted insufficiently and dosalivat food in the plate - to your liking.

 Table salt is used to prevent food spoilage, as in the brine increased osmotic pressure, in which the bacterial cell suspend their livelihoods. However, the brine is most often used differently - as a universal remedy for removing hangover.Timely reception of brine also removes retch (important for pregnant women) and is a good cosmetic product - brine baths make the hands soft and gentle, and washing your face with brine visually rejuvenates it (due to the inflow of water to the upper layers of the skin and smooth fine lines) - these recipes in the past century and universally enjoyed aristocratic and commoner.

 Excessive salt intake is just as harmful as any excesses. At the use of salt in food is very important not to overdo it. If an inexperienced cook slightly overdone with salt, it is possible to correct the situation by adding a potato and a handful of rice. But best of all nedosalivat - dosolit can be a ready-made meal. As the saying goes, "insufficient salting on the table, and oversalting on the back" - a saying for careless mistresses.

 In some diseases it is recommended to restrict salt intake - cardiovascular, inflammatory, renal failure. In some cases, physicians prescribe salt-free diet - there is present in food, only the salt is contained in the products, without further dosalivaniya, and products with a high content of sodium chloride (cheese, for example) is deleted. And in the most severe cases, appoint a special salt-free bread. But such salt-free diet is not prescribed for obesity, especially in alimentary, when a man <ate> their extra weight because of its unbridled appetite. Demineralized tasteless food, bad nourishes and makes you want to eat something delicious. Hence the failure of a diet, and bouts of bulimia.

 Still, due to the fact that the easiest way to lose weight by reducing the amount of water in the body - many dieters do refuse salt. With this method irrational weight loss in addition to water from the body and out the vital elements, including sodium, chlorine, potassium and magnesium. On salt-free diet can lose weight quickly, just a few days, but very briefly, the weight comes back soon (well, if no weight gain) - for liquid in organs and tissues is quickly restored. Yes, it is alleged weight loss can lead to a deficiency of useful minerals with all the ensuing trouble.

 At the same time, with a fondness for salt "salt of the soul" are attracted to salt cellars, not even tried the food, and the normal ambassadors seem to them fresh. But salty food - is the emergence of edema, increase the burden on the kidneys, high blood pressure and early development of atherosclerosis. And one more insidious: too salty snacks stimulate appetite, overeating and hence, leading to excess weight - an unpleasant burden on the entire body: primarily on the cardiovascular system and the musculoskeletal system. And noting that after savory pulls on fatty and sweet. That is why in some sly restaurants serving salty snacks to have after the visitor is sure to order something "tight", and then another, and pastries.

 If you are used dosalivat meals while eating, try to give up all salt in cooking. And as a flavoring to food or salad dressing, take fresh or dried herbs and spices. Pickles, pickles, corned beef and smoked should take in your diet last. For example, bouillon cubes contain an average of about 60% per unit weight of salt, smoked salmon - 5%, sauerkraut - 2%. And when you use ready-made condiments and sauces need to pay attention to the label, which indicates the salt content. For example, you know that soy sauce mixed with the salt, and substitutes it is not.

 A more useful alternative to salt - lemon juice, garlic and pepper. Now widespread salt with low sodium - half of the sodium and half the potassium. However, if you have diabetes or kidney disease you are suffering from such substitutes should be abandoned, patients with diabetes often delayed potassium in the body, so they need to ensure that its content is not reached dangerously high levels; in people with kidney disease also have difficulty with the release of potassium, so that they, too, should limit their consumption. In turn, miso, tamari soy or used in oriental dishes are concentrated sources of sodium, but are used only in small quantities.