Nothing To Do With Himalayan Crystal Rock Salt

When it comes to treats, I'll take salty over sweet any day of the week! But when it comes to cooking, I always rely on other spices for flavour and only use a dash of salt in whatever I'm making -- even if the recipe calls for more.

I've been conscious of how I've used salt for as long as I can remember.  When I was only 7 or 8, I think I must've put way too much on something once, and was completely grossed out by it. From them on, much to my parents amusement, I would always pour a tiny pinch of salt into my hand, and then evenly sprinkle it over my food, careful never to use too much. I continued this habit until about ten years ago when I switched to sea salt, and started using a grinder to add just a lil' sprinkle.

I made the switch to a healthier form of salt for a number of reasons. A friend of mine was just wrapping up her certification as a holistic nutritionist, and she was always sharing the lessons she learned with me. Even though everyone knows that table salt is bad for you, hearing all the reasons why really stuck. (But I'm here to tell my story - not to preach. A simple Google search can tell you everything about salt you don't want to know. ;) It also wasn't long after this time that my dad suffered his heart attack and eventually required open heart surgery. At which point, she recommended a book called The Nutritional Bypass for him to read. I bought a copy for him and a copy for myself. Heart disease runs rampant on my father's side and I have no interest in tempting fate.

When I read the book I felt really good about my healthy habits. I already did almost everything they suggested on the list: I didn't eat red meat. I didn't smoke. I got a decent amount of exercise. I usually avoided stressful situations and fried foods. The only recommendations I didn't follow was eat fish twice a week and incorporate flax into my diet.  I was confident in my health. Still, with an eye roll and a mutter, due to pressure from my parents, I agreed to make an appointment and get my cholesterol checked out, just in case...

Well, let me tell you, it sure doesn't pay to be so cocky. With a genetic predisposition to high cholesterol (on both sides, apparently), I was devastated to learn that at only 23 years of age, I had borderline high cholesterol. The doctor at the clinic prescribed an expensive medication that would cost over $70/month which I would need to take for the rest of my life. I went home and cried.

I was pissed that my doctor didn't bother making any other lifestyle recommendations before he clicked his pen. I held back my tears as I said, "I don't get it. I already do this and this and that! Isn't there anything else I can try first?" Nope. Just take these pills for the rest of your life.

I was angry. There was no f*cking way that this problem could only be solved with pills. I returned my attention to The Nutritional Bypass to see if there was anything else I could do. What was I missing? Fish and flax. I decided to try the flax instead of the fish. I started to mix flaxseed oil in yogurt, because the body obviously absorbs the oil much more efficiently than the seeds. But then I found that the oil would always expire before I could use the whole bottle, so I switched to oil capsules instead. A two to  three months supply costs roughly $14. If flax was the answer, I could improve my health more affordably and by natural means.

Not long after that appointment, I moved away. And after a couple years of clinic hopping, I finally found a doctor I liked. During my first getting to know you appointment, I told her that I should probably have my cholesterol checked. I was now 28 - it had been five years since that terrible day. I knew that I had put it off another test for too long, so I wanted to check in and see what kind of progress I had made on my own the natural way - if any.

When I returned to her office to learn about my blood-work results, she informed me that my good cholesterol was abnormally high and that my bad cholesterol was abnormally low. The word "abnormal" rang a bell of concern. Crap! Had I gone too far with the flax? But no, in fact, this news was a very, very good thing. My doctor was super impressed. She told me that whatever I was doing, that I should definitely keep it up, as these habits would serve me very well as I entered my forties, (when cholesterol problems usually arise).

I was stoked! I had totally reversed my cholesterol problems without medication. I have since recommended this solution to a friend of mine in his mid-forties. His cholesterol was so high, that his doctor told him that he shouldn't be standing there. (Of course this friend has a tendency to exaggerate... but point taken. It was very high.) After several months of increasing his exercise regime, cutting back on fried foods and adding flax to his diet, his doctor was amazed at the turnaround.

So. What does all this have to do with Himalayan crystal rock salt? I have no friggin' idea... I've gotten completely off track, haven't I? Perhaps I should change the title of this blog to reflect that. There. Done.

Okay, let's bring this back to salt. Salt was one of the easy health fixes for me, because although I love salty treats, I've never abused 'em. And pre my bad cholesterol report, I had already replaced my regular bad-pour-vous table salt with better-pour-vous sea salt. But then about four years ago, I switched again. I left sea salt behind in favour of Himalayan rock salt. Partially because everything is prettier in pink, and also because I had done a little reading on all its terrific properties. It seemed like the way to go.

Anyway, this evening I just stumbled across the following brief article about the benefits of Himalayan crystal rock salt and wanted to share it with you. But since it felt weird to post a random article about salt, I wanted to preface it with my own medical journey. Even though this post ended up being more of a testimonial about the benefits of flax, but whatever....

Himalayan Crystal Rock Salt

Himalayan crystal rock salt is the cleanest salt available anywhere on the planet and contains all of the elements that are found in the human body.  This salt is absolutely pristine and is identical to the ancient oceans, as it was dried up by the sun millions of years ago.

About Himalayan Crystal Rock Salt

Himalayan crystal rock salt contains 84 of the 92 trace minerals known to man, and no other natural or man-made salt has this many minerals.  In addition, the salt contains the minerals in the same proportions as the human body does.  As well as the vital minerals such as calcium and magnesium, Himalayan crystal rock salt has the other necessary minerals.  Many minerals need other trace minerals in order to work so it is vital to have the correct variety of minerals as well as the correct proportions for the minerals to work in the body, and Himalayan crystal rock salt contains these.

Himalayan crystal rock salt comes from a large salt lake that dried naturally and was protected from pollution, contamination and the influence of man by being underneath the earth’s surface, thanks to geological shifts over time.  The salt is hand mined from underground caves.

Why Does the Body Need Salt?

Salt is as essential to the human body as water is and the body needs almost half a kilogram of salt at any point in time to maintain proper functioning.  Salt is necessary for the normal functioning of the metabolism, the absorption of water, the electrical communication between the cells, and also for mineral nutrition.

On average, a person will consume around twenty grams of salt a day, but the kidneys are only able to expel up to five to seven grams of this salt.  The excess salt builds up as deposits in the arteries, causing them to harden and increasing blood pressure.

Uses for Himalayan Crystal Rock Salt

Drastically reducing the intake of traditional table or rock salt, and choosing to use Himalayan crystal rock salt can be of great benefit to the body.  A gram a day, or the amount that can fit onto a five cent coin, can help the body’s metabolic processes and help to reduce any deposits that have built up in the arteries.  The salt can be used straight on your food, or you can dissolve whole crystals in water to make brine with a concentration of 26 percent brine.  This brine can be taken daily – a teaspoonful is all you need.  If you wish to avoid the salty taste and also hydrate yourself at the same time, just add a teaspoon of the brine to a litre of pure water.

You can also use the salt in a bowl of hot water to help with sinus issues, as a warm compress for pain or injuries, as a mineral salt, as an eyebath, to gargle with, to heal cuts, and even as a skin scrub.

Himalayan crystal rock salt lamps are also available and these are used to improve the quality of indoor air, balancing electromagnetic radiation, and to energise and nourish the mind with their colour and ambience.

Benefits of Himalayan Crystal Rock Salt

There are many benefits to Himalayan crystal rock salt.  These include:

• Re-mineralising the body with 84 minerals and trace elements that are essential to good health
• It assists in the cellular absorption of minerals
• It replenishes the body’s electrolytes and balances the body’s pH
• It brings about significant improvements in the respiratory, circulatory, and nervous systems
• It improves the connective tissue in the organs

And if you're at all interested in how flax can help fight bad cholesterol, diabetes, cancer, constipation, inflammation, menopausal symptoms, heart disease, the blues, and works with your immune system, go here.