As humans, our bodies are made up of 72 percent water and 28 percent mineral salts. We have two oceans of water in our bodies — one is found inside our cells, and the other is an ocean of fluid that lives outside our cells.
Achieving radiant health is directly related to the balance of these two oceans — a balance which can be optimized through the consumption of unrefined, natural mineral salts.
Sea salt is considered unrefined, contains 82 trace minerals, has a perfect crystalline structure, and hasn’t been stripped of natural minerals the way table salt has.
Sea salt is also good for the planet! It’s one of the most ethical, sustainable, renewable resources on the market today.
While many say that keeping to a low-sodium diet supports better heart health and reduces hypertension, this only applies to the refined, white table salt. Refined salts have been stripped of all beneficial minerals. Only chloride and sodium remain, which create disease and imbalance in the body.
Natural sea salt, however, has been used by our ancestors for thousands of years, as a way to boost health as well as season foods. Sea salt is extremely valuable in delivering nutrients to the body that may be lacking in our modern diets.
The popular belief that salt dehydrates us is incorrect; sea salt specifically is crucial in keeping us well-hydrated. The various nutrients found in sea salt also satisfy thirst for longer periods of time. Table salt is actually the culprit behind dehydration, as it leeches essential minerals from our bodies.
Another popular belief is that salt consumption leads to bloating or water retention. Again, table salt is the culprit here. With sea salt, the opposite actually occurs. Sea salt’s balanced ratio of minerals — specifically sodium and potassium — assist in releasing retained water.
The mineral content in sea salt serves as a fantastic source of electrolytes like calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium, which are critical for brain, heart and muscle health. A lack of minerals and low electrolytes can also lead to sore muscles, restless legs, and cramps.
To boost electrolytes in a healthier way, swap sugary electrolyte drinks with a simple mixture of sea salt, water, and a squeeze of lemon. Post-activity, sea salt water helps boost minerals the body loses during exercise.
Digestion is improved by sea salt intake. The process begins in the mouth, with salt activating enzymes that help break down carbohydrates. Salt also creates hydrochloric acid, which assists in the breakdown of protein and fats, and improves digestive issues such as gas, bloating, indigestion, heartburn, leaky gut, and eventual chronic disease.
Sea salt is helpful in treating adrenal fatigue resulting from poor diet and stress. One of the major symptoms of adrenal fatigue is salt cravings, as salt provides essential nutrients the body needs. Our adrenals release hormones which regulate potassium and sodium in the body. To make this job simpler, the adrenals require a balance of minerals found in natural sea salt.
Additionally, sea salt regulates blood pressure, reduces inflammation in the body, boosts immunity, prevents heart disease and can improve cardiovascular health.
History
To make and market sea salt, water is first evaporated from sea brine. In hot, dry climates, this effect can be achieved completely via solar energy, but in damper climates fuel is used in the drying process.
Salt has always been highly valued, historically being used as a method of currency and barter.
The use of sea salt has been recorded in Buddhist scriptures as far back as the fifth century BC. Since 6,050 BC, salt has held a major place in world use and trade, interwoven across the globe and throughout cultures. It has been traded as food by Mediterraneans, Phoenicians, Romans, Nepalese, Saharans, Chinese, Greeks, and countless others.
History
To make and market sea salt, water is first evaporated from sea brine. In hot, dry climates, this effect can be achieved completely via solar energy, but in damper climates fuel is used in the drying process.
Salt has always been highly valued, historically being used as a method of currency and barter.
The use of sea salt has been recorded in Buddhist scriptures as far back as the fifth century BC. Since 6,050 BC, salt has held a major place in world use and trade, interwoven across the globe and throughout cultures. It has been traded as food by Mediterraneans, Phoenicians, Romans, Nepalese, Saharans, Chinese, Greeks, and countless others.
Salt even takes its place in spirituality. It was used in Egyptian religious offerings, and there are over 30 references to salt in the Holy Bible. The use of salt on sacred altars represents purity, and many believe salt has the power to exorcise evil spirits.
At Cacao Now, the sea salt we use is sourced from our dear friends at The Gathering Place.
This pure ocean aquifer salt is the purest on Earth, sourced from a deep salt water aquifer on the isolated West Coast of South Africa. A deep natural pool of pure ocean water, this aquifer has been naturally filtered through hundreds of layers of seashells to produce salt that is not contaminated. While most of the world’s salt is mined, ours is pumped into drying pans, sun- and wind-dried by the intense African sun and Atlantic winds, and hand-harvested and -sieved — never machine cut or ground.
Gathering Place Sea Salt is harvested by a fair-trade family business, which betters the lives of their workers by providing access to education, childcare, and health care. A portion of their profits are also donated to support employee-selected projects in the local community
All Cacao Now products contain sea salt.