Public Forum
Default group for all members. Biological family sometimes get you down? Come join your logical family!
Organizers:
- Organized by
-
-
⚡ Salt: The Nutrient We Were Told to Fear… but Can’t Live Without
-
⚡ Salt: The Nutrient We Were Told to Fear… but Can’t Live Without
I have been looking at Salt.
It isn’t just a seasoning, it’s fundamental to how the body actually works. Every nerve signal, every muscle contraction, every heartbeat relies on sodium. Without it, your body quite literally cannot function.
But here’s where it gets interesting…
Not all salt is the same.
Natural, unrefined salts (sea salt, rock salt) come with a spectrum of trace minerals—magnesium, potassium, calcium—elements that play supporting roles in hydration, energy, and cellular balance. Strip those away, and what you’re left with is refined table salt: isolated sodium chloride, often processed, sometimes with additives, and missing the broader mineral context our bodies evolved with.
So the conversation isn’t just about salt—it’s about what kind of salt we’re actually consuming.
For a long time, salt has been framed as something to limit or avoid. But when you look at physiology, performance, and even how people feel when they reintroduce quality salt into their diet, it raises some uncomfortable questions about whether we’ve oversimplified the narrative.
Especially when factors like fatigue, brain fog, cramps, and low energy can sometimes link back to electrolyte imbalances, not excess.
Salt is essential for nerve function, hydration, and energy… so you have to wonder why the conversation still focuses so heavily on restriction rather than quality?
What’s your approach to salt?
-
8 Replies
-
Universally recommend changing to natural, unprocessed salt, and generally without limitations. Positive effects for most illnesses and diseases.
-
💯
-
-
I like plenty of salt, himaylayan pink, on my food. I cook with it and add it to every meal. I know this a doctor built forum and I have a lot of respect for all the doctors at IMA, but I have never reduced my salt intake. I had both hips replaced in 2021 and the most important thing I made sure to pack for the 2 days I would be in the hospital was salt…..
-
I do exactly the same, my father in law is 89 and very healthy and has said for years that real salt is vital to our health, he uses salt on all his food. I love that you took salt to hospital.
-
-
In Dr. Perlmutter’s book “Drop Acid” he mentions an interesting and little-known fact about salt. Too much salt will cause the body to produce fructose.
Yeah, you read that right. Our body is capable of producing fructose, even if you haven’t eaten any. Dr. Perlmutter’s advice? Make sure you get enough water with your salt.
So, it’s not about how much salt you eat, it’s about how much salt versus water you’re getting. If the body doesn’t have enough water for the salt it is getting, it puts you into camel mode (my words, not Dr. Perlmutter’s). A camel hump is made of fat and one of the best ways to trigger your body to start storing fat is by having fructose. So, just like a camel, if water is scarce, we survive by storing fat. Why? When we burn fat, we produce water. The special name for this water is metabolic water. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metabolic_water
Who knew that you get hidden carbs from salt?!
-
Thanks @jrgerber ,,, a great nugget of information.
A good reminder too that hydration, salt intake, and metabolism all interact in ways most of us probably never consider day to day.
-
-
Neither my wife nor I have ever worried about salt. We do use good quality salt, but don’t hesitate at all to use it liberally. My last blood pressure reading was something like 170/71. My parents were both extremely paranoid about salt in their later years. I didn’t try to convince them it was baseless, I just shook my head and kept my mouth shut. They believed almost everything their doctors told them, and I believe it shortened their lives.
-
My 89-year-old father-in-law is in fantastic health, and he has always been a big believer in using good-quality salt generously on his food.
It does make you wonder, doesn’t it? Sodium is an essential mineral, and many older people can actually struggle with low sodium levels, especially if they’re over-restricting salt or taking certain medications.
I agree, I don’t spend my time trying to convince people who are fully committed to what their doctor has told them, whether that’s “salt is the enemy,” “animal fats are bad,” or any of the other health beliefs we’ve all heard for years.
-
Log in to reply.