Since ancient times, table salt has been considered one of the most valuable and essential food products. Salt could be used to pay salaries to soldiers and officials, because of salt deposits, armed conflicts have repeatedly started.
The famous "Salt Riot" of 1648 entered the history of Russia, which happened due to a sharp increase in prices for this product. However, nowadays it is increasingly common to hear that table salt is harmful, and one should either completely abandon it, or reduce consumption as much as possible. And how really?
What are the benefits of table salt
As popular wisdom says, there is no comrade for taste and color. Adherents of a healthy lifestyle, implying a salt-free diet, can advocate as much as they like about the benefits of avoiding the "white death". But for those people who are accustomed to salty food, it is extremely difficult to give up salt. It is hardly possible to talk about the benefits if the dishes seem so tasteless that they are eaten literally through force. On the contrary, if a person likes food, it has a beneficial effect not only on his digestion, but also on the general condition of the body, helps the production of the pleasure hormone - dopamine.
In addition, table salt is a valuable source of sodium ions, which plays a very important role in the life of the body. Therefore, a complete rejection of salt can lead to a significant lack of sodium, and this is fraught with the development of cardiovascular diseases, up to such dangerous ones as a heart attack or stroke.
There is evidence that salt has a beneficial effect on the functioning of nerve cells, as well as on the production of the hormone insulin, the lack of which leads to diabetes.
The harm that table salt can cause
However, claims about the dangers of table salt also have good reasons. After all, excessive use of this product leads to a deterioration in metabolism, stagnation of fluid in the body. And this stagnation, in turn, leads to edema, increased intracranial and intraocular pressure, which is why there is a danger of developing a number of diseases.
Some researchers argue that those who consume salty foods are much more likely to develop cataracts than those who consume salt in moderation.
Finally, a large amount of salt is harmful to people suffering from diseases of the stomach, pancreas, and gall bladder. Salty food can exacerbate these diseases. Therefore, when using salt, you should adhere to the "golden mean" rule. Both a complete rejection of this product, and its excessive use can harm the body. Remember that everything is good in moderation.
