by Gordon Hamilton

Created on: August 30, 2009

Do we need salt in our diet is a question to which many people will have formulated an extremely warped opinion, given the bad publicity which salt in our diets has received in recent times. It seems that every food show one watches on TV, every health article one reads in a newspaper or magazine, or every food and cooking website one visits on the Internet blames salt in one way or another for a whole host of different and potentially fatal medical conditions.

The reality is that these people on these TV shows or writing articles are speaking about the dangers of an excess of salt in our diet. Salt is absolutely imperative for our bodies to survive. Sodium chloride is one of the chemical compounds of which our bodies are comprised and a deficiency in this respect can be just as dangerous - if in different ways - as an excess.

What we therefore have to consider is how we can limit the amount of salt in our diets, to the extent that we consume it to an essential level but not to any form of excess. There are a great many ways in which we can achieve this balance, both by considering the types of food which we eat and the ways in which we use simple salt itself as a condiment.

It is in the first instance worth noting that a lot of the foodstuffs which do come prepared with an excess of salt are indeed those which are often labelled, "Junk food," and known to be harmful to our health in a great many ways aside from their high content of sodium chloride. Items such as fast food burgers, deep fried chicken and pre-packaged, microwaveable meals tend to have a very high concentration of salt, even in the burger buns upon which the burgers are served.

It is the sodium which salt contains which does the most damage. There are products on the market today which truly taste exactly the same as conventional salt but are lower in sodium and higher in natural potassium. These products can be used in exactly the same fashion, both as a condiment and for cooking.

Another excellent alternative to sodium chloride in our diets is to experiment with fresh herbs. These herbs can introduce a wonderful variety of tastes to our meals, without any of the associated health risks.

Do we need salt in our diet? As explained, yes we do - but like so many other foodstuffs, it is imperative that we strike the right balance between a healthy level of salt intake and a dangerous one.

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