Super Foods

Given the fact that salt has played an integral role in shaping human evolution, history and culture, it's astounding that modern-day health authorities have taken such a negative stance on salt consumption.

Despite a plethora of studies to the contrary, the conclusion is that a diet low in sodium is key to preventing life-threatening illnesses such as high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, heart attacks and strokes. It's a wonder that our ancient ancestors made it out of Mesopotamia alive.

Take a walk through the aisles of your local supermarket and you'll no doubt be overwhelmed by the vast array of prepackaged, processed foods that are labeled "low sodium", which gives the consumer the impression that these products are healthier choices.

But does the scientific evidence support the claims that a low-salt diet is good for our health, or is this just another case of junk science, mixed with bad politics and served with a side of special interests?

First, let's start at the beginning.

A History of Salt

As hunter gatherers, humans obtained their sodium primarily from the blood and organ meats of wild game. Sodium chloride has proven to be essential for brain development in growing fetuses and infants and this has led some scientists to speculate that the consumption of higher sodium levels played a significant role in the evolution of human intellect.

Around 10,000 years ago most humans began the transition from a nomadic cultural existence, to agricultural societies based on farming. At this time, the harvesting of salt became an integral part of these cultures - in fact, it was considered a gift from the gods.

It was used primarily as a means to preserve meat, fish and dairy products for storage and transportation. If you were to outline the rise of many ancient empires on a map, you would see that these cultures specifically chose to inhabit areas in close proximity to large salt deposits. Salt was so valuable to ancient Romans that their soldiers were paid partly in salt and to this day we use the word " salary" for wages, which is derived from the Latin word Salarium, meaning salt.

Dangers of a Low-Salt Diet

To be fair, a low-sodium diet has been shown to lower blood pressure in a small segment of the population who tend to be salt sensitive. However, this slight drop in blood pressure in these individuals had little effect on their overall cardiovascular health.

Interestingly, a 2010 study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association reported that even a modest reduction of salt intake can lead to an increased risk of heart disease and death. Other studies have implicated low salt intake with increased insulin resistance, which can set the stage for type II diabetes.

The new USDA dietary guidelines for salt intake has been reduced to as low as 1500 mg per day for some populations, which is less than the minimum bodily requirement for the average adult to maintain optimum health.

Since salt is so vital for proper physiological function, your body will perceive a shortfall as an emergency situation and activate what's called the Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone system via your kidneys and adrenal glands. This enzymatic hormonal cascade helps your body to reabsorb what little sodium is left back into your system to avoid a condition called hyponatremia. If blood levels of sodium fall too low, it can cause a dangerous drop in blood pressure, as well as swelling of the brain that could possibly be fatal.

Because water always follow salt, chronic activation of the Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone system can lead to edema, high blood pressure, kidney disease, heart failure, insulin resistance and brain degeneration - all due to your body's response to the stress of low salt intake.

If all that isn't bad enough, a low-salt diet can also make you fat! This is due to the fact that low sodium levels in your blood causes a reduction in metabolic rate and increases the stress hormone cortisol, which is catabolic to lean muscle tissue and triggers your body to store more fat, particularly in the abdominal region.

The Health Benefits of Salt

Salt is an essential nutrient, meaning your body can't live without it. Unfortunately, now that salt is being demonized by mainstream health authorities, the population at large is not being told of the multitude of positive health benefits of appropriate salt intake, such as the following:

- It alleviates asthma and allergies because of its anti-inflammatory antihistamine actions in the body.

- It is vital for energy production, protein transport and enzyme function, as well as the absorption of nutrients from the small intestine into the body's cells.

- It is necessary for the production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach which helps to digest protein, kill pathogenic organisms that may be ingested with food or water, and for extracting nutrients such as minerals and vitamin B12.

- It is needed for the proper production of bile in the liver (stored in the gallbladder) which aids emulsification and digestion of fats.

- Sodium is an essential electrolyte and along with appropriate water levels, is needed for proper functioning of the body's entire nervous system.

As you can see, much like other nutrients before it (think carbohydrates and fats) nutrition researchers have thrown the baby out with the bathwater when it comes to dietary salt.

The Salt You Need

If you happen to be one of the millions of North Americans who eat a steady diet of fast food, chances are that you're getting more than your fair share of salt. Unfortunately, it's the wrong kind of salt.

Our ancient ancestors had it right by harvesting and consuming unrefined sea salt which contains important minerals needed for health such as magnesium, calcium, potassium and of course sodium.

In contrast, regular table salt has been stripped of these essential minerals and processed to include chemical additives such as aluminum silicate (used as an anti-caking agent), which can be toxic to the nervous system.

Another marketing ploy is the newer colored sea salts (such as Himalayan salt) which are being touted as having mystical healing properties. These should be avoided, because the color in these salts is due to a high inorganic iron content, which will create a toxic pro-oxidative state in your body. This is of particular concern for men because they do not menstruate and excess iron levels can lead to heart disease and cancer.

Summary

So your best (and safest) bet is to follow the wisdom of our ancient ancestors and use unrefined sea salt to taste, when preparing and cooking foods and continue to savor the flavor of this essential nutrient! 

 

Chia seeds are derived from the desert plant Salvia Hispanica, which is a member of the mint family found in Southern Mexico.

If the word Chia sounds familiar to you, that's because it's the seed used to grow "green hair" on those tacky clay chia pets that people give to their friends as novelty gifts.

But now these little known seeds are poised to take center stage in the nutrition world because of their health promoting, high concentrations of plant derived compounds called phytonutrients.

History

Chia seeds were an important food staple of the Aztec and Mayan cultures and the word Chia actually comes from the Aztec word "Chian", meaning oily seed due to its rich Omega-3 fatty acid content.

Chia seeds played a central role in Aztec religious ceremonies and was revered for its medicinal applications such as relieving joint pain and healing various skin conditions.

In fact, chia seeds were a major crop in Mexico up until the 16th century, when growing it was outlawed by the Spanish Conquistadors because of its association with the "Pagan" Aztec religion.

Over the past few decades, chia seeds had been relegated to junk seed status, but researchers have recently rediscovered their outstanding nutritional content and chia seeds have experienced a resurgence of commercial production in Latin America.

Health Benefits

One of the unique aspects of chia seeds is that they naturally repel insects, so when cultivating them pesticide use is unnecessary, making virtually all the chia seeds that you find in stores organic.

Nutritionally speaking, chia seeds are a rich source of Omega-3 fatty acids and gram for gram they have the highest fiber content of any food. They also provide many essential nutrients such as zinc, manganese, copper, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, B vitamins and free radical fighting antioxidants.

On a per gram comparison with some other healthy foods, chia seeds contain:

• 7 times more vitamin C than oranges.
• 5 times more calcium per gram than milk.
• 3 times more iron than spinach.

Recent studies have demonstrated that consuming chia seeds on a regular basis can improve your cardiovascular health by lowering elevated blood pressure and reducing C-Reactive Protein (CRP) levels, an important marker of inflammation, which is a major contributing factor in heart disease.

Preparation and Usage 

Chia seeds come in white and black colors, which have a virtually identical nutrient profile. They are easy to store and travel well because they can be kept at room temperature (in a sealed jar) for long periods of time without their oils going rancid.

Unlike other seeds such as flaxseeds, chia seeds do not need to be ground before consuming them. Whole or ground (if you prefer) chia seeds can be added to smoothies, cereals (hot or cold) yogurt, as well as salads and they add a pleasant nut-like flavor.

When making baked goods such as muffins, you can add ground chia seeds to the base flour in order to improve nutritional content and flavor.

Get creative and try substituting this nutrient dense seed into your daily diet, so you can experience the health benefits of this ancient super-food today!

The coconut palm tree is grown in many tropical regions around the world and it has not only been a food staple to the indigenous people, but it's also been used as a folk remedy for a variety of ailments and the coconut fibers are used to make twine and rope.

History

Although people in the tropics have been consuming coconut oil for centuries, it wasn't until the 19th century that it became a common food ingredient in North America.

Primarily comprised of saturated fat, coconut oil became widely used for baking because it remains stable at high temperatures and is solid at room temperature, which extended the shelf life of a variety of popular baked goods such as cookies and crackers.

By the early part of the 20th century coconut oil began facing some stiff competition from the domestic vegetable oil industry who claimed that their products were better for baking because they were cheaper and healthier than coconut oil.

A targeted media campaign was launched warning the public of the "dangers" of consuming coconut oil and the final nail in the coffin came when researchers announced that saturated fats cause heart disease. Suddenly coconut oil was public enemy number one and imports to North America fell dramatically.

Although this allegation against coconut oil would later be proven false by several scientific studies, nevertheless the damage was done and to this day vegetable oil remains the "heart healthy" choice for millions of mislead consumers.

Health Benefits

Recent research has not only exonerated coconut oil as being detrimental to heart health, but also saturated fats in general. Saturated fats have been shown to lower two substances in the blood called Lipoprotein (a) and C-Reactive Protein (CRP), which are now thought to be important indicators of heart disease.

Coconut oil in particular actually improves the ratio of HDL cholesterol ("good cholesterol") to LDL cholesterol ("bad cholesterol") by raising HDL levels.

Saturated fats are also vital for good health because every cell membrane in your body is comprised of about 50 percent saturated fats, which gives them the necessary integrity to carry out their functions.

Coconut oil is made up of predominately saturated fats in the form of Medium Chain Fatty Acids (MCFA), which possess a unique biochemistry in that they don't need to be emulsified by bile salts like other fats. This allows them to be easily metabolized by your body and instead of being stored as body fat, they are readily used for energy production.

Coconut oil is thought to play a role in healthy weight loss by optimizing thyroid gland function, because it creates a "thermogenic effect" by increasing body temperature and metabolic rate.

The main fat in MCFA is called Lauric Acid (also found in human breast milk) which is converted in your body into Monolaurin, a substance that strengthens your immune system and is antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral.

Lastly, the saturated fats in coconut oil are needed to enable your body to absorb and utilize essential fatty acids such as Omega 3's and the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, which help to optimize brain function, maintain healthy vision, boost immunity and prevent cardiovascular disease as well as Osteoporosis.

Preparation and Usage

The best form of coconut oil to consume is unrefined virgin oil, because it's the purest form produced with minimal processing. Since coconut oil is a saturated fat, it is solid at room temperature and can be safely stored for up to two years in a kitchen cupboard without going rancid.

Unlike vegetable oils, coconut oil is highly stable and will not oxidize at high temperatures, making it the perfect oil for cooking or baking. It can also be added to smoothies or protein shakes to increase the healthy fat content or it can simply be eaten directly from a spoon as a tasty treat.

Coconut oil can also be used externally to moisturize dry skin and hair, as well as the scalp to reduce dandruff build up.

It's no wonder that the coconut palm tree is considered the most important nut crop in the world and that Polynesians call it "The Tree of Life". By adding just 1-3 tablespoons to your daily diet, you'll soon discover the amazing health benefits that people in the tropics have enjoyed for centuries!