Did you know that it's not the water you swallow, but the fluid your tissues can willingly accept, that hydrates you? Unrefined salt with its full complement of trace minerals enables water to infiltrate and maintain an aqueous balance within and outside the cells of your body. Needless to say, unrefined salt is a vitally important essential nutrient.

This is not marketing hype! An essential nutrient is defined as a nutrient required for life that the body cannot make itself that is required for good health. Although the essential trace minerals found in unrefined salt are needed in only minute amounts, their absence results in setting the stage for many disease conditions to develop.
 
But don't confuse unrefined salt with refined salt. Salt in its natural form, not altered during manufacturing processes, is unrefined salt. It contains approximately 82% sodium chloride. The balance is comprised of macro-minerals, particularly magnesium and approximately 80 of these all-important trace minerals! Refined salt on the other hand, has all of its minerals removed, rendering it an essentially lifeless product.

You may have heard the buzz that the the FDA is pushing to restrict the amount of salt allowed in restaurant and processed food, based on the assumption that salt is bad for your health. Studies suggest that low salt diets are deadly! We encourage you to learn more about this by reading Sarah Pope's post: Studies Suggest Low Salt Diets are Deadly.
 
Need more information?

• Read Wise Traditions Journal, Summer, 2011. It features  Sally Fallon Morell's article, Salt of the Earth, on the importance of unrefined salt to your health. It also includes Lee Burdett's article on The Senomyx Scandal. Senomyx is the company dedicated to developing new bioengineered flavors to reduce salt in processed foods. Be sure to get the full story. 

• Don't forget about your skin's ability to absorb nutrients! Unrefined bath salts are a  great way to get the minerals your body craves!  Other ways to take in minerals include consuming mineral-rich water, nutrient dense foods including bone broths.

• Look for savings on many of our unrefined salts in the Current Specials section of our web site.  All of these unrefined salts are recommended in the 2012 Wise Traditions Shopping Guide!

Sources:

-The Salt Institute, www.saltinstitute.org/Uses-benefits/Salt-in-food/Essential-nutrient

-Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon