Three BIG reason why you must add sea salt to drinking water are, to make it more hydrating, as a way of delivering nutrition in the form of dissolved essential minerals into your body and of course, to taste better.
You will also notice how your body responds immediately.
To start with your thirst will more quenched, the mouth and tongue will feel ‘wetter’ and you will begin to realise this is what being hydrated feels like.
Not too far back we drank from springs, creeks, and rivers that were loaded with the minerals and trace elements and this was a primary source of essential minerals.
Minerals are the Building blocks of your Body
These days modern water treatment remove all the minerals from tap and bottled water. While the water may appear clear it doesn’t have any nutritional content.
Fortunately this is easily remedied.
Just add a little Sea Salt or Himalayan rock salt to demineralised water and you begin to restore a missing link your body’s ability to thrive, repair and slow aging.
While you may be thinking you’re getting all the minerals you need from your food, most of food is grown in mineral deficient soil.
The nutritional value of fruit and vegetables is only as good as the soil’s mineral content! (Cotruvo, 2006)
What's Wrong with Filtered Water?
Every one of the 80+ minerals are essential and play vital role in how well our body’s function and water that has been heavily filtered does’ not have any minerals.
A 1980 study by the A.N. Sysin Institute of General and Public Hygiene and USSR Academy of Medical Sciences concluded, “Not only does demineralised water (distillate) have unsatisfactory organoleptic properties, it also has a definite adverse influence on the animal and human organism”( Kozisek, 2004, p.149)
The research paper cites examples of how demineralised water contribute to hypertension, coronary heart disease, gastric and duodenal ulcers, chronic gastritis, goitre, and complications in newborns and infants.
The German Society for Nutrition drew the same conclusion in 1993 and warned against drinking demineralised or distilled water because this type of water consistently developed very specific symptoms in people such as fatigue, headaches, cardiovascular disorders, and muscle cramps. (Kozisek, 2004, p.151)
Scientific studies show there is substantial evidence to confirm drinking demineralised water will cause adverse and accumulative health risks. (Moyel et al, 2013).
Demineralised water does not enable the body to achieve a balanced state of hydration because it lacks the required electrolyte minerals such as sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium and chloride.
Electrolytes are everywhere on the body. They enable electrical signals for nerve and muscle function, balancing acidity and keeping you hydrated
Minerals should always be added to demineralised, deionised, distilled or filtered water to make it nutritional. (Sahu & Thawani 2019, p.2),
Nature is Always Giving Us the Clues
70% of the earth’s surface is covered by salt water and our bodies are 70% water too.
Sea water contains an abundance of minerals and trace elements that are the perfect balance to sustain life in the ocean. These same minerals found in the ocean are found in our blood in different concentrations. (NASA,2007, Nani, Majid, Jaafar, Mahdzir & Musa, 2016)
Our body is made up of cells. Each cell is a living marine environments that must be kept hydrated with water that carries a minute mineral content for the cell to function and interact with the whole.
If a mineral deficiency develops specific symptoms arise that relate to the roles that mineral plays in the function of our body. If the deficiency is not replenished, defined symptoms will develop and manifest to become precursors of disease, followed by chronic disease.
’The composition of natural salt may include up to 80+ different minerals, trace elements, and Pico (smaller than nano) elements. The composition varies depending on the geographical region where the salt was harvested. (Frame, 2016)
Not All Salt is Good!
Refined table salt has only two minerals, which form the compound sodium chloride.
Aluminium Silicate typically added as a flowing agent to stop salt clumping. Often synthetic iodine is also added and is labelled ‘Iodised’ salt. (Raltson et al,2020)
But Some Salt is Great
On the other hand, the enormous nutritional benefit natural sea salt and Himalayan salt offers is a compact, affordable, and accessible source of the broad spectrum mineral elements your body needs.
How to Get the Minerals You Need
When minerals are dissolved in water they are free ions and more easily absorbed than minerals bound in food and other substances (Kozisek, 2004).
Essentially it takes less energy for your body to assimilate minerals dissolved in water.
How much Sea Salt or Himalayan Rock Salt to Add to your drinking water?
Too much natural salt is not ok.
As a guide, start with a level teaspoon of natural salt to 20 litres / 5 gallons of filtered water or, a pinch of salt to 1 litre of water.
If the water tastes salty you have added too much salt.
If adding sea salt to a large volume of water it helps to dissolve the salt in a smaller glass of water first and then add it to your bulk drinking water.
Water should never taste salty, just enough to soften the taste.
This will make water more satisfying and thirst quenching.
If you have been avoiding drinking water add salt to your drinking water – it might restore your desire to drink more water.
Notice how your body responds to being more hydrated by drinking water with a small mineral content.
You will discover you don’t need to drink as much water because the water is being assimilated by your body, urinate less which means less stress on the kidneys which equals more energy.
Your head will feel clearer, your body will eliminate better, experience less cramps, aches and pains,, digestive problems might disappear too.
When you add sea salt to drinking water you are slowing the aging process!
References
- Cotruvo, J. (2006). Health Aspects of Calcium and Magnesium in Drinking Water
- Frame, J. (2016). Himalayan Crystal Salt – Balancing the Facts
- Harvard University (2020) Precious metals and other important minerals for health
- Moyel S. M., Amteghy, H. A. Naseer K. T., Mahdi, A. E., Younus M. B. & Albadran A. M. (2013). Comparison of total hardness, calcium, and magnesium concentrations in drinking water (RO), and municipal water with WHO and local authorities at Basrah province, Iraq. Marsh Bulletin, 8(1) 65-7566
- Nani Z.M. S., Majid, F. A. A., Jaafar, A. B. Mahdzir A. & Musa, M.N. (2016). Potential Health Benefits of Deep-Sea Water: A Review
- Potential Health Benefits of Deep Sea Water: A Review
- NASA. (2007). NASA FACT SHEET
- Raltson, R. Hills, M. J., Wood, O. F., (2020). Salt
About the author:
Rima Hanhan
MPH, Health Coach, Nutritional Consultant
Rima Hanhan is a health coach and Nutritional consultant based in Yuma, AZ. Rima Hanhan holds a Master’s degree in Public Health/Epidemiology from Purdue University Global and an undergraduate degree in Marketing from Notre Dame University, and an associate degree in applied sciences from Keystone college. She has a certificate in health coaching from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN) and a Nutritional consultant certificate from The American Association of Nutritional Consultants (AANC). She runs her own health coaching business, where she helps her clients achieve optimal wellness through changing nutrition and lifestyle, and is passionate about evidence-based nutrition.
