The NaCl on the Table

Salt is one of the most liked food seasoning or gourmet ingredient. It is also known as table salt, or rock salt. It is a mineral that is composed primarily of sodium chloride. It is essential for animal life in small quantities, however is harmful to animal and plants in excess; and is a dietary mineral crucial for animal life. To give you an idea, salt is one of the oldest, yet most ubiquitous mineral because it’s found everywhere else, and commonly used as food seasoning. Salting is an important method of food preservation. The taste of salt is one of the basic human tastes.

Salt for human consumption is produced in diverse forms: crude salt (sea salt), cultured salt (table salt), and the iodized salt. It is crystalline in appearance, basically white, it can even be pale pink or light grey in color, generally extracted from sea water or rock dumps. Whereas, salt for human consumption is produced in various forms: unrefined salt (sea salt), refined salt (table salt). Chloride and sodium ions, the major components of salt, are needed by all known living creatures in small quantities. Over intake of salt may increase health problems, including high blood pressure. However, salt is involved in regulating the water content of the body fluid, so it is advised to have a moderate use of dietary sodium.

Salt is not customarily used as a condiment in many East Asian cultures. Condiments like fish sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce tend to have a high salt content and fill much the same role as a salt-providing table condiment that table salt serves in western cultures. However, the risk for illness due to deficient or excessive salt intake varies because of biochemical individuality.

Health Effects

Sodium is one of the main electrolytes in the body. Too much or little salt in the diet can lead to muscle cramps, dizziness or electrolyte disturbance, which can cause neurological problems, or death. Drinking too much water with inadequate salt intake puts a person at risk of water intoxication. Salt is sometimes used is a health aid, such as in treatment of Dysautonomia. When salt is used excessively, it may cause the following:

·         Stroke and cardiovascular disease.

·         Hypertension

·         Left ventricular hypertrophy

·         Heartburn

·         Edema

·         Duodenal ulcers

·         Gastric ulcers/cancers

·         Osteoporosis

·         Death

Salt intake, in fact, can be lessened by reducing the quantity of salty foods in a diet. Salt substitutes have taste similar to table and contain mostly potassium chloride, which will increase potassium intake. Excess potassium intake.

Salt intake can be reduced by simply lessening the quantity of salty foods in a diet, without any option to salt substitutes. Salt substitutes have a taste similar to table salt and contain mostly potassium chloride, which will increase potassium intake. Excess potassium intake can cause hyperkalemia. Various diseases and medications may decrease the body's excretion of potassium, thereby increasing the risk of hyperkalemia. Those who have kidney failure, heart failure or diabetes should seek medical advice before using a salt substitute.