Killer Pinch of Salt
by Dr. Lynn Tan, N.D.
Our bodies require sodium to function, Sodium occurs naturally in foods and is essential to health. Our bodies require 500 milligrams (mg) to 1000 mg of sodium daily. Some health ministries recommend a limit of 2000 mg of sodium intake per day. Because of poor eating habits, many people take excessive amounts of sodium through food seasonings like salt, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and monosodium glutamate (MSG), commonly known as AJINOMOTO or VEI-TSIN.
Studies show that an average Malaysian and Singaporean take daily an excess of sodium at least 3 – 4 times above the recommended limit. This is more than 10 times the body’s requirement. The record in Table 1 shows a typical Asian daily diet with a total consumption of about 6,000 mg, or 3 teaspoons of salt, which is 10 times more than what the body requires! This is definitely a cause for alarm because excessive salt contributes to high blood pressure and other complications like stroke, heart disease, and kidney failure. Excessive sodium intake also causes a bio-chemical imbalance in the cells, which marks the beginning of degenerative diseases. Dr. Max Gerson, M.D., the founder of Gerson Therapy for cancer, stressed that salt is one of the major causes of imbalance in the body that triggers cancer growth.
| One Serving | Sodium |
|---|---|
| Fish Head curry | 2 ½ tsp |
| Shark’s Fin soup | 1 ½ tsp |
| Chicken macaroni soup |
1 ½ tsp |
| Ayam buah keluak | 1 ½ tsp |
| Mee soto | 1 ½ tsp |
| Penang laksa | 1 ½ tsp |
| Prawn noodle | 1 ½ tsp |
| Mee Siam | 1 ½ tsp |
| Claypot rice | 1 tsp |
| 2,000 mg of sodium = 1 teaspoon of salt | |
In our home, we essentially have no added salt or soy sauce in our food; I would say it is a matter of habit and requires getting used to that type of taste. Vegetables like celery and Japanese melon do contain a lot of organic sodium and I use them as natural seasonings for our soup and other dishes. When we go to Chinese restaurants, the normal instructions given to the waiter at the restaurant is that there should be no MSG added to the food. Some waiters say that the food will not taste nice without MSG, but we reply that we do not mind. We also politely instruct them to reduce the salt as we are used to saltless food.
Normally the restaurant people are quite obliging and comply with our requests. As for “hawker food” where there is no possibility of reducing the seasonings, my taste buds protest enormously after food consumption. I have to suffer for the next 3 – 4 hours dealing with my unhappy, salted tongue.
Many people say that sportsmen need extra salt intake because of the release of salt in their sweat. This is a statement of ignorance. Why does the sweat taste salty? Our skin is one of our major eliminative organs. Salt, or inorganic sodium chloride, is a poison to our system. The body will rid itself of this poison by excreting it through perspiration; therefore, sweat is salty. When I exercise and my diet is totally salt-free, my sweat does not taste salty and I do not suffer cramps at all.
According to some old people, if your sweat is not salty, then you are sick. This is true for a person who consumes salt in his diet. If his sweat is not salty, it shows that his eliminating system is not functioning properly; and therefore, he is not excreting the toxic inorganic salt.
Dr. Paul Bragg who had advocated drinking distilled water and consuming a saltless diet throughout his life, proved his point by the following test.
He staged a test hike of 13 miles across Death Valley, California, one of the hottest locations in the world. During July, the hottest month, he hired 10 husky, young, college athletes to hike with him.
They started the hike at 8:00 A.M. with the thermometer reaching 40.55°C. At noon, the thermometer stood at 54.44° C. The college boys gobbled salt tablets and drank cool water along the way. At noon, they ate ham and cheese sandwiches, washing them down with ice cold cola drinks.
As for great grandfather, Dr. Bragg, he took nothing but warm distilled water. After lunch, as they continued their rugged hike across the blazing hot sands, three of the husky college boys became violently ill, threw up all they had eaten and drunk for lunch, then quit the hike.
The hike continued with only seven college athletes and Dr. Bragg. As they hiked, the college boys drank large amounts of cold water and consumed salt tablets. Suddenly five of them began suffering from stomach cramps and became ill. They had to be driven back to the ranch. At 4:00 P.M., the last two remaining athletes collapsed in the hot sun and had to be rushed back for medical care.
Dr. Bragg continued the test hike alone. He finished the 13-mile desert hike in about 10 ½ hours and suffered no ill effects whatsoever. He camped out for the night, then arose the next morning and hiked another 13 miles back to the ranch without food or salt tablets. Dr. Bragg perspired throughout the hike in the heat; however, his sweat was not salty.
The case against salt…
Case #1
A study sponsored by the World Health Organisation, the Heart Foundations of Europe and North America, and other agencies shows that blood pressure is linked to salt intake.
Case #2
The northern Japanese used to take more salt than most other people. Correspondingly, more of them had high blood pressure. But since the local government began discouraging them from consuming excessive salt, fewer cases are being reported.
Case #3
Before the Eskimos were exposed to modern diets, their daily salt intake was slight and they had low levels of hypertension, even though their diet were predominantly meat.
Case #4
In Finland, a 20-year study showed dramatic improvements in health resulting from Finns reducing their salt consumption. Their rate of heart attack and stroke-related deaths fell by 60% as their salt intake was reduced from 15 g to 10 g a day.
Case #5
Dr. Lynn Tan records 100% success in the reduction of obesity and hypertension among her patients. Both treatments are preceded with the body Detoxification & Rejuvenation program which helps to throw out sodium and restore potassium back to the cells. This is to be followed by a high potassium, low sodium regime. The effect of recovery is almost immediate.
