Table salt is the chemical element sodium chloride, a mineral, and an essential food product. Salt is obtained in mines or by evaporating salt water. The history of salt in the food industry and food culture dates back to the very dawn of humanity. In ancient times, salt was literally worth its weight in gold, and wars were fought over it. Today, when it became known that the Earth has practically inexhaustible reserves of sodium chloride, its market price has dropped sharply - salt has become the cheapest food seasoning. This, however, does not mean that people value her less. In addition to the fact that salt improves the taste of food, it also has a number of beneficial properties for the human body.
Salt regulates the acid balance of the body. With a lack of salt, the acidity of the body increases, which leads to gastric discomfort, heartburn, and in the long term - to serious diseases of the digestive system and liver. Salt is involved in water-salt metabolism. Water entering the body is quickly eliminated without salt, and the body's cells do not receive sufficient nutrition. In addition, with a well-balanced water-salt metabolism, the risk of developing cancer is reduced: the volume of circulating blood, oxygen and active immune cells in the body increases, which leads to the neutralization of cancer cells.
Table salt is necessary to maintain muscle tone, including the heart muscle: salt in the required quantities normalizes blood pressure and prevents the development of cardiac arrhythmia. Salt plays an important role in normalizing sleep. In fact, salt acts as a natural sleeping pill that adapts to human biorhythms. Lack of salt in the body can cause anxiety, insomnia and even depression. Table salt contains elements necessary for the normal functioning of the human body, in particular the brain. If there is a shortage of these elements, the brain begins to send alarm signals throughout the body. Salt and the brain are generally very closely interconnected: salt is necessary to ensure the normal functioning of brain neurons and the transfer of information between them. These processes occur continuously throughout a person’s life, so in this case it is difficult to overestimate the importance of table salt. Lack of salt can lead to seriousa long incurable disease - Alzheimer's disease. Of course, all good things are good in moderation. They say salt is white death, and this is partly true. The lethal dose of salt for an adult with normal body weight is 200-300 grams. The daily need for salt is only 10-15 grams, and this is exactly the dose at which its beneficial functions “work.” Abuse of salt leads to the development of diseases of the heart, liver, thyroid gland, kidneys, joints and bones. Therefore, there can be only one main piece of advice in cooking: do not over-salt!
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