Sodium chloride

• Table salt : The common white salt you’re use to. Table salt is only sodium and chloride, usually mined from rock salt or seawater. It then has the other naturally occurring minerals stripped from it, which are often sold to vitamin companies at a premium price.This refining results in a bitter taste, which is one reason for the fillers, including dextrose (good old corn sugar). Anti-caking agents are also usually added, and it’s sprayed with synthetic iodine to make up for the minerals taken out. (More below) Any anti-caking agent serves to prevent absorption of water, which defeats salt’s purpose to help our bodies retain water. They’re not good for us!
• Sea salt : The label “sea salt” feels to me more of a marketing campaign strategy to convince people to pay a higher price for “health food” than a helpful statement of truth. Again, since all sodium chloride ultimately came from a sea at some point, all salt is sea salt. The common white sea salt sold for 2-3x the price of iodized table salt is refined in a similar way to table salt, removing most of the minerals in the process. White sea salt is no healthier than table salt, and is lacking the iodine that your body does need.
• Unrefined sea salt : Harvested sea salt that is not refined actually has over 60 different minerals in it (instead of TWO). As usual, when we take something out of a natural food product, we end up with problems (see below on high blood pressure). The balance God created in salt is key. Why we’re surprised by that I don’t understand. Unrefined salt will usually be colorful, with shades of pink, brown, or grey, depending on the source. Some brands that help you make sure you’re getting real, unrefined sea salt include Real Salt, Celtic Sea Salt, and Himalayan Salt. We’ll talk Monday about the differences in the three.The bottom line is that real, unrefined sea salt provides a natural balance of minerals that keeps us healthy instead of making us sick.
  

See also :

• Sodium
• Iodine

Special Precautions of Sodium chloride

• Your body has its own way of regulating sodium and chloride. Excess amounts of these compounds are usually expelled in the urine. But of course when you really overload on regular table salt, you could give your kidneys too much to handle. Those already suffering some kind of renal disease have to drastically reduce salt in their diet.
• increase in blood pressure. People with hypertension are always advised to lessen eating of salty foods and other dishes that contain a lot of sodium. Strokes and cardiovascular diseases are the other associated conditions.
• Hypernatremia is the condition where there’s more sodium than water in your body. Hyponatremia is just the opposite. Both are dangerous and can occur if you don’t properly rehydrate after a lot heavy physical activity.

Health benefits of Sodium chloride

As vital as it is, the human body needs only very little salt. Too little salt can be just as bad as too much. Both lead to cases of electrolyte imbalance. The daily upper limit for adults is around 2,300 milligrams. For those aged 51 years and above, it should be just 1,500 mg. For children it’s even less with the limit set at 1,000 mg a day.

• necessary to retain hydration, the reason why salt is in things like Gatorade and other electrolyte drinks * to treat patients suffering from dehydration, diarrhea, etc.
• Salt is key to carrying babies to term
• regulates blood sugar, important for diabetics not to have low salt intake
• contributes to a healthy thyroid because of iodine
• acts as an antihistamine
• It’s even a sleep aid! A few grains in a glass of water before bed helps you sleep more soundly.
• Exercise : One of the possible reasons why your muscles feel really weak or why you may experience extreme muscle contraction after an intense exercise is because you’ve lost a lot of sodium or other electrolytes through sweat.