You need salt and sugar to survive.
When patients tell me they feel guilty for consuming sugar or salt, I remind them that these are essential nutrients that our bodies need to function properly. The sodium-potassium pump, which is the largest mechanism in our bodies, relies on salt to ensure that every cell is working correctly. Cutting out salt can mean missing out on vital nutrients that keep us healthy and strong.
However, it’s important to note that the salt found in processed foods and restaurants is typically white salt, which lacks the micro-nutrients found in unrefined salt such as magnesium and potassium. Eating from the original source, such as sea salt, provides the necessary trace minerals our bodies require.
Similarly, sugar is vital to our brain’s functioning, and natural sugar sources like cane, beet, honey, and molasses provide essential micro-nutrients like phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Instead of consuming processed sugars, we should opt for whole sources of sugar that provide the necessary vitamins and antioxidants our bodies need.
The vitamin industry is a billion dollar business. You do not need 400% of any nutrient.
“Fears over salt first surfaced more than a century ago. In 1904 French doctors reported that six of their subjects who had high blood pressure—a known risk factor for heart disease—were salt fiends. Worries escalated in the 1970s when Brookhaven National Laboratory’s Lewis Dahl claimed that he had “unequivocal” evidence that salt causes hypertension: he induced high blood pressure in rats by feeding them the human equivalent of 500 grams of sodium a day. (Today the average American consumes 3.4 grams of sodium, or 8.5 grams of salt, a day.)” (Scientific American)
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/its-time-to-end-the-war-on-salt/