OK, to set the record straight I grew up in a house where salt was a bad thing. I was still in grade school when my Dad was diagnosed with an enlarged heart and so Mom thought it a good idea to switch us to (shudder) light salt. If you have never tasted this stuff be glad it has the worst after taste you can imagine. But because of Daddy's heart issues as well as both of the adults in the house had high blood pressure we made the switch. We were told that salt was a bad thing and should be avoided as much as possible. So I continued the practice as an adult (with real salt mind you). It was not until a couple of years ago that I found that there is are several good reasons for salt in our diet.
Salt will actually help keep your body in balance. It helps with your pH balance, thyroid, insulin in addition to keeping your hormones in balance. It works as a natural antihistamine and keeps your adrenaline from spiking allowing you better quality sleep. The proper amount of salt can also help with your metabolism and weight control. Contrary to popular belief salt can also be beneficial in keeping away the water retention. OK so these are some reasons for your health to pick up the salt shaker, but for cooking it is an amazing tool in drawing out flavors. It took me a long time to get past my old fears but a cooking show helped me understand it better. Salt will draw out the sweet flavors in baked items. It will draw out the flavors in your meat and vegetables as well.
In doing a little research I found that the type of salt is important. As with most foods you want to take the one that is processed the least. The less it is processed the more or its natural minerals will be in tact. So don't fear the salt shaker, but at the same time this does not give us a green light to eat a whole bag of frito's either. As with most things it is about balance. Cooking from scratch allows us to have the salt we need in our diet, and the control over what type is used and how much.
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