These days, salt gets a bad rap. In some circles, salting your food gets you “The Look“, a pitying, quietly horrified glance that’s similar to what you’d get if you sprinkled your potatoes with, say, plutonium.

Salt isn’t quite the villain it’s made out to be. Now if we were talking about all the salt packed into processed foods found on grocery store shelves, I’d be concerned, too. I’d tell you that you’d be better served to avoid it. Even if it weren’t loaded with salt, processed food isn’t good for you anyway. It doesn’t even taste like food – that’s what the salt is meant to disguise.

Not all salt is created equal, though. And it can be good for your body. In fact, many of you should be consuming even more salt that you already are. But it needs to be the right kind.

All salt comes from deposits created when saltwater evaporates. This occurs naturally when saltwater dries up and leaves salty sediment behind, either above or below the ground. Dried salt is gathered and ground by hand or with a small amount of mechanization until “sea salt” is created.

The recipe for the man-made version of sea salt goes like this:

•    Evaporate prepared saltwater until crystals form.
•    Process the salt crystals and combine with anti-caking agents, a very small amount of iodine, and a touch of glucose.
•    Dump it in a box, put a seagull on the front, and call it “sea salt”.

Though man-made sea salt started as salt, the refining process changes it into more of a synthetic nutrient than one that is beneficial. But the additions to refined sea salt aren’t the only problem. Man-made sea salt is stripped of vital trace minerals, which are retained in less-processed salt harvested from the earth’s surface or underground. This makes all the difference.

When choosing salt, look at the back of the package. It should say Ingredients: Sea Salt. Nothing more.

To make sure you’re getting enough of the right kind of salt in your diet, mix ½ tsp. of Celtic sea salt in 25 ounces of filtered, room temperature water. Drink 30 minutes prior to or two hours after a meal. Repeat twice each day to provide needed minerals to your cells and deeply rehydrate your body’s tissues.