Salt is often referred to as the enemy of health. However, it is an essential element for the body. It’s all about dosage.
“Everything is poison, nothing is poison, it’s the dose that makes the poison”. Already in the 16th century, with this now famous formula, the alchemist-physician, Paracelsus, warned against excesses of all kinds. Salt is needed in the kitchen, for taste, and for certain techniques. It is also necessary for the balance of the body, because it allows the maintenance of water, and it is essential for muscle contractions, as recalled by the National Health Security Agency.
Chef Guillaume Siegler, who teaches at the international culinary institute Le Cordon Bleu, is formal, salt is needed: “Of course, salt, which is a flavor enhancer, can make you want to consume more and more. But it contributes to nutritional well-being: if you have salt deficiencies, you risk having mineral deficiencies. , and therefore, concerns of hydration or maintenance in the acid-base balance of our body. In reasonable quality, salt is therefore good for health.”
5 grams daily
Everything is therefore in this reasonable quantity, which the World Health Organization sets at 5 grams daily. In France, we easily eat double that. It must be said that salt is hiding everywhere, from bread to cooked dishes, cheese sauces. There are also several kinds of salt, ultra-refined salt from the sea, or pink Himalayan salt.
To enhance your dishes, you can replace it with lemon, spices, ginger, aromatic herbs or seaweed, like this furikake produced by Julie Renaud: “Furikake is the favorite condiment of the Japanese, made of seaweed and sesame seeds. It is always filled with additives, preservatives or colorings, unlike ours which is 100% natural around sesame and seaweed from Brittany, with only 5% added salt.” However, this Furifuri (that’s its name) costs more than table salt: on average 6 euros for 50 grams.