Naturopath Anthia Koullouros adds it to tap water and lemon juice in the morning. Twitter’s Jack Dorsey provides it to staff around the world. An Iranian doctor wrote a book about its virtues. Oh, and Gwyneth Paltrow is interested. Of course.
Salt juicing (add a pinch of salt to your drinking water every morning, with a squeeze of lime or lemon if you feel like it) is the ultimate practice for the health-conscious.
Other fans of the salty juice include Olympic coach and author Charles Poliquin, Stanford neuroscientist Andrew Huberman, and American fitness entrepreneur John Romaniello.
Are they on something? Should we all add a pinch of salt to our water? And what is the lemon juice all about?
Most Australians are already consuming much more than the recommended daily intake of 5 grams or less of salt.Credit:Artwork: Jo Gay
Why do these people add salt to their water?
Paltrow, who has 1.7 million followers on her Goop health advice website, Said this:: “I drink a lot of water and I always do, but I am always dehydrated. I have been doing research on mineralizing water and add himalayan sea salt to help with absorption. It doesn’t taste amazing, but it really mineralizes the water and makes a big difference.”
Koullouros, who uses a “good quality sea salt with minerals from A to Z,” agrees: “It helps water get into our cells.”
The late Fereydoon Batmanghelidj (known as Dr. B) wrote a book on the subject, Water and salt: your healers from withinhighlighting the importance of hydration by noting that 85 percent of the brain and approximately 75 percent of the body’s soft tissue cells are made up of water..
He argued that many people are dehydrated and that the other liquids we consume, such as coffee, tea and alcohol, dehydrate us even more. Dehydration, he believed, was to blame for a number of health conditions. So, he campaigned for people to drink much more water than recommended and said a pinch of sea salt helped the body absorb it better.
Charging
In fact, the “enhanced absorption” of water and remedying dehydration are among the most common reasons people add a pinch to their water.
In a blog post, Poliquin said that also believed it had a positive impact on digestion “as well as adrenal function and detoxification pathways.” romaniello “was not sold” about Poliquin’s claims, but drank it for its absorption and “positive digestive effect”.
American neuroscientist Andrew Huberman, a professor of neurobiology at Stanford, adds about half a teaspoon of sea salt to his water each morning. Hydration is vitally important for brain function, and neurons require “ionic flow,” he explained. on his podcast recently: “That means that neurons need sodium. They need magnesium and they need potassium to function… we tend to get dehydrated at night, even if the day is not very hot… So, I force myself to drink this water with a bit of sea salt.”
Well, does salt help the body absorb water better?
“It’s true that a little bit of salt in the water will increase the absorption rate,” says dietitian Dr. Joanna McMillan, “which is why sports drinks and electrolyte drinks have a very specific amount of sodium.”
Sodium (an essential mineral found in foods, including salt), calcium, and potassium are electrolytes used to help treat dehydration and are used by athletes to rehydrate and maintain energy while performing.
Charging
“When we sweat a lot in vigorous exercise, we lose sodium and potassium. So it’s important to get them in,” says Professor Ken Nosaka, director of sport and exercise science at Edith Cowan University, adding that these minerals could also help prevent cramps.
In relation to water absorption, sodium is the most important [electrolyte],” he says.
When we drink water, sodium is first absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract and then enters the vascular system before finally being pumped into every cell, primarily through a process called the osmotic gradient, which is regulated by sodium, Nosaka explains.
Although a little salt (which is made from about 40 percent sodium and 60 percent chlorine) improves our body’s ability to absorb water, it’s a balancing act, says Mark Hargreaves, professor of physiology at the University of Melbourne.
“Just as you need the water balance, you need the sodium balance. If you have too much or too little, you end up with major problems,” he says.
Charging
Most Australians are already consuming much more than the recommended daily intake of 5 grams or less of salt, approximately the equivalent of a teaspoon. The main foods Bread, meat, poultry, and game products contribute to our salt intake, including processed meat, grain products, and grain-based dishes like cookies and pizza.
“Too much salt can increase the risk of high blood pressure, a silent risk factor for heart disease,” says registered dietitian Kathleen Alleaume, who believes there are better things to focus on.
“If all Australians could focus on eating a lot more plant-based foods (whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, etc.), we’d all be better off.”
As for the lemon or lime in your water, it can enhance the flavor and provide “a little bit of vitamin C,” McMillan says, but it doesn’t affect water absorption.
He adds that a squeeze of lemon is fine, especially if it encourages us to drink water, as long as we don’t have it in excess, which can be acidic for tooth enamel.
Should I follow this trend (or take it with a grain of salt)?
Since most of us need to consume less, not more salt, this trend may be for a few.
And unless a person needs to rehydrate quickly (for example, because they have diarrhea, have been exercising for more than 90 minutes, or aren’t going to eat in the near future), we replace lost fluids and sodium simply by eating and drinking. pure water, says Hargreaves.
Charging
How much pure water? “You don’t want to be dehydrated, but thirst is a pretty good physiological mechanism, so if you’re thirsty, drink,” he says.
Nosaka thinks the saltwater trend is “okay” as long as people don’t get too much total sodium in their diet. Hargreaves says that “in general” there is truth to many of the claims about saltwater and that the practice could be helpful in specific situations.
“Whether you need to do it every morning, I’m less convinced,” he adds, “as long as you have adequate fluid and salt intake and other nutrients as part of your regular diet.”
Get the most out of your health, relationships, fitness and nutrition with our Living Well Newsletter. Get it in your inbox Every monday.
