Sattvika Diet Rabbit Hole Series: About Salt

This article is dedicated to those brilliant souls who have renounced all mundane pleasures in order to purify themselves and purify the life of others. Like luminaries they have been blessing the intellects of  us, the beginners of the hard path of spirituality. They represent the highest ideal of the human life: serving Him.

You saved my life.

Is it salt Tamasika or Rajasika?

There is not a single Baba's commentary about it. So, it would be better to not call the salt as tamasika or rajasika, etc. As it is out of our jurisdiction. But as in AM we are men and women of science, this article explores and expose the detrimental effect of the salt in our general health, specially on our mental balance.

Salt reaching tables

First of all, we should start discussing about when salt reached the tables of the general public. Using derivative logic we are aware that if human beings survived without having saltshakers at their tables for ages then adding salt to our food is not a matter of life and death. Yes! You can live without adding salt to your food. Some may say: you cannot live without sodium in your diet! You need salt!! But... do you know that salt is not the same as sodium? Sodium is a mineral element and salt is a chemical compound made of sodium and chloride.

If our ancestors didn't have any saltshakers, how did they managed themselves to get their sodium dose? That's a good question! And, the answer is quite simple: They got the sodium from the different fruits, vegetables, and water, which are naturally provided with an essential dose of sodium, by whom? By Parama Purusa.

According to NutritionFacts.org: "For the first 90 percent of human evolution, we likely ate diets containing less than the equivalent of a quarter teaspoon of salt’s worth of sodium a day. Why? Because we likely ate mostly plants. We went millions of years without saltshakers, so our bodies evolved into sodium-conserving machines. That served us well until we discovered that salt could be used to preserve foods. Without refrigeration, this was a boon to human civilization, but where does that leave us now? After all, we no longer have to live off pickles and jerky." (1)

Negative effects on consuming salt

 

Salt has a high concentrated amount of sodium on it, that allows a overconsumption that affects the circulatory system extremely quickly. For instance, remember that your circulatory system is a closed system and your kidneys play a fundamental role in it. When the kidneys are unable to excrete excess sodium, it can lead to fluid retention. As the body is a closed system, fluid accumulation leads, eventually,  to increased pressure within the circulatory system.

Doctor Rick Johnson says: "We discovered that people with high blood pressure have inflammation in their kidneys; they have low-grade inflammation in their kidneys, and it's due to T cells and macrophages. They tend to be in the main part of the kidney, where we call the tubules, and where the tubules are around the little blood vessels. We were able to prove that the inflammation was actually maintaining the kidney in a state where it couldn't get rid of salt very well, and it did this by basically creating reduced blood flow to the kidneys. So, in people with high blood pressure, they all have reduced blood flow to their kidneys. When you reduce the blood flow, you affect the ability of the kidney to excrete salt, and you start to retain salt" (2). 

Lists of deseases related to high blood pressure: 

Heart disease: Hypertension can damage the arteries that supply blood to the heart, increasing the risk of:

• Coronary artery disease: Hardening and narrowing of the coronary arteries.
• Heart attack: Occurs when blood flow to the heart is blocked.
• Heart failure: The heart cannot pump blood effectively.
• Arrhythmias: Irregular heart rhythms.

Stroke: High blood pressure can weaken the blood vessels in the brain, increasing the risk of rupture or blockage, which can cause a stroke.

Kidney disease: Hypertension damages the blood vessels of the kidneys, which can lead to kidney failure.

Vision problems: High blood pressure can damage the blood vessels in the eyes, which can cause vision loss.

Aneurysms: High blood pressure can weaken the walls of the arteries, forming bulges called aneurysms, which can rupture and cause severe internal bleeding.

Cognitive problems: Some studies suggest that hypertension may increase the risk of cognitive decline and dementia.

Is salt affecting your spiritual practices? 

Well, certainly, yes. what 99.999999999% of spiritual aspirants are not aware of, is that the salt makes the mind very restless. There is almost no information about this, so only a few sadhakas who dared to prove it, realized the truth behind salt consumption and it's compatibility (or not) with spiritual life. Without a calm mind, spiritual evolution is extremely difficult, and salt, folks, is detrimental for a peaceful state of the mind.

Swami Sivananda was probably the only yogi who talked about salt, he said: "Salt is the worst enemy. Too much salt excites passion. Even if you do not take salt separately, the system will derive the necessary quantity of salt from other foodstuffs. All foodstuffs contain salt. Giving up of salt helps you in controlling the tongue and thereby the mind and all the other Indriyas (...) Salt excites passion and emotion. Salt excites and strengthens the Indriyas. Renunciation of salt brings in a cool condition of the mind and the nerves. It helps meditation. You will suffer a bit in the beginning. Later on you will enjoy a saltless diet." (3)

Personally, I lived the experience consuming different amounts of salt: consuming a lot of salt, consuming a "normal" amount of salt, consuming a bit of salt, and finally, not consuming salt. After many comes and backs to habit of eating salt I can say a few personal experiences I had with salt consumption:

• Salt makes the body temperature to go on increase super rapidly, and that is a problem, because in our yogic way of life, with our system of bath, half-bath, etc, we are always trying to maintain our body temperature checked, because we know that glands works bad under increased body temperature. Make the test, go without salt for a few months and then consume it, you will notice an instant increase in your body temperature, you will feel it right in your head. This is yogic practical and scientific science.

• If you are trying to conquer your sexual urges, then, salt is literally one of your worst enemies, lust pikes to the roof when you eat salt, because indriyas go crazy with salt consumption. Practical practitioners of yoga will understand this.

• Salt is extremely addictive, that's why you will have a hard time at the beginning of giving up salt. I never heard about someone facing difficulties while giving up bananas, but I heard hundreds of stories about people suffering giving up salt. If salt is healthy, why is so difficult to quit? Why does it creates hardcore withdrawal symptoms? Kindly think about it.

Conclusion

I would like to finish this letter encouraging you to give up salt and experience what I'm talking about, peace and silence on your mind. After a few weeks you will start reaping incredible benefits, specially if you are an spiritual aspirant. Meditation will be easier for you and you'll be in a better mood during the day as your indriyas will not disturb you. Oh spiritual aspirant! Embark on this journey of self-purification and your life will never be the same again. Let's shine on the divine refulgence of a life of renunciation to all the mundane pleasures...

At His feet,

your near brother

References: 

1."Salt", Nutrition Facts, n.d, https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/salt/
2. Attia, Peter. [Peter Attia MD]. (2022, February 10).
The Relationship Between Salt & Blood Pressure | Peter Attia, M.D. & Rick Johnson, M.D [video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Puuoq800_FM&t=163s.
3- Sivananda, Swami. (1934). Practice of Brahmacharya. Divine Life Society.