If someone told you that you’re consuming microplastics every single day, in every meal, would you believe it? Would you be able to guess what ingredient contains the microplastics? It’s salt! This small yet mighty (and extremely popular) ingredient often contains microplastics, and many of us are consuming it on a daily basis. As you might expect, ingesting salt that contains microplastics can cause a variety of health concerns. Fortunately, there is a potential way to decrease the risk of contracting various diseases and a simple switch that you can make. Let’s discuss microplastic free sea salt.
Microplastic Free Sea Salt
In chemical terms salt is an ionic compound. It is also commonly known as sodium chloride, or table salt. (1) Salt is one of the oldest and most commonly used seasonings, and billions of people around the world share a love for it. An interesting thing about salt is that depending on the mineral that it is mixed with and the process of evaporation, it can completely transform. There are many different types of salt with different textures, flavors, and uses, especially when it comes to food. (2) Some common salts are table salt, Kosher salt, Sea salt, and Himalayan salt, but there are many others out there that are just as unique.
Does Your Food Contain Microplastic?
Studies have shown that salt is one of the biggest sources of microplastics, which are extremely small fragments of plastic… smaller than 5 millimeters. (3) These tiny fragments disintegrate from one another and make their way into our oceans, resulting in pollution that greatly impacts humanity, and our health, in a variety of ways. As the currents move these pieces of plastic around they eventually end up back in our cupboards as salt. Often, microplastics cannot be seen with the naked eye.
In a recent study, scientists tested 39 different brands of salt that came from over 16 different countries. It included sea salt, rock salt and lake salt. The study revealed that there were as many as 1,679 microplastics in each kilogram of salt. (4) This level of concentration of plastic can cause serious damage to the body.
Microplastics in humans can cause metabolic dysfunction, thyroid imbalances, hormonal imbalances, kidney and liver problems as well as certain cancers. Refined salt is the main reason salt has such a bad reputation. It’s the same kind of salt that is found in processed foods. It is always recommended eating microplastic free sea salt.
How Microplastics in Salt Affect Our Health
Microplastics in our salt can place a heavy burden on the liver and kidneys. This is crucial to be aware of because this can lead to cardiovascular challenges, affect our entire digestive process resulting in conditions like IBS, Crohn’s, and colitis, and create other imbalances throughout the body. Fortunately, there is a quick switch that you can make.
Switch to Colima Salt to Avoid Microplastics
Switching to a cleaner and better sourced salt can help your overall health, and Ava James Colima Salt is one to use to avoid microplastics. The way this salt is harvested and manufactured allows it to be completely plastic free. Sourced from the waters of Colima, Mexico, it claims to be unrefined, contains no additives or preservatives, and is completely microplastic free. (5) This salt is harvested by hand for just 16 weeks out of the entire year, so if you would like to grab a bag for yourself, you can purchase it here. Due to its careful harvesting, the salt still contains all the natural minerals that the human body needs.
Our body needs salt for a variety of functions, not the least of which is regulating blood pressure. (6) It is important to maintain a healthy blood pressure level for many reasons, namely that it can affect brain health. Low sodium levels can also cause us to have low energy become lethargic.
Since we do need sodium in our diet, how much should we eat throughout the day? According to the World Health Organization, we should not exceed 1,500mg, or 1.5 g a day. That is equivalent to a little more than half a teaspoon. (6) Currently, Americans ingest around 8,500 mg, or 8.5 g of salt a day. Not only is that a huge amount of sodium, but it’s a lot of microplastics too. But Colima salt is high quality, plastic free, tastes delicious, and contains all the necessary properties your body needs. You can purchase it here.
If you are ready to make a change in your daily routine to promote a healthy life, start with switching out your salt. Over time this mineral has been contaminated by the pollution in our oceans, but knowing the source of your salt can help you make healthy and strategic decisions about which ones to purchase.
If you would like to learn more about salt, microplastics, and how they affect your body, you can schedule a virtual appointment with me here. I always focus on my patients health through a naturopathic approach that gets down to the root of their issues. You can also sign up for my weekly updates here to stay current with all things related to health and wellness.
Sources:
- https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/resources/highschool/chemmatters/past-issues/2015-2016/february-2016/salt-facts.html
- https://www.foodrepublic.com/2018/07/30/a-handy-guide-to-the-many-different-types-of-salt/
- https://daveasprey.com/microplastics-sea-salt/
- https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.est.8b04180?journalCode=esthag
- https://www.gazette-tribune.com/national-marketplace/colima-sea-salt-by-ava-janes-kitchen-is-it-legit-to-buy-review/81492/
- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/146677#effects
