Culinary and Health Benefits of Salt and Black Salt

Salt and Black Salt – Valuable and Healthy.

Salt, rock salt or table salt is a crystalline mineral and composes primarily sodium chloride. Sodium chloride is a chemical compound and belongs to a larger class of the ionic salts. The sea and the ocean are the biggest sources of salt which means we are actually surrounded by salt! Salt augments the flavor of foods, preserves foods, helps to control and regulate normal body functions, and also acts as a building block for higher complex chemicals.

Salt as a Food Seasoning

• Salt is the most accepted food seasoning.
• This dietary mineral is very essential for animal life. It is primarily composed of sodium chloride.
• Salt for your daily consumption is produced in many forms: unrefined salt also called as sea salt, refined salt or table salt, and iodized salt, currently advocated as the best salt to avoid goiter disease.
• Salt is a crystalline solid, pale pink or white, or even light grey in color.
• Salt is normally obtained rock deposits of the sea waters. 

Health Benefits of Salt

Salt plays an important role in water retention and muscle contraction. Salt contains vital nutrients that are essential for your stomach. Salt consumption in moderation is very important. A lack of salt in your diet is dangerous. Lack of salt means occurrence of sodium deficiency. At such times your body perspires so heavily that you may suffer from shock since your blood pressure decreases rapidly and excessively. The reverse is also problematic.  Diet rich in sodium can lead to water retention in your body and your blood pressure also rises. Thus a balanced amount of salt is necessary for a good nutritional disposition. The salt requirement in a healthy diet should range between 2400 to 3000 mg per day.

Salt activates salivary amylase in the mouth. Salivary amylase is an enzyme which helps the taste buds to taste food. Salt also creates the hydrochloric acid. Hydrochloric acid is an important digestive secretion, and lines the walls of the stomach. Salt actually helps your body in digestion process by breaking down food.

Black salt is also a popular food seasoning

Black salt or Kala namak is a special Indian mineral salt and has a distinct sulfurous flavor. Black Salt is a plant product and originates from Harad seeds. Harad seeds contain sulfurous compounds and the seeds are considered as aphrodisiac in nature. According to Ayurvedic practitioners, black salt is the most beneficial variety of salt because unlike the ordinary salt, black salt does not increase sodium content of blood. Black salt is therefore recommended for low-salt eating dieters and patients with high blood pressure problem. Black salt is a reviver while improving eyesight and aiding digestion where it helps to soften bowel.

Food value of Black Salt

Black salt is a common ingredient usually found in the kitchens of North India.  Black salt is used as a key ingredient in preparing different snacks like the mint-flavored pani puri. Many deep-fried Indian snacks are made using black salt since it lends a particular flavor. Black salt is also sprinkled on top of some snacks to give them its characteristic sour and sulphurous flavor.

Different brands of chaat masalas have black salt as the key ingredient.

Black salt is highly appreciated in dishes by the vegans since it mimics the taste of eggs. It is used to spice tofu to imitate an egg salad. Also regularly used in small amounts in raitas, chutneys, and pickles and various other Indian savory snacks, black salt brings a very different flavor as compared to the regular salt. When sprinkled on fresh cut fruits like bananas and apples Black salt makes them a delicious treat. Black salt is also used by some people to replace table salt or sea salt. Black salt is very useful during the hot warm weathers, as it is sometimes employed in flavoring the neat drinks, a practical way to restore salt lost due to excessive perspiration.

Black salt benefits for digestion

Black salt is considered a cooling spice and used extensively in Ayurvedic medicines. Black salt brings a lot of benefits for your stomach.  It acts as a laxative and also as a digestive aid and treats bloating. It helps to relieve intestinal gas and therefore heartburn. Black salt is a great remedy for constipation as it softens the stools. When you prepare buttermilk remember to add a pinch of black salt to it rather than regular salt as doing so doubles the health benefits of buttermilk. If you feel a vomiting sensation, just cut a lemon into 2 halves and sprinkle black salt on both parts. Chew each half for a few minutes. You will feel relaxed and forget about the vomiting sensation too.