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Yes, I am a great supporter of salt, as long as it's the right kind of salt.

And I'm not alone. Others like The Scientific American and Time Magazine know the truth about salt as well.

I strongly encourage all our Beyond Diet members to consider whether they are eating the right or wrong kind of salt.

• WRONG kind: refined and processed white table salt.
• RIGHT kind: natural, unrefined sea salt.

You might be asking yourself, "But Isabel, my doctor, several scientists, and even the news have told me over and over to cut salt from my diet; why are you telling me to add it back in?"

The answer to that is very simple: you have been getting most of your salt from unhealthy sources such as take-out, prepackaged food, condiments, and the shaker on your table. Without you knowing it, you are more than likely exceeding, by several times, the daily requirement of salt that your body needs. That's right, I said needs.

Healthy sources of sodium can:

• Regulate and normalize blood pressure (yep, you read that right!)


• Absorb and break down food in the intestinal track


• Aid in the creation of strong bones


• Relieve and prevent muscle cramps


• Help to maintain a strong metabolism


• Maintain proper electrolyte balance


• Aid in supporting a healthy immune system

The key to having salt, or anything in your life for that matter, is to have it in moderation. Excess amounts of sodium has its consequences as well. Exceeding 6 grams a day can sometimes results in bloating, excessive thirst, and increased cholesterol.

As long as you stick to the Beyond Diet Program and the foods that are suggested, including nothing prepackaged, you can start adding unrefined, unprocessed sea salt to your dishes to make them taste even more delicious.

Why is sea salt better than iodized salt?

Iodized salt is taken from mines in the earth. It starts out as a hard rock, put through a process that uses chemicals to strip it of impurities. This reduces the rock to solely sodium and chloride. This chemical cleaning process strips any trace minerals that might be beneficial to our bodies and makes the salt into something that is no longer readily used or identified by our bodies. Because it is not readily used or identified, our bodies take water out of our cells to wrap around the salt particles floating in our bloodstream in order to flush this poison out of our bodies as quickly and efficiently as possible. This is why our bodies become so dehydrated after we have ingested a large amount of salt - for example when we have chips or other processed foods. Our systems are then water deficient and our electrolytes are out of balance.

Unprocessed and unrefined sea salt is not chemically cleansed and has all of its trace elements intact. Our bodies recognize this type of salt and can easily digest it and begin using it and its elements to its advantage. Trust me, you can't even tell the difference in taste when you switch your "poisonous" table salt with healthy sea salt.

When you are shopping for your new sea salt, make sure that the package reads BOTH "unrefined" and "unprocessed."

You can't assume that just because it says "unrefined" that it is unprocessed. Manufacturers have found loopholes and are assuming that we consumers aren't aware of what they're doing. Be smart and look for both key words to ensure you're purchasing a beneficial sea salt.

My favorite brands are Ava Jane's Colima Sea Salt, Celtic Sea Salt, Redmond's Real Salt, and Himalayan Sea Salt (but any unprocessed, unrefined brand is great - be careful though, if it doesn't mention unprocessed and unrefined, assume it is not).

Now that you aren't afraid to use unrefined sea salt, you'll love knowing that healthy fats are your friend!

»Click here to get the scoop on Good Fat Vs. Bad Fat