Medical journals, doctors and even the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) all warn of the dangers of sodium consumption in relation to heart disease and high blood pressure. But there is a scientific process that is necessary for your cell functions. According to the book The Salt Solution by Richard Moore, M.D., Herb Boynton and Mark McCarty, your cells depend on a balanced ratio of sodium and potassium for their energy. A sodium-potassium pump (Na-K-pump) maintains high levels of potassium and low levels of sodium in each and every cell. This ratio of the two minerals is known as the K-factor. When the pump doesn’t function correctly then your cells die.

Even worse, the modern Western diet doesn’t include nearly enough healthy foods to maintain the needed amount of these minerals. In the United States over the last two centuries, potassium consumption has dropped from 11,000 milligrams (mg) to 2,500 mg… and sodium consumption has risen from 700 mg to more than 4,000 mg! This change in the ratio of potassium to sodium has increased heart disease and high blood pressure, Moore states. A low dietary K-factor ratio causes a low K-factor ratio in your cells. Low dietary K-factor ratio can be linked to at least 95 percent of cases of high blood pressure and 90 percent of cases of stroke, plus an increased incidence of kidney stones, stomach cancer, severe asthma and mental decline, according to Moore.

Healthy sources of potassium include potatoes, bananas, oranges, apples, rutabagas and cabbage. So sodium found naturally in foods is good for you in order to maintain the delicate potassium-sodium balance. The key is to not add common table salt and processed sodium to these foods. Why?

Salt can be found in three forms: unrefined salt, refined salt and iodized salt. The latter two forms can be extremely detrimental to your health. The Mayo Clinic states that refined salt goes through many purification processes and is treated with various chemicals and solutions to create the final salt grains. Iodized salt is also heavily processed and has iodine added to the grains. To obtain sea salt, flats of seawater are evaporated, leaving behind coarse grains that have not been processed or purified.

Many dieticians believe sea salt can be healthier for you in limited amounts since it doesn’t contain chemicals or additives. According to Jacques de Langre, Ph.D., in his book Sea Salt’s Hidden Powers, sea salt can also help relieve sinus congestion, insomnia, water retention, pH levels, blood sugar problems and muscle cramps.