100 Perks of Having Cancer: Plus 100 Health Tips for Surviving It (57 page)

Perk #58

Say Good-Bye

to Bad Hair Days

I
dreaded going out into the heavy rain and wind to run my errands one

winter day, but alas I had hungry mouths to feed. As I sprinted into the

grocery store, I couldn’t help but notice how many hair-dos had gone awry

in the bad weather. There were flat dos, frizzy dos, and sticking-out-at-weird-

angles-dos. I smugly grinned to myself, thinking how supersleek my hair

would still look when I got home, despite the weather. You see, I had the

advantage of being able to leave my hair at home on bad days like that one

and wear a stylish hat instead.

If chemo has robbed you of your hair,

buy yourself a good selection of hats and

caps and say good-bye to bad hair days.

HEALTH TIP #58

Say Hello to Sea Salt

S
alt, in its most basic form, is a combination of two chemicals: sodium

and chloride. The way these two chemicals are put together and the other

minerals that accompany them have a lot to do with how salt is used and

how healthy it is.

Salt is the most widely used food seasoning. Not only do we cover most

everything we eat with it, but it is also in virtually every processed food in

the grocery store. (Look for the word “sodium” on the label.) Table salt and

sea salt are both forms of sodium, but there are two basic differences: where

it comes from and the added ingredients.

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Perk #58: Say Good-Bye to Bad Hair Days

235

Table salt comes from underground mines. The salt is removed from the

mine and undergoes extensive processing. The sodium and chloride are sep-

arated, and the other minerals it contains are weeded out. The sodium and

chloride are then reassembled, refined, and ground down into fine

grains. But the processing doesn’t end there. Because any amount

of moisture will cause clumping, a chemical anticaking agent is

added. The agent is usually calcium silicate, but it could be ferric

ammonium citrate, silicon dioxide, sodium ferrocyanide, magne-

sium silicate, magnesium carbonate, propylene glycol, aluminum

calcium silicate, sodium aluminosilicate, sodium silicoaluminate

(both of these contain aluminum), or calcium phosphate. And

because the anticaking agent is bitter tasting, a form of sugar, either

dextrose or glucose, is added to hide the taste.

Not exactly “salt of the earth” now, is it?

Further in the processing, iodine is also added because in the 1920s the

U.S. government thought they would help rid the world of iodine deficiency.

Iodine is necessary for proper thyroid function. (In their defense, because

other countries adopted the idea of adding iodine to salt, the incidence of

iodine deficiency has dramatically decreased.) Because all the other minerals

are removed, and because it is ground so fine, a teaspoon of table salt con-

tains a bit more “sodium” than a teaspoon of sea salt.

Sea salt, on the other hand, is harvested from the sea (there’s a shocker!)

and contains sodium and chloride in its natural mineral form as well as

many other beneficial minerals like potassium, calcium, iron, and stron-

tium. The salt is usually dried in the sun and then harvested. Natural sea

salt has nothing added to it. It is not processed at all. It is usually ground

into coarse or fine pieces. Sea salt can sometimes lose its flavor when cooked

down, so it’s usually added after the food is cooked. Some major manufac-

turers will take the sea salt, high-heat process it, or whiten it and still call

it “sea salt.” Unprocessed sea salt usually has a grey tint to it from the min-

erals. Look for the words “unprocessed” or call the manufacturer to verify.

Sea salt does not contain a significant source of iodine because iodine

is not an abundant natural mineral in sea salt. However, humans need only

150 micrograms of iodine per day to maintain thyroid health. There are

many other foods that contain iodine, like seafood (sea fish, seaweed,

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100 Perks of Having Cancer

shrimp). Iodine is also found in vegetables and eggs. If you are a vegan (or

even if you’re not), it is a healthy habit to include some form of kelp or

seaweed in your diet, if you can. Both seaweed and kelp are extremely high

in iodine. One-quarter teaspoon of dried kelp contains 3,000 micrograms—

we only need 150 micrograms per day. (On a side note: it is iodine that

protects the thyroid from radiation in the case of a nuclear disaster. During

the aftermath of the nuclear power plant accident in Japan, California stores

and Internet suppliers of kelp pills and seaweed were sold out. For those

“preppers” out there, I strongly suggest putting seaweed on your list entitled,

“Supplies to Buy for the Nuclear Apocalypse.”)

A Note About Sodium and Blood Pressure

It is estimated that 25 to 30 percent of all individuals (higher in blacks than

whites) are “sodium sensitive.” This means they retain fluid in such a sig-

nificant amount that it raises blood pressure and puts them at risk for

dozens of diseases like heart disease and organ failure. You wouldn’t know

you are salt-sensitive unless you check your blood pressure regularly.

Humans only need 500 milligrams of sodium a day to live, but most people

eating Western diets get more than 3,000 milligrams! A healthy diet gener-

ally includes a sodium intake of less than 2,300 milligrams per day. Your

tongue becomes less sensitive to salt over time so it takes more salt to

achieve the same flavor in your foods if you’re overusing it. After about four

to six weeks of gradual salt reduction, you’ll be using less, and you won’t

notice it. Check your labels for sodium content and shoot for 2,000 mil-

ligrams per day. It would also help to take the saltshaker off the dinner table

(sea salt or not) and replace it with a flavorful, natural spice replacement

like Mrs. Dash or other salt-free seasonings (c’mon . . . there are thousands

of other spices out there) if salt is the only seasoning you use.

To Review

Table salt is:

●
highly processed (processed equals unhealthy)

●
contains chemical anticaking ingredients

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237

●
contains sugar to mask the anticaking ingredient taste

●
contains iodine which we need, but we can get elsewhere

●
contains a bit more sodium per teaspoon than sea or other unrefined

coarse salts

●
has a very strong, pungent salt flavor when used for cooking

●
is cheap

Sea salt is:

Get rid of unwanted,

unhealthy chemicals and

●
not processed

add some beneficial

●
contains nothing artificial and nothing added

minerals and better

flavor to your life by

●
contains dozens of necessary minerals that your body

ditching the table salt

needs

and switching to a more

●
tastes great in and on food because it’s pure

natural one, like sea salt.

●
does not contain iodine

●
has a slightly lower sodium content but you use less because of the

flavorful mineral content and coarseness of the grain

●
may lose some of the unique flavor when dissolved in cooking, but

is great for added salt after

Other salts you might see are:

Dead Sea Salt:
Because of the extremely high mineral content, you don’t

eat Dead Sea salt. Straight from the Dead Sea in the Mediterranean, bathing

in it has been known to have healing and rejuvenating properties for cen-

turies. Studies have been done using Dead Sea salt on skin conditions like

psoriasis, and it has amazing healing power. It is also used on skin for blem-

ishes, rashes, wrinkles, scars, and swelling.

Himalayan Pink Salt:
This salt comes from the Himalayan Mountains and

contains eighty-four minerals and trace elements, which give it its pink

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100 Perks of Having Cancer

color and increased health benefits. This salt is delicious and is used in

gourmet cooking as well as for cosmetic and healing purposes. Inhaled

steam from Himalayan pink saltwater has been used for all respiratory ail-

ments (asthma, bronchitis, sinus infections, and so on) with great success.

Add several teaspoons to a bowl of steaming water, create a tent with a

towel over your head, and breathe the steam for ten to twenty minutes.

Kosher Salt:
Kosher salt contains no artificial preservatives or additives and

is certified “Kosher” by authorities in such matters. Kosher salt can be mined

or from the sea, and it usually a coarser grain than table salt. It is the coarse

grain that makes it the chosen salt when “Koshering” meats. (Finer grains

would run off the meat, whereas Kosher coarse salt sticks to it to draw out

the blood and make the meat suitable to be prepared in a “Kosher” manner.

That’s where it gets its name.) Cooks like to use it because of the flavor, but

it can’t be used in baking because it does not dissolve quickly.

Fleur De Sel De Camargue French Sea Salt:
Harvested from the south of

France, it is sea salt for the snooty. This pure sea salt is collected in a very

traditional way. A person known as a “raker” harvests the salt only from a

certain place and only in certain weather conditions, places it in containers,

and then seals the container with his signature. This salt is flakey rather than

granular, is very expensive, and is used in gourmet cooking as a finishing

salt that gets sprinkled over the tops of prepared foods (but probably not

popcorn).

If you use a lot of salt in your home and you are using processed table

salt, you may want to try some other options. If you’ve never tasted

unprocessed sea salt, you may not know what you’re missing—including

healthy minerals!

Perk #59

A Five-Week Vacation

C
hemo? Check. Mastectomy? Check. Radiation
. . .

What would you call this: five weeks away from cooking and cleaning;