Not too long ago, I was out for lunch with family when I heard an older relative describe salt as “pure poison”. When I asked them what they meant by it, the only elaboration they were able to give was that “their doctor told them so”.

As someone who’s worked in the health and nutrition space for almost ten years, this alarmed me for a number of reasons:

1) As our largest dietary source of sodium, salt is one of the most fundamental (literally elemental) nutrients for our survival; sodium, a key electrolyte mineral, helps to conduct nerve impulses, contract and relax muscles (including our heart), and maintain proper fluid balance within cells, allowing them to function optimally.

2) Researchers at McGill University have found that sodium functions as an on-off switch for specific neurotransmitters that support optimal brain function and protect the brain from neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.

3) Sodium supports insulin function and blood-sugar balance, and studies have shown that sodium deficiency may contribute to insulin resistance, a condition which is often a precursor to diseases such as diabetes, PCOS, and Alzheimer’s.

4) Sodium is essential for proper hormone balance, thyroid function, and metabolism; a 2017 study of over 3200 patients found that people with blood sodium levels within the normal range had lower cortisol (stress hormone) levels compared to those with abnormally high or low sodium. Furthermore, sodium is a key facilitator in the production of the thyroid hormones T3 and T4, which serve to increase metabolic rate and boost muscle protein synthesis, bone development, and hydration.

I’m not saying my relative’s doctor didn’t know what they were talking about; on the contrary, there are many very good and knowledgeable physicians for whom the constraints imposed by the structure of our healthcare system do not allow them the time to delve into the nuances of the salt/sodium conversation.

One of these very important nuances is this: what TYPE of salt are we talking about?

I often refer to a favourite Michael Pollan quote from his best-selling book, Food Rules: “Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food”; the rationale being that, the further industrial processing takes a substance from its natural state, the less our physiology is able to recognize and metabolize it, and therefore the less beneficial (and more potentially harmful) it becomes.

Unfortunately, like the prevalence of ultra-processed “food-like products” in our diet, white table salt falls into this category.

Far from the valuable salt licks our ancestors sought out for energy and nourishment, the refined white salt you find in most supermarkets and prepackaged foods is heavily denatured, often bleached, and stripped of other essential minerals that work synergistically with sodium to facilitate its health benefits.

As much as our bodies need sodium, they also need potassium, magnesium, calcium, and other minerals, all in delicately balanced ratios designed by nature to keep us properly hydrated and our cells functioning optimally.

At least some salt companies add iodine back in. So that’s nice.

High-heat processing also changes the chemical structure of sodium chloride, transforming it into a state that is no longer natural and is different from what our bodies are designed to use. It is THIS, along with the refined sugars, industrial seed oils, and other additives in ultra-processed foods which causes the high blood pressure and other health conditions that sodium is often blamed for.

As demonstrated in the studies above, our bodies need sodium. They do not need refined table salt.  

So how do I prefer to get my sodium?

In my daily cooking, as well as all of my published recipes, I always recommend using either Celtic Sea Salt or Pink Himalayan Salt (both readily available at your local health food store).

Harvested from clay-lined estuaries in France, Celtic Sea Salt is scraped from evaporated sea water, and simply crushed and packaged, “with nothing added and nothing removed”, so it retains all of its natural minerals and health benefits. Research has shown that Celtic salt may have anti-inflammatory properties, support immune function, and even help to regulate blood pressure due to its natural composition of trace minerals.

Pink Himalayan Salt is mined from the ancient Himalayan mountains of Pakistan (make sure you are getting a reputable brand, as there are many cheap imitations on the market). Considered to be one of the purest salts in the world, its pink hue is due to its high mineral content, which includes calcium, magnesium, potassium, copper and iron. These minerals, in combination with sodium, are shown to help regulate blood pressure, improve digestion, circulation, and detoxification, and reduce inflammation. It may also help reduce bloating and fluid retention.

If you are someone who follows a whole-foods diet, are active, or are currently under a lot of stress, chances are your body is depleted of sodium. And I can assure you that, far from being “poison”, one of the most supportive and nutrative things you can do is to sprinkle a little salt (Pink Himalayan or Celtic sea salt, please) on your food.

Don’t forget: we ourselves have been called “the salt of the earth”, and salt is a key ingredient in just about any and everything that we consider to be sacred and healing – be it our sweat, our tears, or the sea.

My fiance and I have been very fortunate to enjoy abundant travel opportunities this past year, and during these excursions, it came to my attention that I can be something of a “drill sergeant” when it comes to staying hydrated. I can’t help it. It alarms and disturbs me to watch someone go a whole day (or even a few hours) without taking a sip of water – something we can easily forget when we’re in a new place, outside of our regular routine.

It’s just that I know how I feel when I’m dehydrated: overly fatigued, head-achey, moody and shaky, with weird food cravings and brain fog that makes it nearly impossible to string two thoughts together. And that’s no way to enjoy a vacation.

It’s no mystery that proper hydration is essential for everything from immune and brain function to digestive health, hormone regulation, cellular ATP production (i.e. energy), nutrient absorption, and even body temperature regulation. And I know I’m not alone in my borderline-neurotic “drink more water” compulsion.

But what does it really mean to be properly hydrated? Our ancestors, after all, did not have constant access to potable water. They did not set timers to remind themselves to drink it. They certainly were not gulping two-plus liters of it per day (the modern bare-minimum recommendation for proper hydration).

How is it that we, as a society, are drinking more water than ever before, and yet we’re the most dehydrated that we’ve ever been?

The answer, it may surprise us to learn, is not in the water itself, but in our soil.

Chemically, there are 3 components to proper hydration: Hydrogen, Oxygen, and electrolytes. Pure water (H2O) is not an electrolyte, but in its most natural state (as we would have sourced our drinking water in the pre-industrialized world), fresh ground water picks up salts and minerals from the earth, which then function as electrolytes in our bodies.

Very simply put, electrolytes are elements that conduct an electrical current. And electricity is the very essence of our energy as human beings. It’s how our nerves transmit signals to our muscles, how the neurotransmitters in our brain and body communicate, how we think, how we animate, how we love. This why experts estimate that we can live up to 70 days without food, but only about 3 days without water. It’s not just the water that’s essential to our survival; it’s the electrical conductors it supplies that keep our hearts beating.

Chief among these electrolytes are minerals such as sodium (yes, adequate sodium is actually essential to our health), potassium, and magnesium. Once upon a time, these minerals would have been abundant in our earth and soils. But as a result of industrial farming practices such as tilling and monocropping, these minerals have been depleted over time. When the American Department of Agriculture examined the nutrient levels of crops from every corner of North America in 2002, they found that all nutrients had decreased by an average of 50% since the last study in 1963.

This, combined with the fact that many of us are consuming more processed food and treated or ultra-filtered water, has led to the startling estimate that as little as 10% of us are getting adequate electrolytes, which essentially means up to 90% of us are chronically dehydrated.

So what can we do to fix this?

On an individual level, and perhaps most importantly, we can make sure that the water we are drinking contains minerals. This means that, if we are drinking municipally-treated or filtered water, we should add in trace mineral drops (which you can easily purchase at your local health food store), or an electrolyte supplement (my favourite is LMNT). This is especially important if you are drinking distilled or reverse osmosis water, as these forms of purification remove all essential minerals, leaving nothing but pure H2O, which can actually deplete our bodies further of minerals when we drink it.

If you’re not a fan of supplements, or hesitant to invest in expensive powders and drops, you can also simply add a pinch of Pink Himalayan or Celtic Sea Salt to every litre of water that you consume. These types of salts, sourced from natural, third-party-tested harvesting sites, and left unprocessed, contain the proper ratios of essential minerals that we need to stay healthy.

You can also find my homemade “DYI Electrolyte Booster” recipe HERE.

Fun Fact: Salt in and of itself is not actually the culprit of high-blood pressure; It’s high amounts of sodium, consumed without other essential minerals such as magnesium and potassium to balance it out. The most common type of salt that we find in pre-packaged foods, in restaurant kitchens, and even in most household cabinets is refined white table salt, which has been chemically treated and stripped of essential minerals. This, combined with a diet high in inflammatory seed oils and sugars (also commonly found in ultra-processed and packaged foods) is a recipe for high blood pressure.

On the global/policy level, it’s important that we vote with our dollar whenever we can to have a positive influence on our food system. This means purchasing our produce from local farmers and sustainable producers, or even growing it ourselves. Look for food producers in your community who value regenerative farming practices. These are traditional farming techniques that protect soil health and produce more nutritious, mineral-rich food.

Mineral deficiency is something that affects nearly everyone. And without adequate minerals, our cells cannot produce the energy we need – and our bodies cannot conduct the electrical impulses – for us to live our most vibrant and prolific lives. But together, we can turn healthy mineral status back into the right it once was, rather than a privilege. We can affect change, and play a role in a more mineralized (and hydrated) world.

Hi there! Allow me to (re)introduce myself!

My name is Alexandra Lucier. I’m a Windsor-born writer, globe-trotter, yoga teacher, Registered Holistic Nutrition Practitioner (R.H.N.P), and certified Ayurvedic and Women’s Health Coach.

I’ve had the privilege of travelling the world, meeting beautiful people, exploring different cultures and sampling equally colourful flavours – from ceviche and tostones in Ecuador, to golden pine honey in Crete, Cacio e Pepe in Rome, tteok-bokki (spicy rice cakes) in South Korea, and even dubious chicken and rice in Ghana, Africa (with added fruit flies for extra protein!).

I’ve also worked under Red Seal Chefs in restaurant kitchens and had the opportunity to train alongside a variety of holistic health and nutrition practitioners during my years of professional experience in the wellness space.

As a practitioner, I’m fascinated by the intricate and nuanced ways that food interacts with both our physiology and our psychology, and I’m inspired by its power to nourish our bodies, our families, our relationships, and our communities. I recognize that every body is different, and I believe in an intuitive and inclusive way of eating in which all foods serve a purpose.

Through Well Fed, I hope to inspire you, not only through helpful, science-backed health and nutrition information and recipes, but also by applying the same curiosity that I had travelling through other countries to my own community of Windsor-Essex, and hopefully serving as a resource for quality, local food producers and suppliers, and also as a hub for fun and collaborative food and fitness events.

What does this mean for you?? Starting in June, I will be rolling out a new subscription-based program, delivered as bi-weekly e-blasts. As a subscriber, you will receive:

A new healthy recipe feature

3-day nutritionist-designed meal plan

Shopping list

Local ingredient sourcing recommendations

Health/nutrition-related blog post

Bonus feature on a rotating theme (yoga, Ayurveda, supplements, etc.)

For just $9.99 per month*, all of this will be delivered straight to your inbox, with new content every two weeks!

There will be NO auto-renewals, so you can cancel anytime! Simply Contact Me to sign up!

* First e-blast to go out June 1st; minimum 3-month subscription required.

I am still offering individualized consultations as well (see my Services & Pricing for details), and be sure to stay tuned for exciting upcoming events!

Thank you so much for being here and enjoy this beautiful Summer!!